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
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"We ain't had a win in, I don't know how long," Brinkley said. "You said 11 months? That's ridiculous. But, like I said, it feels great."
Brinkley, along with fellow running back Doug Hogue, was responsible for much of that new, oddly familiar sensation Saturday, as the Orange (1-3) grinded out a 30-21 victory against Northeastern (0-3), a win it needed heading into Big East play next week. The backs teamed for 245 yards on the ground, enough to please the 34,649 fans who came out for Homecoming at the Carrier Dome. It was the first time two Syracuse running backs ran for 100 yards since 2004. Brinkley rushed for a career-high 145 yards and one touchdown, while Hogue caught one score, rushed for another and added 100 yards on the ground - his own career-high.
But more important for head coach Greg Robinson's Orange, the team won for the first time since Oct. 20, 2007, when it defeated Buffalo 20-12 (Brinkley snapped his fibula against the Bulls and sat out the rest of the season).
Never mind that Syracuse, the school of Jim Brown and Ernie Davis, was playing Northeastern, a Division I-AA program that was nearly axed last year by its own athletic department. Never mind that the Orange led by just three at halftime. Never mind the missed opportunities, the 55 yards in penalties, the defensive lapses that kept the Huskies in the game.
It was a win. A win. That was enough, for this team, for this program, for this coach, so harangued these past four games and these past four years. And when you've won just eight times in four seasons, you cherish each one.
"I'm not going to sit here and speculate what the score coulda, woulda, shoulda been," Robinson said. "We won the game. We won the football game, and we did a lot of good things during the game. That's the bottom line."
And the running game was the reason, even with sophomore Delone Carter sidelined with a hamstring pull. It was up to Brinkley and Hogue, and they answered. With the offensive line cracking open holes, the backs took advantage, carrying a Syracuse team that looked sluggish for much of the first half.
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