Spring Break
The Daily OrangeHANGIN' ON: Syracuse avoids collapse, holds on to upset Louisville
By John Clayton
Posted: 11/1/08, 10:31 PM EST Section: Sports
Bruce Williams called the sequence "crazy." Tailback Curtis Brinkley called it "a blessing." Cornerback Mike Holmes said he felt "relieved."
All of the above applied to Louisville wide receiver Troy Pascley's inexplicable fourth quarter drop, the key play in Syracuse's 28-21 upset over the Cardinals at the Carrier Dome Saturday night.
With the Orange clinging to a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter, Pascley streaked wide open down the middle of the field, not a Syracuse soul in sight to stop him from tying the game and cueing another fourth quarter meltdown for SU.
Instead, the Orange (2-6, 1-3 Big East) received a game-altering gift in this snake-bitten season. And maligned head coach Greg Robinson got a much-needed respite, in the form Syracuse's first Big East win in 13 months.
"Boy, when that ball hit the ground, I saw Coach Robinson do a sigh of relief," said Williams, Syracuse's senior safety. "That was crazy."
Not that the uneasiness of the victory would do anything to dampen Syracuse's spirits. Wins have been hard to come by these last four years. Especially ones against Big East foes. And that's exactly what the Orange got Saturday night.
Syracuse improved to 3-22 against Big East competition under Robinson and topped the Cardinals (5-3, 1-2) for the second straight year. It was Robinson's second home Big East victory, the other a 20-14 win over Connecticut on Nov. 18, 2006.
"It was not a surprise for our football team. This was not a surprise," Robinson said. "We knew we were getting better. The players knew it, and that's not to take anything away from Louisville, they're a great football team. But our players played very well."
For the most part, that was true. Syracuse took a 14-7 lead into halftime, thanks to a beautifully lofted 38-yard strike to Da'Mon Merkerson on 4th-and-2 in the second quarter. Dantley finished 11-for-22 for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
That lead widened midway through the third, when seldom-used freshman tailback Antwon Bailey swept right and burst up the sideline 39 yards for his first career score to make it 21-7. "You have to seize the moment," Bailey said. "That's the approach I take whenever I'm in the game."
All of the above applied to Louisville wide receiver Troy Pascley's inexplicable fourth quarter drop, the key play in Syracuse's 28-21 upset over the Cardinals at the Carrier Dome Saturday night.
With the Orange clinging to a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter, Pascley streaked wide open down the middle of the field, not a Syracuse soul in sight to stop him from tying the game and cueing another fourth quarter meltdown for SU.
Instead, the Orange (2-6, 1-3 Big East) received a game-altering gift in this snake-bitten season. And maligned head coach Greg Robinson got a much-needed respite, in the form Syracuse's first Big East win in 13 months.
"Boy, when that ball hit the ground, I saw Coach Robinson do a sigh of relief," said Williams, Syracuse's senior safety. "That was crazy."
Not that the uneasiness of the victory would do anything to dampen Syracuse's spirits. Wins have been hard to come by these last four years. Especially ones against Big East foes. And that's exactly what the Orange got Saturday night.
Syracuse improved to 3-22 against Big East competition under Robinson and topped the Cardinals (5-3, 1-2) for the second straight year. It was Robinson's second home Big East victory, the other a 20-14 win over Connecticut on Nov. 18, 2006.
"It was not a surprise for our football team. This was not a surprise," Robinson said. "We knew we were getting better. The players knew it, and that's not to take anything away from Louisville, they're a great football team. But our players played very well."
For the most part, that was true. Syracuse took a 14-7 lead into halftime, thanks to a beautifully lofted 38-yard strike to Da'Mon Merkerson on 4th-and-2 in the second quarter. Dantley finished 11-for-22 for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
That lead widened midway through the third, when seldom-used freshman tailback Antwon Bailey swept right and burst up the sideline 39 yards for his first career score to make it 21-7. "You have to seize the moment," Bailey said. "That's the approach I take whenever I'm in the game."
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