Spring Break
The Daily OrangeWhat a relief
Rushing attack leads SU past Northeastern for 1st victory of year
By Andy McCullough
Posted: 9/22/08, 12:11 AM EST Section: Sports
The two backs rotated all game, switching back and forth, Brinkley slicing inside and outside, shaking players downfield, Hogue barreling through the line, wielding his 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame like a weapon.
"Me and Curt kept driving off each other, going off each other," Hogue said. "It was real good for me. I just wanted the game to get done."
Because the win wasn't easy. They never are for the Orange: An extra cruelty, considering how rarely they occur.
Northeastern quarterback Anthony Orio tried his best, throwing for his 293 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores caught the Syracuse defense sleeping. Orio hit Greg Abelli for a 27-yard strike to make it 10-7 heading into the half (and caused the Syracuse fans to boo the Orange, even as it led, as the team trotted into the locker room). Then Orio found Chris Plum on a post route early in the fourth, hitting his wide receiver in stride as he streaked past Syracuse safety Randy McKinnon for a 54-yard touchdown.
And when Alex Broomfield punched one in from the 1-yard line, it was 27-21 with 6:41 to play in the fourth quarter.
But Syracuse turned to its running game when it needed to answer. Hogue touched the ball six times on a 9-play, 57-yard drive that ended with Patrick Shadle's third field goal of the day and just 1:52 remaining on the clock. A fitting end to a day that, for once, Syracuse had controlled.
"We came out running the ball great, moving the ball," said quarterback Cameron Dantley, who threw for 167 yards on 14-17 passing. "And then we got confidence as an offense. We started clicking, and everything went great from there."
It was a win the team needed. A win the players knew they needed, as Pittsburgh comes to the Dome next Saturday for the start of conference play. It's a boost of confidence for someone like Brinkley.
"I'm going to think over a few things," Brinkley said afterward, laughing as he spoke. "I might have something to tell ya'll on Wednesday about this Pitt game."
ramccull@syr.edu
"Me and Curt kept driving off each other, going off each other," Hogue said. "It was real good for me. I just wanted the game to get done."
Because the win wasn't easy. They never are for the Orange: An extra cruelty, considering how rarely they occur.
Northeastern quarterback Anthony Orio tried his best, throwing for his 293 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores caught the Syracuse defense sleeping. Orio hit Greg Abelli for a 27-yard strike to make it 10-7 heading into the half (and caused the Syracuse fans to boo the Orange, even as it led, as the team trotted into the locker room). Then Orio found Chris Plum on a post route early in the fourth, hitting his wide receiver in stride as he streaked past Syracuse safety Randy McKinnon for a 54-yard touchdown.
And when Alex Broomfield punched one in from the 1-yard line, it was 27-21 with 6:41 to play in the fourth quarter.
But Syracuse turned to its running game when it needed to answer. Hogue touched the ball six times on a 9-play, 57-yard drive that ended with Patrick Shadle's third field goal of the day and just 1:52 remaining on the clock. A fitting end to a day that, for once, Syracuse had controlled.
"We came out running the ball great, moving the ball," said quarterback Cameron Dantley, who threw for 167 yards on 14-17 passing. "And then we got confidence as an offense. We started clicking, and everything went great from there."
It was a win the team needed. A win the players knew they needed, as Pittsburgh comes to the Dome next Saturday for the start of conference play. It's a boost of confidence for someone like Brinkley.
"I'm going to think over a few things," Brinkley said afterward, laughing as he spoke. "I might have something to tell ya'll on Wednesday about this Pitt game."
ramccull@syr.edu
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