Quarterback Perry Patterson completed 9-of-11 passes for 150 yards in the annual Spring Game.
Patterson Throws Two Touchdown Passes in Annual Spring Game
4/15/2006 4:19:58 PM | Football
Senior quarterback Perry Patterson connected with senior Tim Lane on a 39-yard touchdown pass and junior Rice Moss on a 21 yard touchdown toss, leading the offense to a 34-25 victory against the defense in the 2006 Syracuse Spring Game before 2,677 fans in the Carrier Dome. Patterson completed 9-of-11 passes for 150 yards. Moss led all receivers with four receptions for 78 yards. Senior linebacker Kelvin Smith paced the Orange defense with six tackles, including one for a loss of two yards.
“I thought Perry did a very nice job,” said head coach Greg Robinson. “He was poised out there. Perry is a better passer today than he was in November of last year. I know how hard he’s worked. He’s improving as a quarterback. Is there more room to improve? Absolutely, and he knows that. I know that he’s dedicated to doing that. He wants to go out a winner here, and I know he’s committed to doing that.”
The offense gained 354 yards in 73 plays, including 286 yards passing and 68 yards rushing. Lane caught two passes for 50 yards and. Junior quarterback Joe Fields completed 8-of-10 passes for 103 yards, including the game’s longest completion (56 yards) to redshirt freshman Jeremy Horne. Sophomore Kareem Jones led the rushing attack with 41 yards on 10 carries, while sophomore Curtis Brinkley gained 34 yards on 13 carries and scored a touchdown. Sophomore Paul Chiara had 20 yards on seven carries, including a one-yard touchdown run.
“First of all, I liked the spirit of the team,” Robinson said. “I liked that they were out there competing. I liked that the first offense was doing some things. In the second half, the second offense got something going, too. My defense, for the most part, had a great first half. I saw three or four plays that could have been a little better. It was fairly basic, and I think that defenders like to kind of crank it up a little bit when things started going against them. I was pleased, because we had the same approach last year and I see improvement. I see improvement in the whole football team.”
The defense recorded eight sacks, including two by junior Cornelius Campbell and one each by freshman Andrew Lewis, junior Jameel McClain, senior Jamar Atkinson, redshirt freshman Brandon Gilbeaux, junior Tony Jenkins and redshirt freshman Arthur Jones. Campbell, sophomore Jake Flaherty and junior Jason Tanner each recorded five tackles.
“I think the fan support is great,” Robinson said. “I think it’s great that our fans see the whole thing. They can see a work in progress. I just appreciate the people being out there and cheering for us. These kids feel it. They want badly to impress their fans. We’re going to be hard at work, and as I told the team, now it’s their team. The coaches have to back off and now it’s their team. How far they grow from now until training camp is up to them. I think we have strong leadership.”
The Orange will kick off the 2006 campaign at Wake Forest on Saturday, September 2. The home-opener is September 9 against Iowa. The Orange will also host Miami (OH), Wyoming, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Connecticut. The road games include Illinois, West Virginia, Cincinnati, South Florida and Rutgers.
Tickets for the 2006 season are on sale now. They are available online (click here), in person at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B), or via telephone (toll free 1-888-366-3849 or locally (315-443-2121).
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