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The Daily OrangeFB | McCullough: For Syracuse football, nothing but sadness left
By Andy McCullough
Posted: 11/10/08, 3:59 AM EST Section: Sports
PISCATWAY, N.J. - Scenes from the aftermath of one sad Saturday in Central New Jersey:
* A downtrodden Cameron Dantley mumbling that he hadn't thought about being benched during his dismal performance in a 35-17 loss to Rutgers: "I was just trying to do the best I could to help us down the field."
* Mitch Browning, his face blank and his hair slick, accepting blame for his offense's woes: "It's disappointing, obviously. It is what it is. We got outcoached, outplayed. They took it to us. They had a good game plan. Obviously, we didn't."
* And, of course, Greg Robinson, the beleaguered head coach, fending off questions about whether he will be fired: "I don't think like that at all. That is not something in my control."
Little is in Robinson's control at this point. Because you can't control sadness, and only sadness is left now.
Syracuse lost again Saturday, spoiling any momentum from last week's upset of Louisville. Rutgers, a squad with a shaky quarterback and a losing record, demolished the Orange.
Syracuse had two big plays - Doug Hogue's 82-yard touchdown run and Dorian Graham's blocked punt - and little else to offer under the gloom of rain and overcast clouds.
Most everything fell apart Saturday. The offensive line regressed. The passing game was nonexistent. The defense gave up 207 rushing yards to the worst rushing team in the Big East and 276 yards passing to the erratic Mike Teel. The Orange celebrated a late Halloween: the offense went as a ghost, the defense as a sieve, Robinson as a stressed, overwhelmed man wearing a raincoat.
"Disappointing day, the way it finished up," Robinson said. "I really think it was a game of not taking advantage of opportunities. All of sudden, we let the thing just kind of get away from us."
Syracuse is now 2-7 with three games to play. Bowl hopes are gone. Greg Robinson will have his fourth losing season in a row. His team has won three total conference games. And while we're here, we might as well say it. It feels rude to keep bringing it up, but here it is. Greg Robinson's record as a head coach: 9-35.
* A downtrodden Cameron Dantley mumbling that he hadn't thought about being benched during his dismal performance in a 35-17 loss to Rutgers: "I was just trying to do the best I could to help us down the field."
* Mitch Browning, his face blank and his hair slick, accepting blame for his offense's woes: "It's disappointing, obviously. It is what it is. We got outcoached, outplayed. They took it to us. They had a good game plan. Obviously, we didn't."
* And, of course, Greg Robinson, the beleaguered head coach, fending off questions about whether he will be fired: "I don't think like that at all. That is not something in my control."
Little is in Robinson's control at this point. Because you can't control sadness, and only sadness is left now.
Syracuse lost again Saturday, spoiling any momentum from last week's upset of Louisville. Rutgers, a squad with a shaky quarterback and a losing record, demolished the Orange.
Syracuse had two big plays - Doug Hogue's 82-yard touchdown run and Dorian Graham's blocked punt - and little else to offer under the gloom of rain and overcast clouds.
Most everything fell apart Saturday. The offensive line regressed. The passing game was nonexistent. The defense gave up 207 rushing yards to the worst rushing team in the Big East and 276 yards passing to the erratic Mike Teel. The Orange celebrated a late Halloween: the offense went as a ghost, the defense as a sieve, Robinson as a stressed, overwhelmed man wearing a raincoat.
"Disappointing day, the way it finished up," Robinson said. "I really think it was a game of not taking advantage of opportunities. All of sudden, we let the thing just kind of get away from us."
Syracuse is now 2-7 with three games to play. Bowl hopes are gone. Greg Robinson will have his fourth losing season in a row. His team has won three total conference games. And while we're here, we might as well say it. It feels rude to keep bringing it up, but here it is. Greg Robinson's record as a head coach: 9-35.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
BeantownKnight
posted 11/10/08 @ 4:19 PM EST
I've got to tell you, this is the most depressing story on college football (on a team, a player, or a coach) that I've ever read. Seriously, I've seen Ingmar Bergman films that are more joyous than this. (Continued…)
Olin MacGregor
posted 11/10/08 @ 5:39 PM EST
the sadness started with Nancy Cantor's stupid decision to hire an AD with no familiarity with anything East of the Mississippi, other than slurping BBQ Sauce on nat'l TV. (Continued…)
Marc LeVine
posted 11/11/08 @ 11:25 AM EST
This is no time to be sad an impressed. On Saturday, Syracuse will play one of the most important games in recent memory - Connecticut. The NY Times recently proclaimed that Connecticut program has already surpassed Syracuse's. (Continued…)
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