Syracuse and Colorado, two very explosive football teams, found the going tough in a first half that produced only one touchdown and a 7-6 lead for the Buffaloes. But with the help of a razzle-dazzle kickoff return, the two teams easily entertained the crowd of more than 70,000 in the second half, as Syracuse prevailed, 26-22.
The 1993 Fiesta Bowl was the first to be sponsored by IBM OS/2. Over the course of the game it was the trickery of Kirby Dar Dar and Qadry Ismail that helped produce the hardware for the Orangemen.
The Buffs pulled within 19-16 with just 14 seconds left in the third quarter on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Kordell Stewart to Charles Johnson.
But on the ensuing kickoff, Ismail caught the ball at the goal line and handed it to Dar Dar at the 12. Dar Dar did the rest, cutting around the left corner and sprinting down the sideline to give Syracuse a 26-16 lead.
The return somewhat deflated the Colorado sideline, which was still celebrating after the Stewart-to-Johnson touchdown pass.
The Buffaloes did score a touchdown with 4:28 left in the game and had a last chance when they got the ball back with 2:41 to go while trailing by just four.
They had terrible field position, starting the drive at their own six-yard line, and after one first down, turned the ball over on downs.
After the defensive-led first half, the teams combined for 29 points in the third quarter with the Orangemen scoring 20 of those.
Syracuse opened the second half, scoring on a 13-yard run by David Walker. Mitch Berger nailed a 38-yard field goal for Colorado to make the score, 12-10.
Syracuse signal-caller Marvin Graves, who was held to five completions for 64 yards in the air, scored the Orangemen's second touchdown on a nifty 28-yard run with 1:33 left in the third quarter.
Colorado then went 82 yards in four plays to score on the Stewart TD pass, before Dar Dar went the distance on the return.
