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The Daily OrangeFB | Tight end Nesheiwat quietly SU's most effective receiver
By Zach Schonbrun
Posted: 10/15/07, 1:11 AM EST Section: Sports
Despite a team-high four catches and 81 yards, Syracuse senior tight end Jawad Nesheiwat couldn't take any personal satisfaction in his performance on Saturday.
"I can't, I can't," he repeated. "It's so much more fun when you're winning. Even if I have five catches, even if I'm, like, taking two defenders with me - if we win that game, it's so much more fun."
Nesheiwat has been somewhat of an afterthought this season as SU wide receivers Taj Smith and Mike Williams have combined for 46 receptions for 745 yards and eight touchdowns. The tight end is third on the team with 12 catches for 208 yards and one score.
But against Rutgers, Nesheiwat was able to find space up the middle of the field and quarterback Andrew Robinson noticed him. His first catch went for 38 yards off a playaction bootleg in the first quarter. He also made a nice grab out of double coverage late in the second quarter.
Nesheiwat attributed his success Saturday to the Rutgers cover-two defense, which was playing over the top of the wide receivers and seemed to forget about the middle of the field.
"The safeties were trying to stay on top of Taj (Smith) and Mike (Williams)," Nesheiwat said. "So that's why the middle was open, and I tried to take advantage of it."
While Robinson finished with just 158 passing yards in the game, 110 of them came in the first half - before Rutgers appeared to make some in-game adjustments to account for the wide open receivers.
"We had read some misdirection pass coverage, but we didn't exactly play the way we were supposed to," Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano said. "I think our guys, for whatever reason, just didn't feel right out there today."
Robinson responds to comment
Greg Robinson discussed at his weekly Sunday press conference his alleged words about Rutgers' football program, which were shown on the ESPN telecast of Saturday's game.
On the telecast, Robinson was quoted in text as saying: "Paul Pasqualoni was here 14 years. We got five (New Jersey recruits) in one year. That would be 70 if we were here that long. We're going to recruit their tails off. They're (Rutgers) a one-year wonder. Do I like them? No. The recruiting thing - you wait and see…."
"I don't think that is fair for them to be saying that because I don't know if I said that," Robinson said. "I'm not going to comment.
"The recruiting thing, they brought that up about recruiting - that was what was being asked. Quite frankly, it was something on a broadcast the week before in their game that was not an accurate statement. I made a comment to that. … I didn't think that statement was accurate, and I think we are doing a good job of recruiting in New York as well as in New Jersey, contrary (to what) might be being said from their end of things. That's the discussion and the rest of it, I think, was taken out of context. They asked me about the statement that was made and asked me if I had seen it, and I said I had. I was specifically asked something, and I gave an answer to it, and that's the bottom line."
Illegal hit?
Robinson also addressed Sunday the hit laid on quarterback Andrew Robinson by safety Joe Lefeged late in the second quarter that sacked Robinson and forced the ball to pop loose for a fumble.
After reviewing the game film, Greg Robinson thought Lefeged may have gotten away with a helmet-to-helmet hit.
"That's how I view it," Robinson said. "I'm going to turn it in (to the Big East conference) and have them assess it and go from there."
As for the 15-yard personal foul on Quinton Brown in the second quarter for running into Rutgers punt returner Tim Brown, Robinson said he thought Quinton Brown didn't know where the ball was and was being ridden by a blocker.
"I can see where an official might throw a flag, but I can also see where it could have been interpreted totally different," Robinson said. "My perspective, it could go one way. That was a tough one, too."
"I can't, I can't," he repeated. "It's so much more fun when you're winning. Even if I have five catches, even if I'm, like, taking two defenders with me - if we win that game, it's so much more fun."
Nesheiwat has been somewhat of an afterthought this season as SU wide receivers Taj Smith and Mike Williams have combined for 46 receptions for 745 yards and eight touchdowns. The tight end is third on the team with 12 catches for 208 yards and one score.
But against Rutgers, Nesheiwat was able to find space up the middle of the field and quarterback Andrew Robinson noticed him. His first catch went for 38 yards off a playaction bootleg in the first quarter. He also made a nice grab out of double coverage late in the second quarter.
Nesheiwat attributed his success Saturday to the Rutgers cover-two defense, which was playing over the top of the wide receivers and seemed to forget about the middle of the field.
"The safeties were trying to stay on top of Taj (Smith) and Mike (Williams)," Nesheiwat said. "So that's why the middle was open, and I tried to take advantage of it."
While Robinson finished with just 158 passing yards in the game, 110 of them came in the first half - before Rutgers appeared to make some in-game adjustments to account for the wide open receivers.
"We had read some misdirection pass coverage, but we didn't exactly play the way we were supposed to," Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano said. "I think our guys, for whatever reason, just didn't feel right out there today."
Robinson responds to comment
Greg Robinson discussed at his weekly Sunday press conference his alleged words about Rutgers' football program, which were shown on the ESPN telecast of Saturday's game.
On the telecast, Robinson was quoted in text as saying: "Paul Pasqualoni was here 14 years. We got five (New Jersey recruits) in one year. That would be 70 if we were here that long. We're going to recruit their tails off. They're (Rutgers) a one-year wonder. Do I like them? No. The recruiting thing - you wait and see…."
"I don't think that is fair for them to be saying that because I don't know if I said that," Robinson said. "I'm not going to comment.
"The recruiting thing, they brought that up about recruiting - that was what was being asked. Quite frankly, it was something on a broadcast the week before in their game that was not an accurate statement. I made a comment to that. … I didn't think that statement was accurate, and I think we are doing a good job of recruiting in New York as well as in New Jersey, contrary (to what) might be being said from their end of things. That's the discussion and the rest of it, I think, was taken out of context. They asked me about the statement that was made and asked me if I had seen it, and I said I had. I was specifically asked something, and I gave an answer to it, and that's the bottom line."
Illegal hit?
Robinson also addressed Sunday the hit laid on quarterback Andrew Robinson by safety Joe Lefeged late in the second quarter that sacked Robinson and forced the ball to pop loose for a fumble.
After reviewing the game film, Greg Robinson thought Lefeged may have gotten away with a helmet-to-helmet hit.
"That's how I view it," Robinson said. "I'm going to turn it in (to the Big East conference) and have them assess it and go from there."
As for the 15-yard personal foul on Quinton Brown in the second quarter for running into Rutgers punt returner Tim Brown, Robinson said he thought Quinton Brown didn't know where the ball was and was being ridden by a blocker.
"I can see where an official might throw a flag, but I can also see where it could have been interpreted totally different," Robinson said. "My perspective, it could go one way. That was a tough one, too."
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