The 2007 Syracuse Orange football team competed in
football on behalf of
Syracuse University during the
2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The regular season began on August 30, 2007 and ended on ...
. The Orange were coached by
Greg Robinson and played their home games at the
Carrier Dome in
Syracuse, New York.
Schedule
Game summaries
Washington
Syracuse opened the 2007 season with a 42-14 loss to
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
in the
Carrier Dome. The Orange began the game with a
field goal and managed to hold the Huskies at bay for their first two drives. However, after back-to-back
three-and-out
A down is a period in which a play transpires in gridiron football. The down is a distinguishing characteristic of the game compared to other codes of football, but is synonymous with a "tackle" in rugby league. The team in possession of the ...
s, Washington responded with two touchdown drives of 80 yards apiece. The Huskies scored on each of their three drives in the third quarter to take a 35-6 lead into the fourth quarter.
Freshman quarterback Andrew Robinson registered 199 yards in his first career start on 20-of-32 passing. Robinson was also sacked seven times. Washington was led on the ground by
Louis Rankin. The senior ran for 152 yards on 17 carries. Rankin scored three touchdowns, including a 47-yard run on the opening drive of the third quarter. Huskies quarterback
Jake Locker
Jacob Cooper Locker (born June 15, 1988) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at the University of Washington, and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans eighth overall in the 2011 NFL Draft.
A backup during his e ...
completed 14-of-19 passes for 142 yards. He also ran for two touchdowns in the win. Washington outgained Syracuse 302-8 on the ground.
"We went on defense and had a chance to make a four or five-yard loss on a run and we missed the tackle," said Orange head coach
Greg Robinson after the game. "We had the tackle, but we didn't secure it and let the guy out the backside and that's just the discipline of the defense not having backside containment to let that guy out the backdoor. Really I thought for a period of time we kept shooting ourselves in the foot on both sides of the ball. I give credit to Washington. They did a good job."
Iowa
Syracuse and
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
met in a rematch of the 2006 thriller in the
Carrier Dome. The Orange fell 20-13 in double overtime to the Hawkeyes, after the 'Cuse couldn't score on seven attempts from inside the two-yard line.
The 2007 meeting between the two teams was the exact opposite of the 2006 matchup. Syracuse fell to Iowa 35-0. After a punt on their opening drive, the Hawkeyes scored three consecutive touchdowns, two on passes of more than 30 yards. Iowa quarterback
Jake Christensen connected with Tony Moeaki on a 52-yard touchdown pass to give the Hawkeyes a 7-0 lead. Christensen found running back
Albert Young for a 36-yard touchdown reception a drive later, after Iowa picked off Syracuse in its own half of the field.
Syracuse's scoring chances were limited to two
field goal attempts. Orange kicker Patrick Shadle had a 38 and a 39 yard attempt blocked in the loss.
The one bright spot for the 'Cuse came on the defensive end. Despite giving up 35 points in the defeat, Syracuse caught two interceptions and forced on fumble. The first interception came late in the first half off a pass from Christensen.
Illinois
Syracuse's second straight
Big Ten
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
opponent came when the 'Cuse met
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
. The Orange had defeated the Illini a year before, 31-21 in
Champaign
Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...
. Much like the previous week in Iowa, Syracuse struggled to stop the Illinois offense. The Illini opened the game with a 70-yard drive for a touchdown. Illinois scored after six plays, the last a 22-yard touchdown pass from
Juice Williams
Isiah John "Juice" Williams (born November 19, 1987) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Illinois. After his senior year of high school in 2005, Williams was considered a top recruit for the quarterback po ...
to
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...
Jeff Cumberland. The Illini scored later in the first quarter on a 2-yard run by
Rashard Mendenhall
Rashard Jamal Mendenhall (born June 19, 1987) is a former American football running back and current television writer who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football at Illinois and was drafted b ...
.
Mendenhall wasn't through there. He ran for two more touchdowns in the win, including a 50-yard run late in the third quarter. Mendenhall totaled 150 yards on 16 carries and finished with 3 touchdowns.
Offensively for Syracuse, the Orange started out slow. Syracuse didn't record a first down until the second quarter and didn't break through until the third quarter when kicker Patrick Shadle kicked for a 44-yard field goal. Syracuse scored a touchdown later in the third off a 2-yard run by Jeremy Sellers.
The offensive improvements were outdone by Iowa. The Hawkeyes finished the game with scores of their last five possessions. Three of those drive resulted in touchdowns.
"Obviously, I’m frustrated and I want to keep working and getting better," said Syracuse head coach
Greg Robinson after the game. "There were some things in that game that we can still grow from and obviously we’re a team that is a work-in-progress, big time. I thought there were some things that were encouraging – especially on offensive side of the ball. I saw a couple of things on defense from a couple of young players and we’ll see what happens."
SU Athletics – Head Coach Greg Robinson Quotes
/ref>
Louisville
Syracuse delivered its first win of the 2007 season on the road in Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
. The Orange upset the #18/19 Cardinals
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
38-35, thanks to an incredible offensive performance. Freshman quarterback Andrew Robinson set the pace of the game early when he connected with wide receiver Taj Smith
Tajiddin M. Smith-Wilson (born September 30, 1983) is a professional gridiron football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He recently played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Green ...
for a 79-yard touchdown reception on the first play.
The scoring halted until the second quarter when Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm
Brian Joseph Brohm (born September 23, 1985) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is currently the interim head coach, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for Purdue University. He played college football at Louisv ...
completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Scott Kuhn. On the ensuing kickoff
Kickoff or kick-off may refer to
* Kick-off (association football)
* Kickoff (gridiron football)
* ''Kick Off'' (series), a series of computer association football games
* ''Kick Off'' (album), a 1985 album by Onyanko Club
* ''Kick Off'' (mag ...
, Syracuse's Max Suter broke a tackle and sprinted for a 93-yard touchdown return, the first since Kevin Johnson returned a kick for 100 yards against Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
in 1998.
Miami (OH)
West Virginia
Rutgers
Buffalo
Pittsburgh
South Florida
Connecticut
Cincinnati
Rankings
Coaching staff
* Greg Robinson - Head Coach/Co-Defensive Coordinator
* Mitch Browning - Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends & Offensive Tackles
* Derrick Jackson - Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line
* Phil Earley - Quarterbacks
* Dan Conley - Linebackers
* Jim Salgado - Cornerbacks/Secondary
* Scott Spencer - Safeties
* Randy Trivers - Running Backs
* Chris White - Wide Receivers
* Chris Wiesehan - Offensive Line
Statistics
Team
Scores by quarter
Offense
Rushing
Passing
Receiving
Defense Leaders
Note: This list includes only a select number of defensive leaders. For the complete list, clic
Special teams
References
{{Syracuse Orange football navbox
2007 Big East Conference football season, Syracuse
Syracuse Orange football seasons
Syracuse Orange football