Head Coach Greg Robinson Quotes
2005 Syracuse Football
Syracuse vs. Virginia – September 17, 2005
Carrier Dome – Syracuse, N.Y.
Head Coach Greg Robinson on the officiating at the end of the game:
“First of all, I say this: it was fourth and inches. If it’s fourth-and-five, there is no issue, so let’s start with that. But, in my mind I thought there was an illegal substitution. Obviously, the officials didn’t see it that way and that’s the bottom line.”
Robinson on what the official told him about the substitution:
“He told me that it was not an illegal substitution. I thought the big fullback came running on. It still comes down to this, that it was fourth-and-inches. If it was fourth-and-five, they’re kicking the ball right there. What got us to fourth-and-inches, that’s just as important as what happened there at the end.”
Robinson on if he was surprised UVA went for it on fourth-and-inches:
“It was inches. He did the right thing. They made it.”
Robinson on Hagans’ scramble on the last drive:
“I’d like to see it. I thought we had him. You can see now. He has some special qualities about him. No question about it. All in all, I thought our guys did some great things against him. It was those two big plays that got us.”
Robinson on Michael Johnson’s 70-yard touchdown run:
“We played that play poorly. That’s the bottom line. We played it poorly on defense. We didn’t execute the defense. That’s it in a nutshell.”
Robinson on the difference in the SU offense in the first and second half:
“I think they just kept competing. Perry (Patterson) took charge. He made plays when you didn’t think he was going to be able to make them. He stepped up big. That’s what it’s all about: players that can go beyond the design of the play. Perry did that two or three times today, maybe even more than that. I’m really proud of him.”
Robinson on not converting on the three turnovers in the first half:
“I was just in the flow of the game. It’s just part of the game and that’s what happened. What I like is that they kept fighting. They didn’t get discouraged. They came up with some huge plays, and that’s a good thing.”
Robinson on feeling better about the team this week than last week:
“I already made a statement to our football team. I believe we are a better team today than we were last Saturday. I do. I believe we’re a better football team.”
Robinson on getting the tight ends involved in the second half:
“That was part of the game plan. I think Brian (Pariani) did a great job with the rest of the offensive staff. They had a good plan. You have to give Virginia credit. They have a good defense. They’re a good football team.”
Robinson on the difficulty of defending Hagans:
“He’s so active, quick, and strong. The guy just explodes on you. I’ve seen some fast guys out there that had some great angles but couldn’t close the distance on him. He’s very instinctive. He has a good arm. He’s a good football player.”
Robinson on dealing with the loss with the upcoming open week:
“It’s tough. We hate it. We’re going to hate having to live with it for two weeks, but that is what is. It’s all about dealing with it. We talked to our team today. There is adversity all the time. You have to deal with it. That’s what we have to do. That’s the name of the game right now.”
Robinson on Joe Kowalewski:
“I told him in the locker room, if he catches that one ball, it’s not even an issue. He could have got discouraged, but he just kept clawing, scratching, and biting. He was another guy that just came up big.”
Robinson on Lavar Lobdell not playing:
“Lavar got banged up the other day in practice.”
Robinson on thinking if he was going to win after John Barker tied the game:
“I thought we were going to win the whole time. There was never a doubt in my mind that we weren’t going to win that football game. I’m talking before the game, at halftime, in the middle of the third quarter. I believed we were going to win that football game. I thought we were going to win it when we tied it up.”
Robinson on the crowd:
“The crowd has been great. They’ve been great. The thing I hate is that we disappoint them. You can feel them. It’s a spirited place even before the game. Before the game you feel it. It’s unique to me. It’s our responsibility to provide them with a kind of team that they can get excited about, and that’s what we are hard at work doing. We really are.”
