Greg Robinson said his team needed to finish stronger after allowing two fourth quarter touchdowns to Illinois on Sept. 16.

Syracuse proved quick learners against Miami with fourth quarter touchdowns from tight end J.J. Nesheiwat and linebacker Ben Maljovec for a 34-14 win in front of 35,274 at the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

But Robinson, SU’s head coach, can’t control injuries.

On a day Syracuse improved for the fourth straight game and earned its second straight convincing victory, it lost its most dynamic player, Taj Smith, for possibly the remainder of the season with a fractured collarbone.

Robinson said Sunday the junior wide receiver would miss eight to nine weeks, meaning Smith could return for a bowl game.

Aside from that obvious sore spot, the Orange doubled its win total from a year ago and seized serious momentum for the first time in two years with another solid performance offensively and defensively.

Quarterback Perry Patterson went 14-of-20 for 163 yards, including a 52-yard bomb to Smith in the first quarter to put Syracuse up by two touchdowns. Curtis Brinkley and Delone Carter combined for 179 yards on the ground. Tight end Tom Ferron emerged with five receptions.

The defense held Miami to 31 yards on 29 carries and scored for the second straight week on Maljovec’s 27-yard interception return.

The win was Syracuse’s first at home since Sept. 10, 2005 when it defeated Buffalo, 31-0.

‘There was some maturity there,’ Robinson said. ‘I think we developed. We can overcome setbacks a little better than what we were used to before.’

Similar to last week’s 31-21 win over Illinois, Syracuse set the tone early. After forcing Miami to a three-and-out, Brinkley soared over the Redhawks’ defensive line for a two-yard score to put the Orange up 7-0.

After another three-and-out, Patterson found Smith on a go route to the right over defensive back Frank Wiwo, capping a one-play drive that lasted nine seconds. Despite an unsportsmanlike penalty for taking a dive into the crowd, the two quick scores made it the first time SU scored two touchdowns in the first quarter under Robinson.

‘It shows the amount of firepower we really have,’ Patterson said. ‘We had some weapons we weren’t able to get going before. But it’s real early in the season and we’ll continue to get those guys moving.’

Later, Syracuse reverted to bad habits. Miami (Ohio) opened the second quarter with a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ryne Robinson-the Redhawks’ first touchdown in the first half all season.

On the next drive on a third-and-1, Patterson threw a near interception to Wiwo while wide receiver Rice Moss stood uncovered. After the first two possessions, Syracuse gained only 13 yards the rest of the half.

Syracuse’s stops on two fourth-down opportunities and Kelvin Smith’s field-goal block kept SU’s lead intact. Senior linebacker Luke Cain said the play wasn’t new, but it was the first time SU ran it in a game situation.

‘It was part of the game plan,’ said Smith, who had seven tackles. ‘I pushed them in there and put my hands up. It was a low kick, so I batted it down.’

Patrick Shedle increased SU’s lead to 17-7 after kicking a 36-yard field goal with 9:15 left in the third quarter.

Throughout the third, Syracuse continued to exploit the Redhawks’ weak offensive line, which played without Charlie Nordon and Matt McKeown. SU sacked Miami (Ohio) quarterback Mike Kokal eight times with limited blitzing. Jameel McClain and Cornelius Campbell led the Orange with two apiece.

While Syracuse’s defense kept Kokal and the Redhawks’ ineffective offense in check, SU tacked on some insurance touchdowns that showed it can finish games.

Patterson threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Nesheiwat with 13:25 left in the fourth quarter. After Shadle kicked a 33-yard field goal, Maljovec intercepted Kokal’s pass over the middle and ran it back for the score with just more than five minutes remaining.

Miami added a late touchdown on a three-yard reception by Robinson with 35 seconds left to finish the scoring.

‘We had to come out and we knew we had to get a lot of yards,’ said Ferron, who finished with 54 yards on his five catches. ‘We had to drive down the field on them. We had a great first quarter but we got out of a rhythm a little bit. We knew to start the second half we had to drive down the field.’

Published on September 23, 2006 at 12:00 pm