Syracuse
Orange
2008
Recruiting Class
Star of the Class
Averin Collier
RB 5-10 200 Churchville, N.Y.,
Churchville-Chili HS
Enrolled January 2008 … High School: 2007 SuperPrep
All-American … 2007 Prep Star Top 135 Dream Team selection …
Rated as the 24th-best athlete by Rivals.com … Rated 21st-best in
the East by Scout.com … Ranked the 12th-best running back by
Scout.com … Selected to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
All-Greater Rochester Team … 2007 Football NYSSWA All-State Class AA
First-Team Offense selection … Monroe County All-Star … As a senior,
registered 1,170 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 95 carries …
Named Rochester area 2006 Player of the Year after gaining 1,547
yards on 193 carries and scoring 20 touchdowns
Potential
Instant Impact Players
Romale Tucker
LB 6-4 225 Washington, D.C./Frank W.
Ballou HS/Milford Academy
Milford Academy:
2007 Prep Star All-East Region selection … Rated the
27th-best strongside linebacker by Scout.com … Registered 18
tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery in 2007 … Coach: William
Chaplick … Attended same prep school as current SU football
student-athlete Jermaine Pierce and Darnell Pratt … High School:
Earned 2006 Prep Star All-Atlantic accolades after posting 92
tackles, including 65 solo stops, 10 sacks and one interception …
Also named to the Washington Post DCIAA All-League Team …
Recorded 30 solo tackles, 16 assisted tackles, 15 sacks and one
fumble recovery as a junior
Mikhail Marinovich
DE 6-4 222 San Clemente, Calif./JSerra
Catholic HS/Milford Academy
Enrolled January 2008 …
Milford Academy: 2007 Prep Star Prep School All-American
… Ranked 46th on Scout.com Prep School Top 50 list … Made 33
tackles, including 20 solo, forced two fumbles, had 11 tackles of
loss and set school record with 15 sacks … Coach: William Chaplick …
Attended same prep school as current SU football student-athlete
Jermaine Pierce and Darnell Pratt … High School: 2006 Max
Emfinger All-American after recording in 45 receptions for 727 yards
and five touchdowns as a tight end … First-team all-league … Set
school record with six sacks in one game … Team MVP for two seasons
Rest of the Class
| Ian Allport |
OL |
6-4 |
300 |
Pulaski,
N.Y./Pulaski Central HS |
| Antwon
Bailey |
ATH |
5-8 |
196 |
Landover,
Md./Saint Johns College HS |
| Cory
Boatman |
DE |
6-2 |
260 |
Silver
Spring, Md./Good Counsel HS |
| Van Chew |
WR |
6-1 |
165 |
Manassas,
Va./Centreville HS |
| Averin
Collier |
RB |
5-10 |
200 |
Rochester,
N.Y./Churchville-Chili HS |
| Carl Cutler |
TE |
6-1 |
234 |
Norwich,
Vt./Hanover (NH) HS |
| Trey
Fairchild |
WR |
5-11 |
185 |
Dublin,
Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS |
| Dorian
Graham |
CB |
5-11 |
185 |
Plantation, Fla./St Thomas Aquinas |
| Jeremiah
Harden |
RB |
5-9 |
188 |
Ft.
Lauderdale, Fla./St Thomas Aquinas |
| Tyrell
Harris |
CB |
6-1 |
190 |
Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt HS |
| Michael Kay |
OL |
6-1 |
280 |
Capitol
Heights, Md./C.H. Flowers HS |
| Shane
Kimmel |
LB |
6-1 |
238 |
Ivyland,
Pa./Council Rock HS |
| Nick Lepak |
OT |
6-4 |
318 |
Auburn,
N.Y./Auburn HS |
| Jarel
Lowery |
DT |
6-3 |
285 |
Paterson,
N.J./Paterson Catholic HS |
| Grant Mayes |
CB |
5-10 |
180 |
Roselle,
N.J./Seton Hall Prep |
| Ryan Nassib |
QB |
6-3 |
215 |
West
Chester, Pa./Malvern Prep |
| DeAndre
Preaster |
WR |
6-3 |
200 |
Utica,
N.Y./Proctor HS |
| David
Stevens |
TE |
6-4 |
220 |
Short
Hills, N.J./Milburn HS |
| Dan Vaughan |
DE |
6-2 |
221 |
Gibsonia,
Pa./Pitt. Central Catholic HS |
| Austin
Wallis |
K |
5-10 |
170 |
Overland
Park, Kan./Blue Valley North HS |
-
2007 Syracuse
Season
-
2007 Syracuse Preview
-
2006 Syracuse
Season
2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
5-7
2006 Record:
2-10
Aug.
