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The Daily OrangeFB | WIN ONE FOR THE GREGGER: Syracuse stuns Notre Dame in South Bend
By Jared Diamond
Posted: 11/22/08, 7:52 PM EST Section: Sports
But this game was different. Syracuse was the team coming back from the brink at the end of a game. It overcame a 23-10 lead in the fourth quarter, carried by backup tailback Antwon Bailey.
He ran for a 25-yard touchdown to bring the Orange within one score. On the final possession, he rushed for 43 of the 68 yards Syracuse drove, finishing the game with 126 yards on 16 carries.
The Orange had been outscored, 94-20, in the fourth quarter heading into Saturday's game. This time, Syracuse didn't fold.
"It's a great day for our football team. Really, a great day for our program," Robinson said. "…They knew somewhere along the line this team was going to do something special, and it was an opportunity for them, and they knew they had to make the most of it."
All week leading up to the game, Syracuse's players maintained they still had something to play for. Traveling to Notre Dame has that effect.
It would have made sense if they had folded. Five other programs had fired their coaches midseason. All five lost their first game after the change was announced. The way Syracuse had played lately, it seemed destined to become the sixth.
Instead, it used its coach as motivation, even if Robinson didn't want to believe it.
"They won it for themselves. Trust me," Robinson said. "The players win it for them. It ain't one of those deals."
The evidence suggests otherwise. While Syracuse was waiting for its coach to finish the interview, the players started a chant of "G-Rob! G-Rob!" despite the snowballs coming from the stands. Earlier, Jones was hit with a shard of ice near his eye, but he was not about to be deterred. When Robinson joined the pile, the players stayed in the middle of the band, dancing to the Notre Dame fight song with their coach.
Robinson still has one week left - next Saturday in Cincinnati. But this was the game dedicated to Robinson, just before the door closes on his career at Syracuse.
"We had to go out there and play for our coach," Bailey said. "We love him like we are having an undefeated season."
jediamon@syr.edu
He ran for a 25-yard touchdown to bring the Orange within one score. On the final possession, he rushed for 43 of the 68 yards Syracuse drove, finishing the game with 126 yards on 16 carries.
The Orange had been outscored, 94-20, in the fourth quarter heading into Saturday's game. This time, Syracuse didn't fold.
"It's a great day for our football team. Really, a great day for our program," Robinson said. "…They knew somewhere along the line this team was going to do something special, and it was an opportunity for them, and they knew they had to make the most of it."
All week leading up to the game, Syracuse's players maintained they still had something to play for. Traveling to Notre Dame has that effect.
It would have made sense if they had folded. Five other programs had fired their coaches midseason. All five lost their first game after the change was announced. The way Syracuse had played lately, it seemed destined to become the sixth.
Instead, it used its coach as motivation, even if Robinson didn't want to believe it.
"They won it for themselves. Trust me," Robinson said. "The players win it for them. It ain't one of those deals."
The evidence suggests otherwise. While Syracuse was waiting for its coach to finish the interview, the players started a chant of "G-Rob! G-Rob!" despite the snowballs coming from the stands. Earlier, Jones was hit with a shard of ice near his eye, but he was not about to be deterred. When Robinson joined the pile, the players stayed in the middle of the band, dancing to the Notre Dame fight song with their coach.
Robinson still has one week left - next Saturday in Cincinnati. But this was the game dedicated to Robinson, just before the door closes on his career at Syracuse.
"We had to go out there and play for our coach," Bailey said. "We love him like we are having an undefeated season."
jediamon@syr.edu
Viewing Comments 1 - 8 of 12
JOSH
posted 11/22/08 @ 10:44 PM EST
Whats sad is that it took Robinsons job for the SU team to get fired up enough to get him a win. SU FOOTBALL is down way down and they used Robinson as an escape goat I would hope D. (Continued…)
nomadofthehills
John Vanek
posted 11/22/08 @ 10:57 PM EST
Hey Josh, its scapegoat, not "escape goat."
Kaylen Thorpe
posted 11/23/08 @ 12:42 AM EST
Hey John, it's "it's", not "its".
Kaylen Thorpe
posted 11/23/08 @ 12:45 AM EST
So they can win the game if they put their heart into it...
I give them credit for a game well-played and a victory hard-earned, but this is also just highlights the fact that they can win games when they truly want to. (Continued…)
Marc Le Vine
posted 11/24/08 @ 9:35 AM EST
OK. No one saw this one coming. Not even the Fighting Irish! They were bushwhacked looking past a doormat during their own mediocre season. That's a big no-no and problematic for coach Charlie Weis (wouldn't want to be him this morning!)
Listening to the game on XM radio, it was just amazing hearing the commentators go nuts, calling our win "Historic. (Continued…)
Andrew
posted 11/24/08 @ 12:40 PM EST
The sad thing about this game was it came against a struggling Notre Dame squad, yet G-Rob said it was his biggest victory since coming to Syracuse. Not only have the Irish not beaten a team with a winning record since last season, but they couldn't run the football against the lowly Orange defense, either. (Continued…)
alumjohnnyJ
posted 11/29/08 @ 11:12 AM EST
you MUST be joking. SU football is a joke. THis is no time to celebrate anything. GET RID OF ROBINSON and LAMEO ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AND THE LAME ASS CHANCELLOR THAT THINKS IT IS FINE TO SUCK AT SPORTS. (Continued…)
number1fan
number1fan
posted 12/01/08 @ 6:35 PM EST
Coach Robinson, I feel that he has good coaches now,. Money is not issues, its the team he cares about. God Bless Robinson. These kids love him, and these are kids, not NFL players making big money. (Continued…)
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