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The Daily OrangeFB | Slow Start: Syracuse football has had no luck in its last few season openers
By Jared Diamond
Posted: 8/28/08, 11:25 PM EST Section: Sports
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"Did we lose our first three openers?" Robinson quipped at his press conference Sunday. "I really wasn't thinking back on that."
Whether or not Syracuse's head football coach chooses to remember it, the fact remains SU has lost four consecutive season openers, the last three with Robinson at the helm.
It has become a theme of the Robinson era: lose the first game, thereby setting the tone for the rest of the year. The Orange will try to break the streak Saturday when it travels to Evanston, Ill., to take on Northwestern (noon, ESPN2), to kick off the 2008 season, and the importance of game one is not lost on Robinson or his players.
As Robinson addressed the media last weekend, it suddenly all came back to him. The 15-7 loss to West Virginia in his coaching debut. The tough 20-10 defeat in 2006 to Wake Forest, a team which later climbed the national polls. And last year's 42-12 meltdown on national television against Washington.
Even if Robinson wanted to block the games from his mind, some things a football coach never forgets.
"The first opener, we could have won that game like that," Robinson said. "The second one, I told you, it was a real good football team in Wake Forest. With a minute and 20 seconds, it was still 15-10 to the Orange Bowl team. Last year, I didn't think we played very well against the Huskies."
Last year's opening day is a perfect example of how one game can resonate throughout an entire season. Expectations were high that Friday night, and the 40,329 fans that filed into the Carrier Dome proved it. The ESPN camera crew validated the excitement even further.
The game was an embarrassment, with Washington taking a 14-6 lead at halftime and eventually going up 35-6 to break it open in the third quarter. Syracuse's best home crowd the rest of the season was 38,039 against South Florida on Parent's Weekend. The Orange went on to have its lowest average attendance since 1986 (35,009).
With Syracuse coming off a 2-10 season, attendance is expected to be low again. Even the most loyal and ardent SU supporter is finding it tough to invest money in a program that has gone 7-28 the last three years.
Unless, of course, the Orange surprises the experts and wins some games.
"We want our fans at the games," said senior offensive lineman Ryan Durand. "And you can't blame them (for not coming) right now, they don't have a reason other than the diehard fans who are there regardless. We have to get those fans back. In order to that, we have to win.
"This is a great way to start the season off and get some more fans in those seats."
Though teams often try to downplay the importance of opening day, relegating the hype to a media-created myth, Syracuse realizes Saturday's effort against Northwestern could spark some interest back home. One win could boost attendance when the Orange plays its home opener next weekend against Akron.
"I think this team is doing a great job as far as the mental part with the seasons we had. But I do think we need this game," said senior tailback Curtis Brinkley. "I really believe we need to win this game, to start off the season the right way. So the people who don't feel good about the team can.
"I think a quick start is very important this year, just to avoid the negativity in everybody."
jediamon@syr.edu
Viewing Comments 1 - 8 of 9
Marc LeVine
posted 8/29/08 @ 10:47 AM EST
I have been a particularly hard critic of our football program since it became evident that Coach Robinson didn't seem to be "the guy" for the job at $6 million a year. (Continued…)
Su Alum
posted 8/29/08 @ 1:32 PM EST
robinson does not make anywhere NEAR $6 million/yr. Even the top coaches of USC, UCLA, LSU ect dont make near that. Check out coacheshotseat.com. it has slaraies posted. (Continued…)
g33k
posted 8/29/08 @ 6:17 PM EST
Marc LEvine. You know I usually agree with the comments you make but 6 million??? I think thats some really incorrect information you got there. He is making an unjustified 1 million though. (Continued…)
YAEYAEEEE
posted 8/30/08 @ 11:54 AM EST
GO CUSE SCREW ALL YOU HATERS MOVE TO ALABAMA IF YOU DONT LIKE HIM WERE GIVIN HIM ONE MORE CHANCE IF HE DOESENT DO ANYTHING THEN HES GONE GOT IT GOOD
mcneebus
Scott McNealus
posted 8/30/08 @ 4:19 PM EST
I think ya'll are missing the point.
Counting the 23-10 loss to Northwestern, SU is now 7-29 under Greg Robinson/ AD Daryl Gross. A record like this costs SU TENS and TENS of MILLIONS per year in
- lost ticket sales
- lost concession and merchandise sales
- lost TV revenue (the lifeblood of Div 1 income)
- lost prestige built over 100 years of success
- lost recruiting prospects in all sports (who wants to play for a loser?)
- lost alumni donations. (Continued…)
Don McKay
posted 9/01/08 @ 12:13 PM EST
We've got a similar problem down here in Clemson land with coach Tommy Bowden's Tigers. Again, the first game was lost, this time against Alabama. The game television cut-away shots showing the deflated Clemson team sitting on the bench feeling sorry for themselves and quite often arguing with each other; the shots of Coach Bowden walking the sideline with a pleasantly numb look on his face similar to that of a duck that's just been hit in the head. (Continued…)
g33k101
posted 9/02/08 @ 10:30 AM EST
Why do you we have to wait. I cant stand that dude Robinson. Such a ^$&* piece of $*&$#&*. And hes an #&$*)$. #^&^ him.
com.art
posted 9/10/08 @ 1:38 PM EST
He makes 1,054,000 a year. Greg is ranked 57th (thanks: SU Alum) on the list. That's 1/4 of what the highest paid coach is being paid at Notre Dame. (4,200,000/yr. (Continued…)
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