31
Washington
L 42-12
Sept.8 at
Iowa L 35-0
Sept. 15
Illinois
L 41-20
Sept. 22 at
Louisville W 38-35
Sept. 29
at Miami Univ.
L 17-14
Oct.
6 West
Virginia L 55-14
Oct.
13
Rutgers L 38-14
Oct.
20
Buffalo
W 20-12
Nov.
3 at
Pitt L 20-17
Nov.
10
South Florida L 41-10
Nov.
17
at Connecticut
L 30-7
Nov.
24
Cincinnati L 52-31 |
2008 Early Lookahead
Why to get excited: Will all the experience finally turn into
production? The Greg Robinson era has been an unmitigated disaster, but
he's being given one more shot with seven starters returning on offense,
eight back on defense, and both kickers. Andrew Robinson is considered a
potentially big-time quarterback prospect, and he has a burgeoning star
receiver in Mike Williams to throw to. The running game should get a
huge boost with Curtis Brinkley (broken leg) and Delone Carter (hip)
expected to be back this spring after getting knocked out last year.
Why to be grouchy: Do you really believe in Greg Robinson? The
hope and prayer is for a Rich Brooks-like situation at Kentucky where
everything comes together at once after years of building, but that's a
big hope for a team that rarely showed signs of being competent. Yeah,
there were injuries, and several players needed experience, but the
offense was still abysmal scoring fewer than 17 points or fewer in eight
games.
The number one thing to work on is: Line play. The O line got no
push whatsoever for the nation's second-worst running game and allowed
54 sacks, the second most in the country. Robinson is supposed to be a
defensive coach, yet the Orange were dead last in the Big East in
scoring, passing, rushing and total D. SU was 118th in the nation in
sacks generating just nine. Nine.
Biggest offensive loss: WR Taj Smith
Biggest defensive loss: S Joe Fields
Best returning offensive player: WR Mike Williams, Jr.
Best returning defensive player:
NT Arthur Jones, Jr.
2007 Recap
Recap:
The Orange maintained, even enhanced, its growing reputation as the
worst program in the Big East, going 2-10 and winning just a single
league game. There was very little to cheer about at Syracuse,
which lost 10 games for the second time in three years, and was
routinely abused at the point of attack on both sides of the ball.
For Orange fans hoping to see a head or two roll in December, even
that didn’t go their way, as beleaguered head coach Greg Robinson
was given another year to get the program back to
respectability.
Offensive Player of the Year: WR Mike Williams
Defensive Player of the Year: NT Arthur Jones
Biggest Surprise: The Orange sure weaved a doozy of an upset
on Sept. 22, flooring heavily-favored Louisville in one of the
biggest upsets in Big East history. Syracuse nabbed its first win
of the season behind sophomore QB Andrew Robinson, who turned 17
completions into 423 yards and four touchdown passes.
Biggest Disappointment: The Orange’s encore to picking off
Louisville? Losing to Miami University, 17-14, the following
weekend in a listless effort that encapsulated why the program is in
such a state of disrepair. Syracuse got out gained 436 to 302,
fumbling an opportunity to build on the school’s flashiest win this
decade.
Looking Ahead: Well, on a positive note, Robinson’s return
for 2008 means the players won’t have to spend a chunk of the
offseason, learning a new staff, a new offense, and new
terminology. Although the Orange is a mess in the trenches, the
skill position players offer a hint of hope, especially if touted RB
Delone Carter can make it all the way back from a dislocated
hip.
Nov. 24
Cincinnati 52 ... Syracuse 31
Cincinnati cranked out 544 yards of total offense and sacked
Syracuse quarterback Andrew Robinson 11 times, but needed a 16-yard
fumble recovery for a score as part of a 17-0 run to put the Orange
away. Ben Mauk had a career day with 431 yards and four touchdown
passes including three to Marcus Barnett from 33, eight and 18 yards
out. SU kept up the pace for three quarters with Robinson bombing
away for 419 yards including a 78-yard play to Taj Smith on the
first play of the second half. The two teams combined for 859
passing yards and 21 penalties.
