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The Daily OrangeFB | Freshman Hogue impressive in replacing injured Brinkley
By Zach Schonbrun
Posted: 10/21/07, 11:54 PM EST Section: Sports
Doug Hogue's first carry as the feature running back for the Syracuse football team was a sweep to the right that resulted in a hard tackle and no gain.
His day was a lot easier from there.
Syracuse fans got their first good look at Hogue, a freshman from Yonkers, N.Y., who replaced injured starter Curtis Brinkley. Hogue rushed 12 times for 83 yards Saturday, including a 6-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that gave SU the go-ahead score. The Orange went on to beat Buffalo, 20-12, in the Carrier Dome.
"I think I was doing a good job," Hogue said. "I think they'll be even more confident in me now. I don't know, it felt good. I'm almost at a loss for words right now."
Brinkley started the day off well, rushing six times for 40 yards, an average of 6.7 yards per carry. But on SU's second drive of the day, UB defensive tackle Ronald Hilaire landed on Brinkley's right leg after a tackle. He left the field and didn't return to action. It was confirmed after the game that Brinkley had a broken right fibula and would miss the rest of the 2007 season.
So it was up to Hogue to fill in where his predecessor left off. And after a 7-yard run up the middle on his second carry of the day, it was clear he'd be up to the task.
"(My) adrenaline was going the whole game," Hogue said. "Most definitely the adrenaline was going. But I condition myself well and the team conditions well, and I wasn't tired at all and I was ready to go.
"I most definitely said to myself, 'I gotta carry the load. No pressure.' I felt like I had nothing to lose, everything to gain."
At 6-foot-2, Hogue doesn't quite the fit the mold of an average running back, and he forms a much different figure than the shorter, shiftier Brinkley. But since Delone Carter went down with a hip injury this spring, and with the SU rushing game struggling so much, fans were clamoring to see the Roosevelt (N.Y.) High School product get his shot.
His day was a lot easier from there.
Syracuse fans got their first good look at Hogue, a freshman from Yonkers, N.Y., who replaced injured starter Curtis Brinkley. Hogue rushed 12 times for 83 yards Saturday, including a 6-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that gave SU the go-ahead score. The Orange went on to beat Buffalo, 20-12, in the Carrier Dome.
"I think I was doing a good job," Hogue said. "I think they'll be even more confident in me now. I don't know, it felt good. I'm almost at a loss for words right now."
Brinkley started the day off well, rushing six times for 40 yards, an average of 6.7 yards per carry. But on SU's second drive of the day, UB defensive tackle Ronald Hilaire landed on Brinkley's right leg after a tackle. He left the field and didn't return to action. It was confirmed after the game that Brinkley had a broken right fibula and would miss the rest of the 2007 season.
So it was up to Hogue to fill in where his predecessor left off. And after a 7-yard run up the middle on his second carry of the day, it was clear he'd be up to the task.
"(My) adrenaline was going the whole game," Hogue said. "Most definitely the adrenaline was going. But I condition myself well and the team conditions well, and I wasn't tired at all and I was ready to go.
"I most definitely said to myself, 'I gotta carry the load. No pressure.' I felt like I had nothing to lose, everything to gain."
At 6-foot-2, Hogue doesn't quite the fit the mold of an average running back, and he forms a much different figure than the shorter, shiftier Brinkley. But since Delone Carter went down with a hip injury this spring, and with the SU rushing game struggling so much, fans were clamoring to see the Roosevelt (N.Y.) High School product get his shot.
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