Spring Break
The Daily OrangeFB | Robinson still adjusting to role of backup quarterback
By John Clayton
Posted: 9/19/08, 12:26 AM EST Section: Sports
It hasn't been easy for Andrew Robinson, getting use to this whole backup thing.
Sure, the Syracuse junior quarterback has played understudy before. Back in his freshman season, when Robinson watched from the sidelines as senior Perry Patterson spearheaded the Orange attack.
But that was different. Robinson was the heir apparent then. He knew his time to be the No. 1 at Syracuse would come.
This spell on the bench has been much more difficult to swallow. Robinson, Syracuse's opening day quarterback, will watch fellow junior Cameron Dantley start for the third straight game when Northeastern visits the Carrier Dome Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
For Robinson, who's spent the last three weeks trying to fix his mechanics and rediscover the accuracy he flashed parts of last season, it's an assignment he's still trying to get used to.
"I haven't been in a situation like this ever, I don't think, playing football," Robinson said. "To realize that all your hard work has - not that it hasn't paid off - but that you're not where you want to be at this point in time is the best way to describe it."
The bench, after all, was not where Robinson was supposed to be. He started 11 of 12 games last year for Syracuse (he missed one contest with a cracked rib), producing an efficient campaign despite the Orange's 2-10 record.
Robinson came into this summer the unquestioned starter, but that spot became tenuous as camp wore on. Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson said Dantley simply outplayed SU's incumbent passer.
Andrew Robinson's scuffles culminated in an erratic performance (14-for-28 for 103 yards) on opening day against Northwestern. That outing included an interception - run back for a touchdown - that ended any lingering hopes of an SU upset.
The Monday after that game, Greg Robinson informed the junior, that Dantley would get the call against Northwestern.
"The first two days I was a little disappointed, because it wasn't something I completely expected," Andrew Robinson said. "It was a little bit shocking … I had to lean strongly on my parents and my family and just get more support from them."
Sure, the Syracuse junior quarterback has played understudy before. Back in his freshman season, when Robinson watched from the sidelines as senior Perry Patterson spearheaded the Orange attack.
But that was different. Robinson was the heir apparent then. He knew his time to be the No. 1 at Syracuse would come.
This spell on the bench has been much more difficult to swallow. Robinson, Syracuse's opening day quarterback, will watch fellow junior Cameron Dantley start for the third straight game when Northeastern visits the Carrier Dome Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
For Robinson, who's spent the last three weeks trying to fix his mechanics and rediscover the accuracy he flashed parts of last season, it's an assignment he's still trying to get used to.
"I haven't been in a situation like this ever, I don't think, playing football," Robinson said. "To realize that all your hard work has - not that it hasn't paid off - but that you're not where you want to be at this point in time is the best way to describe it."
The bench, after all, was not where Robinson was supposed to be. He started 11 of 12 games last year for Syracuse (he missed one contest with a cracked rib), producing an efficient campaign despite the Orange's 2-10 record.
Robinson came into this summer the unquestioned starter, but that spot became tenuous as camp wore on. Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson said Dantley simply outplayed SU's incumbent passer.
Andrew Robinson's scuffles culminated in an erratic performance (14-for-28 for 103 yards) on opening day against Northwestern. That outing included an interception - run back for a touchdown - that ended any lingering hopes of an SU upset.
The Monday after that game, Greg Robinson informed the junior, that Dantley would get the call against Northwestern.
"The first two days I was a little disappointed, because it wasn't something I completely expected," Andrew Robinson said. "It was a little bit shocking … I had to lean strongly on my parents and my family and just get more support from them."
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