Player of the game:
Cincinnati QB Ben Mauk completed 29 of 42 passes for 431 yards and
four touchdowns, and ran for a score.
Stat Leaders: Cincinnati - Passing: Ben Mauk,
29-42, 431 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Butler Benton, 9-63. Receiving: Marcus
Barnett, 11-127, 3 TD
Syracuse - Passing: Andrew Robinson, 29-47, 419
yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Doug Hogue, 8-30. Receiving: Mike Williams,
9-160, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Whatever happens with the coaching staff, the pieces are in place
for a potential juggernaut of a passing game next year. Andrew
Robinson, with some more work and a lot of seasoning, is a keeper,
while Mike Williams is one of the nation's best kept receiving
stars. Of course, the team is going nowhere fast until the defense
starts to play far, far better and the offensive line is created
from scratch. The SU front five allowed 11 sacks and did nothing for
the running game. Until the linemen start to show up, the program
isn't going to make any major strides.
Nov. 17
Connecticut 30 ... Syracuse 7
Connecticut got up to a 30-0 lead with Tyler Lorenzen
connecting with Terence Jeffers for a 63-yard touchdown early in the
first and Andre Dixon sand Donald Brown each running for scores. The
defense got into the act in the second half with Danny Lansanah
picking off a pass and taking it 49 yards for a touchdown. SU
finally got on the board with a two-yard Mike Williams catch for its
only points of the game. The Huskies finished the year unbeaten at
home.
Player of the game: Connecticut RB Donald Brown ran 22 times for
99 yards and a touchdown and caught a pass for 11 yards
Stat Leaders: Syracuse - Passing: Cameron
Dantley, 7-17, 61 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Doug Hogue, 12-65. Receiving: Mike Williams,
6-24, 1 TD
Connecticut - Passing: Tyler Lorenzen, 16-24,
213 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Donald Brown, 22-99, 1 TD. Receiving: Andre
Dixon, 4-40
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
The problem with Syracuse hasn't just
been the losses, it's been the lack of improvement. The offense has
never been able to find itself all year, and now it's truly lost as
it tries to figure out which quarterback to possibly commit to for
the next few years. The defense made some decent adjustments in the
second half against Connecticut, but with no offense, there wasn't
any hope of making it interesting. With Cincinnati to close down yet
another miserable season, the entire program needs something it can
hang its hat on going into the off-season. There has to be something
positive to get excited about.
Nov. 10
South Florida 41 ... Syracuse 10
South Florida outrushed Syracuse 346 yards to 15, and held on
to the ball for almost 46 minutes, as Mike Ford ran for 134 yards
with two one-yard scores, and Matt Grothe ran for a five-yard
touchdown and threw for scores to Carlton Mitchell from 15 yards out
and Taurus Johnson from nine yards away. Syracuse was down 20-0
before getting a 50-yard Patrick Shadle field goal with three
seconds to play. The Orange only got into the end zone on a
three-yard Mike Williams touchdown catch.
Player of the game: South Florida RB Mike Ford ran 28 times for
134 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Syracuse - Passing: Cameron
Dantley, 21-38, 276 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Max Suter, 3-11. Receiving: Mike Williams,
8-99, 1 TD
South Florida - Passing: Matt Grothe, 15-22,
181 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Mike Ford, 28-134, 2 TD. Receiving: Carlton
Mitchell, 6-61, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Syracuse appeared to be getting better
as the season was going on, at least a little bit, playing Pitt hard
last week, and then came the home clunker to South Florida to cement
the team's fate in yet another clunker year. The running game
continues to be non-existent, while the passing attack hasn't done
nearly enough to get the offense moving. To have a chance to be
competitive at UConn next week, the run defense will have to be
night-and-day better than it was this week.
Nov. 3
Pitt 20 ... Syracuse 17
Pitt broke open a 10-10 tie with a one-yard LeSean McCoy
touchdown run and a 32-yard Conor Lee field goal in the fourth, and
then had to hang on, as Mike Williams caught a three-yard touchdown
pass with 1:46 to play. After stopping McCoy on a fourth and one, SU
got the ball to midfield in the final minute, but a fourth down pass
was incomplete. The two teams combined for just 559 yards and
converted just six of 30 third down conversion chances.
