Syracuse, Robinson in big trouble

SYRACUSE, N.Y. ‘- Many expected this game to be a blowout. After all, Pitt walked into the… SYRACUSE, N.Y. ‘- Many expected this game to be a blowout. After all, Pitt walked into the Carrier Dome on Saturday to face a rotting football team. Greg Robinson, now in his fourth season as the Syracuse head coach, had won just two Big East games in 21 tries. He’d been fielding questions all year about his job security, his team’s dive toward the bottom of the college football pool and what’s been going wrong since he arrived on campus in 2005. Those questions continued after Pitt’s 34-24 come-from-behind win. But for the first three quarters on Saturday, he thought those questions might go on hold. After a Conor Lee’s field goal put Pitt in the lead, Syracuse returner Mike Holmes took the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, and Syracuse’s life was magically restored. The noise from Syracuse fans continued after the Orange jumped to a 14-3 lead, and the group of Pitt fans in the isolated corner of the Carrier Dome sat silenced in their seats. Art Monk, a Syracuse graduate who was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this year, stood on the sidelines and watched hopefully.And it continued through halftime. Holding a 17-13 lead in its first drive after halftime, Syracuse scored to bring its lead to 11. From the outside, the game might have looked like it was over. But Syracuse lost itself once again. Like it has done so many times, the Orange defense loosened up, and LeSean McCoy and LaRod Stephens-Howling pounded their way through and around the defense. Then Syracuse started to look like it had through the first part of the season. And Pitt, which appeared to gain energy as the game went on, used 18 fourth-quarter points to pull away from the Big East cellar-dwellers and keep its winning record intact. Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said that he wasn’t surprised Syracuse came out fighting. ‘Everybody was 0-0 in the conference,’ said Wannstedt after the game. ‘[There was] no lack of motivation on their part.’ But Pitt, which is the more talented team, quickly became motivated after falling behind. For the second week in a row the defense stepped up and came through with a big play when it needed to the most. Pitt kicker Conor Lee had an excellent performance, knocking in four field goals. He gave Pitt a three-point lead early in the fourth quarter, and Pitt defensive lineman Greg Romeus forced Orange quarterback Cameron Dantley to fumble a few minutes later. It was over after that. Syracuse fans might wonder what happened to tailback Curtis Brinkley, who had nearly 100 yards in the first half but finished with just 119. But it’s likely they’ve come to expect anything else. After starting slow, Pitt turned out a dominating performance. It had 11 more first downs, 115 more rushing yards and nearly 17 more minutes of possession. Pitt came through in the end and did what it was supposed to do to a Syracuse team laced with problems. Still, despite it’s recent string of failures, Syracuse has history.’ It put together a streak of 11 straight wins against Pitt ‘mdash; a streak that started in the early 1990s. There were bowl wins, star recruits and a team that competed in popularity with the basketball team. There are current and former NFL stars who attended the school andfans who care about the program. But with a 2-20 record in its last 22 Big East games ‘mdash; the last being a win against Louisville last year ‘mdash; it’s not looking good for this rotting Orange team. Eventually, the Carrier Dome will see a winning team and maybe even a bowl game. It just might not be any time soon. And it probably won’t be under Robinson. E-mail Mike’ at sports@pittnews.com.