NEW YORK — A few years ago, a matchup between Syracuse and West Virginia would have constituted a typical Saturday afternoon Big East game, maybe on a crisp day in October. For 56 years, from 1955 to 2011, they battled that way, always in the regular season. These are different times, and Saturday's third annual Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium represented a clash of programs in transition. The Mountaineers just finished their first year in the Big 12; the Orange will move to the Atlantic Coast Conference next season. Syracuse gave the rivalry a parting shot. With 369 yards on the ground, the Orange manhandled the Mountaineers, 38-14, amid a mix of snow and sleet, to earn their second Pinstripe Bowl victory in three years. “Winning the second one,” Coach Doug Marrone said, “this has become a special place for all of us.” The Orange — accustomed to living in raw conditions howling off Lake Ontario this time of year — played like a team comfortable in the icy slop. Prince-Tyson Gulley collected 264 total yards and 3 touchdowns, and Jerome Smith added 157 yards rushing. But Syracuse's defense, facing the nation's seventh-highest scoring offense, turned in the afternoon's most impressive performance. Their previous two meetings came in regular-season matchups. Shafer said 80 percent of Syracuse's defensive game plan was carried over from the regular season, meaning there were not many wrinkles added to defend the star quarterback Geno Smith and the speedy receiving tandem of Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin. With the weather appearing to disrupt routes and chill hands, there were 11 penalties combined in the first half and nearly a dozen dropped passes. West Virginia's 14 points were its lowest total since 2008. Coach Dana Holgorsen sounded frustrated more than anything by missed chances in the first half, although the second half was no better. “They offensively in the second half did what we expected to do,” Holgorsen said of the Mountaineers' vaunted offense being shut down. It was a nightmarish game for Smith, projected by some to be the top selection in this spring's NFL draft. He passed for 187 yards and was sacked for two safeties. Smith fell to 0-3 in his career as a starter against Syracuse. Now, with three wins in a row, Syracuse might be content with leaving the rivalry in the past. Texas 31, Oregon State 27: David Ash threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, the last a 36-yard strike to Marquise Goodman with 2 minutes 24 seconds left, to give Texas (9-4) a comeback victory over No. 15 Oregon State (9-4) in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. Rice 33, Air Force 14: The freshman quarterback Driphus Jackson threw for 264 yards in relief of Rice's hurt starter, including two touchdown passes to Jordan Taylor, and the Owls (7-6) beat Air Force (6-7) in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth. Jackson took over for Taylor McHargue, who left with an apparent head injury after a helmet-to-helmet collision in the first half. Arizona State 62, Navy 28: Taylor Kelly threw four touchdown passes and ran for a fifth score to lead Arizona State (8-5) to its first bowl win in seven years, with a victory over Navy (8-5) in the Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco. Michigan State 17, TCU 16: Michigan State labored on offense throughout to rally past TCU in Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. Effective running back Le'Veon Bell set up Dan Conroy for another game-winning kick in a bowl game. Bell ran for 145 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown, Conroy kicked a 47-yard field goal with 1:01 left. — Agencies