Player of the game: Pitt RB LeSean McCoy ran 31 times for 140
yards and a touchdown, and caught five passes for 12 yards
Stat Leaders: Syracuse - Passing: Cameron
Dantley, 15-27, 189 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Max Suter, 6-27. Receiving: Mike Williams,
8-81, 1 TD
Pitt - Passing: Pat Bostick, 21-30, 153 yds, 1
TD
Rushing: LeSean McCoy, 31-140, 1 TD. Receiving: Oderick
Turner, 5-54, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Is this the end of the Andrew Robinson
era for this year? With the SU starting quarterback getting benched
at halftime of the loss to Pitt, and a nice performance from Cameron
Dantley in relief, the idea is to find a spark from somewhere. The
receiving corps is playing well, and it has to with no production
from the running backs. The offensive line continues to be an issue,
allowing six sacks to Pitt and only averaging one yard per carry.
That's not a plus with South Florida and Connecticut up next.
Oct. 20
Syracuse 20 ... Buffalo 12
Mike Williams and Taj Smith each caught 113 yards worth of
passes, and the defense held Buffalo to four A.J. Principe field
goals, as Syracuse came away with just its second win of the season.
SU's Doug Hogue ran for 83 yards with a six-yard touchdown run in
the final minute of the first half. UB fumbled the ensuing kickoff,
Andrew Robinson found Mike Williams for an 11-yard touchdown with 15
seconds to play, and SU had a 17-3 halftime lead. Principe connected
from 31, 33, 29 and 32 yards out for the Bulls.
Player of the
game:
Syracuse WR Mike
Williams caught seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Buffalo - Passing: Drew Willy,
32-48, 286 yds
Rushing: James Starks, 20-62. Receiving: Naaman
Roosevelt, 10-91
Syracuse - Passing: Andrew Robinson, 15-28, 265
yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Doug Hogue, 24-83, 1 TD. Receiving: Mike
Williams 7-113, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Buffalo
is playing well, so while the win might not seem like that big a
deal, it's huge for a SU program in desperate need of something to
hang its hat on. For the first time all year, the passing game got
both Taj Smith and Mike Williams involved in the attack enough to
keep a defense on its heels, and while Andrew Robinson only threw
for 265 yards, he did enough to get the win. Now SU needs to get a
little momentum. A win over Pitt is a must before having to deal
with South Florida.
Oct. 13
Rutgers 38 ... Syracuse 14
Rutgers gained 538 yards of total offense, but it took a
little while to get rolling. Syracuse scored the first 14 points of
the game on a 16-yard Mike Williams touchdown catch and a 15-yard
Curtis Brinkley run, and then it was all Rutgers, scoring 38
unanswered points with Ray Rice scoring three short touchdowns and
Mike Teel connecting with Kenny Britt from 42 yards out and Kevin
Brock from 32 yards away.
Player of the
game:
Rutgers RB Ray Rice
ran 36 times for 196 yards and three touchdowns, and caught four
passes for 29 yards
Stat Leaders: Syracuse - Passing: Andrew
Robinson, 15-32, 158 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Curtis Brinkley, 16-98, 1 TD. Receiving:
Jawad Nesheiwai, 4-81
Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 20-29, 310 yds, 2
TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ray Rice, 36-196, 3 TD. Receiving: Kenny Britt,
6-176, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Just
when it seemed like Syracuse was going to do something special. Just
when it seemed like it was going to give Rutgers a hard time. Splat.
Nothing from the running game. Less from the passing attack. Nothing
from the D line. Good night. The Orange has to find something that
works and stick with it, but it can't keep doing the same things and
getting blown out week after week. Buffalo is up next, and if SU
loses that, it's really time to cash in the season and be ready to
start fresh with a new coaching staff.
Oct. 6
West Virginia 55 ... Syracuse 14
With a balanced attack, West Virginia rolled for 486 yards and
the easy win, getting up 31-7 at halftime and continuing a run of
334 straight points through the third quarter. Pat White threw a
20-yard touchdown pass to Darius Reynaud and ran for a one-yard
score before leaving with an injury, and Owen Schmitt barreled in
for two short touchdowns. The Mountaineer defense also got in the
act with a 19-yard Kellen Dykes interception return for a score. The
Orange only gained 202 yards with most coming on a 61-yard Mike
Williams touchdown late in the third quarter.
