Andrew Robinson passed 146 yards and a touchdown in the annual spring football game.
Defense Rallies for a 25-24 Triumph in Annual Spring Football Game
4/21/2007 3:08:56 PM | Football
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Blue (defense) recorded six points on the game’s final possession, holding the Orange (offense) on the last drive, for a 25-24 victory in the annual spring football game at the Carrier Dome on Saturday, April 21. The yearly clash marked the end of SU’s six-week spring practice. The defense earned six points when rising junior Patrick Shadle missed a 53-yard field goal.
“The number one thing about today is we came out of it unscathed," said head coach Greg Robinson. "It’s been a real good spring. I like the way this team is growing and I see improvement. In a Spring game, sometimes you are limited in what you do on both sides of the ball. I still thought we were playing hard and I like the way we are competing on both sides of the ball.
It’s been a spring of development. On the offensive side of the ball, I’ve seen the physical development and fundamentals. I’ve seen the growth in execution that we want. I’ve seen on the defensive side that fundamentally we are improving. I like our defensive speed; I think at times you saw it today. They’ve grown in their ability to perform and play together. It’s the second phase of our program. The winter phase is the first, followed by the spring. The most important thing right now is getting into the summer because the summer phase is really led by the football team. The coaches can’t coach during the summer, so now it’s all about the leadership. This is a critical, critical phase that’s coming.’
It’s been a spring of development. On the offensive side of the ball, I’ve seen the physical development and fundamentals. I’ve seen the growth in execution that we want. I’ve seen on the defensive side that fundamentally we are improving. I like our defensive speed; I think at times you saw it today. They’ve grown in their ability to perform and play together. It’s the second phase of our program. The winter phase is the first, followed by the spring. The most important thing right now is getting into the summer because the summer phase is really led by the football team. The coaches can’t coach during the summer, so now it’s all about the leadership. This is a critical, critical phase that’s coming.’
The two sides played three 15-minute quarters with a running clock and the game featured a modified scoring system that awarded points to the offense and defense for, among other things, explosive plays on offense (rushes of 12+ yards; completions of 16+ yards), three first downs in a series (1 point), a turnover created by the defense (1 point), and quarterback sacks (1 point).
Rising junior Vincenzo Giruzzi led the Blue’s winning effort with six tackles. Redshirt freshman Andrew Lewis posted five stops, including half a sack. Rising junior Donta Herrod recovered a fumble, had a pass breakup, and made one tackle for the victors.
On offense, rising sophomore quarterback Andrew Robinson was 12-of-19 through the air for 146 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception. Backup quarterback Cameron Dantley completed 10-of-13 passes for 72 yards.
“Andrew was pretty consistent, for the most part, to what he has been doing all spring," Robinson said. "There are a lot of little things in there that he did that go unnoticed, too. Not only did he throw the ball well, but I thought he directed well. For a person who’s been here nine months, you like seeing that.”
Rising senior Rice Moss was the offense’s leading receiver. He caught three passes for 60 yards. Rising junior Paul Chiara led the offense’s ground attack with 27 yards and a touchdown. Daniel Bailey rushed for 24 yards on the day.
Robinson guided the offense on a 67-yard touchdown drive to open the game. He was 5-for-5 for 45 yards on the scoring march, completing passes to four different receivers. Chiara finished the drive with a three-yard touchdown run to put the offense on top, 8-0, after Shadle’s PAT.
The defense got on the board on the game’s second drive, forcing a three-and-out to make the score 8-2. After a sack and a second straight three-and-out, the Blue pulled with three, 8-5, with a minute to go in the first period.
Robinson directed his second scoring drive of the half in the second quarter. He moved the offense 65 yards on six plays. Robinson connected with Moss for 24 yards to begin the drive and capped it with a 23-yard TD strike to senior Jawad Nesheiwat. Shadle tacked on the extra point to push the margin to 11,16-5, with 7:40 left.
Herrod recovered a Bailey fumble to score three points for the Blue with less four minutes left in the quarter. The defense racked up another point on the following possession when rising junior Ben Maljovec sacked Dantley for a five-yard loss on the final play of the stanza. The defense also got four points for stopping the Orange. The five-point swing cut the offense’s margin to 16-14.
A 43-yard field goal by Shadle moments later boosted the offense’s lead to 19-14.
Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Anthony Perkins intercepted a juggled Robinson pass to close the gap to 19-17 with 12 minutes to go in the third quarter, but Shadle banged home another field goal, this one from 36 yards out, with 5:04 remaining to make the score 23-17.
The defense tallied eight of the game’s final nine points to produce the victory.
Prior to the contest Syracuse engaged in a 7-on-7 passing drill and an offensive line versus defensive line pass rush drill. Following the game, both sides participated in an autograph session for the fans in attendance.
Syracuse will report for fall camp the first week in August, with the 2007 season opener against Washington set for Friday, Aug. 31 at 8:00 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The game will be televised live nationally on ESPN. Tickets are available at the Carrier Dome Box Office (1-888-DOMETIX) or online (click here).
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