Dynamite Duo Powers Orange 'D'

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – As the top duo in sacks in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season, Orange defensive ends Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman are an unlikely pair. Neither had a linear path to being the faces of the defensive line, but now it couldn't seem more natural.

After suffering a torn labrum during his sophomore season, Coleman wasn't sure he wanted to play football anymore, until his family "talked him off the ledge," and encouraged him to stay at Syracuse.

Good thing, because while being a steady presence on the defensive line, Coleman can also kick into high gear when it matters most. He set a Camping World Bowl record with three sacks against West Virginia in SU's first bowl appearance in five years. The more talkative of the two, he also represented the Orange at ACC Football Kickoff, the conference's annual media event, this summer.

Alton took a different road. He spent his freshman year in junior college before Syracuse head coach Dino Babers gave him the chance he needed.

"Even in the game of football, you deal with adversity. So going through adversity on the field helped me deal with it off the field," Robinson said.

Put these two athletes together, and they're a dynamite combination, as Babers puts it.

Individually, Coleman and Robinson tied for second in sacks in the ACC with 10 each. Together, they were first. The stats show they're a force to be reckoned with in the conference, and some have even dubbed them one of the best pairs in the nation. Robinson is on the watch lists for the Bednarik Award and the Nagurski Trophy, presented to the nation's best defensive player. Coleman was named preseason All-ACC by multiple media outlets.

Their proficiency in harassing quarterbacks contributed heavily to Syracuse's spike in interceptions last season. The Orange picked off 18 passes in 2018 compared to four the year before.

"Getting pressure on the quarterback changes the game a lot, especially in college football. They bring the [quarterback's internal] clock from four seconds to two seconds," sophomore safety Andre Cisco said.

Although they wear the same jerseys, Robinson and Coleman don't find anybody else better to compete with than each other.

"I think Kendall sometimes doesn't get his due because of the way Alton carries himself, and rightfully so," Babers said.

But when Robinson didn't play in last season's matchup against West Virginia, Babers said it was easy to see just how explosive Coleman is.

Be it in practice, lifts, or meetings, there's always a healthy dose of competition between the two. Without it, there's no growth, Coleman said.

It may be a friendly race to get in the offensive backfield, but that competition wouldn't be successful without teamwork. Sometimes Robinson may see something and call it out to Coleman who's then in better position to make the play. The stat gets marked in Coleman's column, but Robinson deserves credit for making the read. Other times, Coleman may recognize a certain alignment or formation and he signals Robinson. They feed off each other.

Players who are smart overall, but also have an incredible football IQ make it easier for their teammates to be able to play as fast as they do, because they get everybody on the same page, and they keep raising the bar.

As last season progressed, both Coleman and Robinson knew they would need to grow into leadership roles. Putting up the sacks and the tackle numbers they did, it would be only natural that their teammates looked to them for guidance.

Although it took a bit of adjusting at first, both are now more than comfortable being vocal leaders in the locker room.

"Whether you're ready or not, you need to have a voice because obviously you're doing something right that other people need to hear, so that they can do it right too," Coleman said.

"One of the major things that I'm grateful for and appreciative of about Alton is the fact that Alton came to Syracuse and he brought about a different challenge for myself," Coleman said. "I think my game would have grown undoubtedly throughout my years of being here, but seeing somebody that was right there with me, neck and neck with me to push me along, definitely made me step my game up to another level."

That certainly showed last season.

Babers preaches faith: belief without evidence. But with Coleman and Robinson leading the way, there's plenty of evidence to back up Syracuse's faith in them.

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Syracuse University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Andre Cisco

Kendall Coleman

Alton Robinson

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