Player of the
game:
West Virginia QB
Pat White completed 12 of 15 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown,
and ran 14 times for 89 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Syracuse - Passing: Andrew
Robinson, 5-15, 100 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Curtis Brinkley, 18-50, 1 TD. Receiving: Mike
Williams, 2-72, 1 TD
West Virginia - Passing: Pat White, 12-15, 148
yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Pat White, 14-89, 1 TD. Receiving: Darius
Reynaud, 6-48, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
The offense is regressing. About now,
there should be something the attack can count on, but against West
Virginia, there wasn't any running game, 62 of the 108 passing yards
came on one play, and there were only 11 first downs. At this point,
with the season in the tank, QB Andrew Robinson has to let it rip.
The receiving corps is one of the team's strengths, and now it needs
to be about building towards the future and seeing what he can do
when he gets to throw it 35 times a game, ever game. Granted, it
didn't work against Miami University, but something needs to change.
Sept. 29
Miami University 17 ... Syracuse 14
Cory Jones ran for two touchdowns, and Trevor Cook hit a
19-yard field goal, after Syracuse came up with a goal line stand
late in the fourth, to come up with a shocking win. The Orange
fought back late, stuffing MU three times on the one line to force
the Cook field goal, and then answering with a 28-yard Taj Smith
touchdown catch with just over four minutes to play. SU had one last
shot, but couldn't get further than its own 13.
Player of the game:
Miami RB Cory Jones ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 12
carries, and had three receptions for 21 yards.
Stat Leaders: Syracuse - Passing: Andrew
Robinson, 17-36, 236 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Curtis Brinkley, 12-36. Receiving: Taj Smith,
6-81, 1 TD
Miami - Passing: Mike Kokal, 13-26, 150 yds, 3
INTs
Rushing: Cory Jones, 12-125, 2 TDs. Receiving: Dustin
Woods, 6-95
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
How could the offense be so good against
Louisville, and then do nothing against Miami University for
extended stretches. This weren't the Miami Hurricanes, but SU could
only manage 66 rushing yards. QB Andrew Robinson came up with the
big plays, but not the consistent ones, converting three of 13 on
third downs. This was a disastrous step back after all the goodwill
built up by the win over the Cardinals, and now comes West Virginia
and Rutgers. Uh oh.
Sept. 22
Syracuse 38 ... Louisville 35
In a wild game, Syracuse QB Andrew Robinson bombed away with a
79-yard touchdown pass to Taj Smith on the opening play, connected
with Smith again in the third quarter for a 60-yard score, and threw
two other touchdown passes to pull off the shocker. The Orange
answered Louisville's first score, a four-yard Scott Kuhn touchdown
catch, with a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Max Suter.
The Cardinal offense roared in the second half, with Brian Brohm
throwing three of his four touchdown passes, including a five-yard
scoring strike to Patrick Carter in the final minute, but Syracuse
recovered the onside kick. The two teams combined for 1,093 yards of
total offense, 978 passing yards, and 23 penalties for 201 yards.
Player of the game ...
The quarterbacks. Syracuse QB Andrew Robinson
completed 17 of 26 passes for 423 yards and four touchdowns, and in
a losing cause, Louisville QB Brian Brohm completed 45 of 65 passes
for 555 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions.
Stat Leaders: Syracuse - Passing: Andrew Robinson, 17-26,
423 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Curtis Brinkley, 23-53 Receiving: Mike Williams, 5-83, 1
TD
Louisville - Passing: Brian Brohm, 45-65, 555
yds, 4 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Anthony Allen, 18-66 Receiving: Harry Douglas, 12-205,
1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Thank you Louisville for helping get the offense rolling. It wasn't
consistent, and there wasn't any semblance of a running game, but
when the passing game is clicking like it was this week, with Andrew
Robinson averaging a ridiculous 24.9 yards per pass, the wins will
come. The Louisville offense will rip everyone apart, and the Orange
secondary struggled way too much, but it'll all be glossed over this
week after the biggest win in the Greg Robinson era. Now the offense
has to build on this. Middle Tennessee wasn't able to do anything
after the big performance against the Cardinals, and that can't
happen to the Orange. With Miami University up next, there's no
excuse to not keep the momentum rolling.
