HONOLULU, Hawaii - Marvin Graves ran for two touchdowns and passed for another score as Syracuse embarrassed Arizona, 28-0, in the ninth Eagle Aloha Bowl game in rain-drenched Aloha Stadium.
Graves scored on a pair of 5-yard runs and threw 47 yards to Terry Richardson and 6 yards to Chris Gedney as the Orangemen ran their record to 7-4-2. Arizona fell to 7-5. The shutout snapped Arizona’s 214-game scoring streak, the second longest scoring streak in NCAA history. The last time the Cats were shut out was a 31-0 defeat by Arizona State in 1971.
The Orangemen drove 65 yards in 13 plays following the opening kickoff with Graves scoring on a quarterback draw from the five with 8:35 left in the first quarter.Â
Syracuse made it 14-0 with 2:22 remaining in the half as Richardson slipped behind the Cat pass defense for an easy 47-yard reception. Arizona tried to get back into the game in the third quarter, twice reaching the Orangemen 35-yard line. But both drives died, and Syracuse put the game away in the fourth quarter with two long marches.
Graves was selected as Syracuse’s most valuable player, and cornerback Todd Burden, who had two interceptions and caused a fumble, was selected as Arizona’s most valuable player. The week-long inclement weather put a damper on many activities and caused many ticket purchasers to stay at home. There were 32,217 tickets sold but only 14,185 attended the game.
