Greg Robinson admitted with Syracuse’s bowl eligibility out of the picture, he would decide to play more underclassmen to develop them for next year.

At the same time, Robinson wanted to give the seniors the proper sendoff for Senior Day during SU’s 20-14 win over Connecticut on Saturday.

It turns out he came through on his promise. But for Andrew Robinson it wasn’t exactly the type of game where he had a lot of game experience.

Quarterback Perry Patterson threw 9-of-18 for 143 yards and one touchdown. Andrew Robinson threw 0-of-1 for zero yards on one series.

‘I knew I was just going to get a couple snaps in the first half, which they definitely got me,’ Andrew Robinson said. ‘That was pretty much it. That’s what they told me. I was satisfied with that to give Perry on Senior Day as many snaps as possible. He’s a great quarterback and person. He deserves it.’

The freshman entered the game at the 5:20 mark in the second quarter. Running back Curtis Brinkley gained six yards on two plays. On third-and-4, Andrew Robinson threw an incomplete pass to senior wide receiver Tim Lane.

Andrew Robinson said he assumes he will receive a few snaps next week when SU visits No. 7 Rutgers but he played his diplomatic hand and said the main emphasis is to try to beat the Scarlet Knights and not worry about his playing time.

He argued the snaps he gets in practice and the tips from Patterson have helped his development. He is able to experience what SU quarterbacks coach Phil Earley terms ‘stealing reps’ where the freshman stands outside the huddle and watches Patterson take snaps. But even that can’t replicate game experience.

‘You can definitely get a lot of things out of stealing reps than mental reps,’ Andrew Robinson said. ‘You can go through the reads by reading the coverages back there, not necessarily taking snaps, but reading the defense and recognizing the coverages. But when you come into the game you have guys coming at you and you have a different perspective.’

Did you get my fax?

Even with bowl eligibility out of the question, Robinson and the SU football team argued the game against Connecticut still motivated them because they wanted to end the Orange’s 12-game Big East losing streak.

They also wanted to rectify the ugly 26-7 loss to the Huskies last year that created a downward spiral the rest of the season.

But Brinkley had a personal motivation. When he attended Hargarve Military Academy, he said the Connecticut coaching staff misled him on their recruiting intentions.

‘They told my family to go to a place to fax the scholarship,’ Brinkley said. ‘But they never sent it. I never heard from them since then.’

Brinkley helped complement Delone Carter’s 16 rushes for 115 yards with a 69 yard rushing effort off 19 carries. He also ran in for a one-yard touchdown in the first quarter and caught an 18-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.

Do a little dance

The Syracuse locker room was a much different atmosphere after its first Big East win in 12 games.

Players described emotions, such as linebacker Jerry Mackey and punter Brendan Carney who shed tears.

‘I was crying like a baby,’ Carney said. ‘We call came together as a unit. It was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had in a pre-game locker room.’

Others like cornerback Nick Chestnut and head coach Greg Robinson were dancing.

Running back Curtis Brinkley wouldn’t say who had the better moves-Chestnut or Robinson. But backup quarterback Andrew Robinson shed some light

‘He tried,’ Andrew Robinson laughed. ‘I guess you can call it dance moves. They were indescribable.’

Published on November 17, 2006 at 12:00 pm