Sept. 15
Illinois 41 ... Syracuse 20
Illinois jumped all over Syracuse with a 20-3 lead on a
22-yard touchdown catch from Jeff Cumberland and a two-yard Rashan
Mendenhall scoring run. The Orange appeared to get back into the game
halfway through the third quarter on a two-yard Jeremy Sellers run, but
the Illini put it away on a ten-yard Juice Williams run and two scores
from Mendenhall on runs from 50 yards and one yard. The Illini outgained
SU 508 to 286.
Player of the game ...
Illinois RB Rashad Mendenhall ran 16 times for 150 yards
and three touchdowns and caught three passes for 20 yards
Stat Leaders: Syracuse - Passing: Andrew Robinson, 17-26,
208 yds
Rushing: Curtis Brinkley, 18-54 Receiving: Curtis Brinkley,
4-89
Illinois - Passing: Juice Williams, 13-18, 97 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Rashad Mendenhall, 16-150, 3 TD Receiving: Arrelious
Benn, 4-26
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The
problems keep stemming from the offensive line that isn't doing much of
anything right. Illinois has a decent defensive line, but it's not so
good that it should've dominated like it did. SU was only able to manage
1.9 yards per carry and allowed five sacks, while the defensive line got
shoved around and struggled against the Illini runners. This should be
an Orange team built around coming back, with a good receiving corps and
promising passing QB in Andrew Robinson, but it hasn't happened yet. It
all has to be geared up for Louisville next week.
Sept. 8
Iowa 35 ... Syracuse 0
Iowa had few problems with the Orange as Jake Christensen
threw four touchdown passes with three to Tony Moeaki, Damian
Sims ran for a one-yard score, and the defense allowed just 103
yards of total offense. Even the SU special teams had problems
getting two field goals blocked. Moeaki took a pass 52 yards for
the first score, and then Albert Young put the game well out of
reach in the first quarter on a 36-yard touchdown. The Hawkeye
defense came up with six sacks, with three coming from Bryan
Mattison.
Player of the
game ...
Iowa TE Tony
Moeaki caught eight passes for 112 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Iowa- Passing: Jake Christensen,
23-32, 278 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Damian Sims, 12-62 yds, 1 TD Receiving:
Tony Moeaki, 8-112, 3 TD
Syracuse - Passing: Andrew Robinson, 7-20,
79 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Curtis Brinkley, 12-36 Receiving: Taj
Smith, 3-51
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Syracuse
has to get better play from the lines in a big hurry or the
season will go into the tank before it even gets started. Iowa
had its way with the Orange offensive line, while the SU skill
players never had room to move. With Illinois up next, the
defense has to show some sign of life against the run, while the
offense needs an identity. But to get one, the line has to jell,
come up with different blocking schemes, anything to give QB
Andrew Robinson time. The Big East season could get very ugly,
very quickly if the the coaching staff doesn't do something
drastic.
Aug. 31
Washington 42 ... Syracuse 12
Washington's Louis Ranking tore off touchdown runs from 13, 47
and 20 yards out and Jake Locker added scoring dashes from one and
eight yards on the way to a stunning blowout. Syracuse managed two
42-yard Patrick Shadle field goals in the first half and got a
ten-yard Mike Williams scoring grab late in the fourth, but the run
defense couldn't handle the Huskies, who outgained the Orange 302
yards to eight on the ground.
Player of the game: Washington RB Louis Rankin ran 17
times for 147 yards and three touchdowns and caught two passes for
ten yards
Stat Leaders: Syracuse - Passing: Andrew
Robinson 20-32, 199 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Derrell Smith, 5-19. Receiving:
Taj Smith, 5-33
Washington - Passing: Jake Locker, 14-19,
142 yds
Rushing: Louis Rankin, 17-147, 3 TD. Receiving:
Anthony Russo, 5-49
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The
Orange needed a good first home game to give the struggling program
some confidence, and it got run over, around and through by the
Washington ground game. The biggest problem? The lines. The O line
didn't do nearly enough to give Andrew Robinson some time, and the
defensive line got shoved all over the place against the Husky front
five. Robinson was a bit off all game long, mostly because he was
under pressure, and there was no ground game whatsoever. Against
Iowa next week, the offense has to find one thing it can do
relatively well. Nothing worked against the Huskies.