Syracuse is returning to a familiar place when it faces Minnesota in the Pinstripe Bowl. The Orange have played in the game twice and won it twice. It will be the first visit for the Gophers. The Gophers finished 8-4 this year while Syracuse started 6-0 then lost five straight before winning its last game. Running backs Mohamed Ibrahim of Minnesota and Sean Tucker of Syracuse figure to take center stage.
Minnesota (8-4, Big Ten) vs Syracuse (7-4, Atlantic Coast), Dec. 29, 2 p.m. ET
LOCATION: Bronx, New York.
TOP PLAYERS
Syracuse: RB Sean Tucker has run for 1,060 yards and 11 TDs and caught 36 passes for 254 yards and two TDs.
Minnesota: RB Mohamed Ibrahim, 1,594 yards rushing, 19 touchdowns.
NOTABLE
Syracuse: Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle served as Syracuse's AD for less than a year before leaving for Minnesota.
Minnesota: The Gophers finished tied for second place in the Big Ten West after beating rival Wisconsin for the third time in five years.
LAST TIME
Syracuse won, 21-17, in the 2013 Texas Bowl.
BOWL HISTORY
Syracuse: The Orange are 2-0 in Yankee Stadium. They beat Kansas State in 2010 and West Virginia in 2012.
Minnesota: First appearance in the Pinstripe Bowl, 23rd bowl game in program history. The Gophers are 3-0 in bowl games under coach P.J. Fleck and have won their last five bowl games.
