| Sport: | football |
| Year: | 2007 |
| Team: | Syracuse Orange |
| Conference: | Big East Conference |
| Conference Link: | Big East Conference (1979–2013) |
| Short Conf: | Big East |
| Record: | 2–10 |
| Conf Record: | 1–6 |
| Hc Year: | 3rd |
| Off Coach: | Brian White |
| Oc Year: | 2nd |
| Dc Year: | 1st as DC, 3rd overall |
The 2007 Syracuse Orange football team competed in football on behalf of Syracuse University during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Orange were coached by Greg Robinson and played their home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York.
See also: 2007 Washington Huskies football team.
Syracuse opened the 2007 season with a 42-14 loss to Washington 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-outs, 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 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."[2]
See also: 2007 Iowa Hawkeyes football team.
Syracuse and Iowa 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. Behind a strong defensive performance, the Hawkeyes shut out the Syracuse Orange 35-0 at Kinnick Stadium. Rebounding from a shaky performance against Northern Illinois, Christensen threw for 278 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to tight end Tony Moeaki. 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.
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. 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. On special teams, Kenny Iwebema blocked two field goals to help preserve the worst loss for Syracuse coach Greg Robinson in his tenure with the Orange. The 35-point loss was Syracuse's most-lopsided since a 51–14 loss to Georgia Tech in the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl. After the game, Syracuse running back Curtis Brinkley said:
See also: 2007 Illinois Fighting Illini football team.
Syracuse's second straight Big Ten opponent came when the 'Cuse met Illinois. The Orange had defeated the Illini a year before, 31-21 in Champaign. 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 to tight end Jeff Cumberland. The Illini scored later in the first quarter on a 2-yard run by Rashard Mendenhall.
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."[3]
See also: 2007 Louisville Cardinals football team.
Syracuse delivered its first win of the 2007 season on the road in Louisville. The Orange upset the
Cardinals 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 for a 79-yard touchdown reception on the first play.
The scoring halted until the second quarter when Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Scott Kuhn. On the ensuing kickoff, 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 in 1998.
See also: 2007 Miami RedHawks football team.
See also: 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football team.
See also: Rutgers Scarlet Knights football.
See also: 2007 Buffalo Bulls football team.
See also: Pittsburgh Panthers football.
See also: 2007 South Florida Bulls football team.
See also: 2007 Connecticut Huskies football team.
See also: 2007 Cincinnati Bearcats football team.
See also: 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings.
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| Name | GP-GS | Att | Gain | Loss | Net | Avg | TD | Long | Avg/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curtis Brinkley | 8-8 | 111 | 416 | 45 | 371 | 3.3 | 2 | 29 | 46.4 | |
| Doug Hogue | 9-4 | 77 | 275 | 24 | 251 | 3.3 | 1 | 20 | 27.9 | |
| Paul Chiara | 12-0 | 21 | 97 | 2 | 95 | 4.5 | 1 | 22 | 7.9 | |
| Jeremy Sellers | 12-0 | 21 | 50 | 1 | 49 | 2.3 | 1 | 9 | 4.1 | |
| Max Suter | 12-1 | 9 | 42 | 4 | 38 | 4.2 | 0 | 12 | 3.2 | |
| Derrell Smith | 12-0 | 10 | 28 | 6 | 22 | 2.2 | 0 | 8 | 1.8 | |
| Taj Smith | 12-12 | 5 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 3.2 | 0 | 7 | 1.3 | |
| Tony Fiammetta | 11-8 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 2.7 | 0 | 4 | 0.7 | |
| John Barker | 12-0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 | 0.2 | |
| Cameron Dantley | 8-1 | 13 | 12 | 35 | -23 | -1.8 | 0 | 6 | -2.9 | |
| TEAM | 9-0 | 9 | 0 | 38 | -38 | -4.2 | 0 | 0 | -4.2 | |
| Andrew Robinson | 11-11 | 95 | 273 | 312 | -39 | -0.4 | 0 | 18 | -3.5 | |
| Total | 12 | 375 | 1220 | 467 | 753 | 2.0 | 5 | 29 | 62.8 | |
| Opponents | 12 | 515 | 2687 | 193 | 2494 | 4.8 | 30 | 75 | 207.8 |
| Name | GP-GS | Effic | Att-Cmp-Int | Pct | Yds | TD | Lng | Avg/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Robinson | 11-11 | 125.69 | 154-292-7 | 52.7 | 2192 | 13 | 79 | 199.3 | |
| Cameron Dantley | 8-1 | 117.08 | 48-90-3 | 53.3 | 558 | 5 | 56 | 69.8 | |
| TEAM | 9-0 | 0.00 | 0-1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Total | 12 | 123.34 | 202-383-10 | 52.7 | 2750 | 18 | 79 | 229.2 | |
| Opponents | 12 | 147.07 | 267-393-9 | 67.9 | 3131 | 20 | 63 | 260.9 |
| Name | GP-GS | No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | Avg/G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Williams | 12-12 | 60 | 837 | 13.9 | 10 | 61 | 69.8 | |
| Taj Smith | 12-12 | 44 | 822 | 18.7 | 5 | 79 | 68.5 | |
| Jawad Nesheiwat | 12-10 | 17 | 270 | 15.9 | 2 | 48 | 22.5 | |
| Rice Moss | 12-1 | 13 | 150 | 11.5 | 0 | 20 | 12.5 | |
| Paul Chiara | 12-0 | 12 | 93 | 7.8 | 0 | 20 | 7.8 | |
| Tony Fiammetta | 11-8 | 12 | 75 | 6.2 | 0 | 15 | 6.8 | |
| Curtis Brinkley | 8-8 | 9 | 149 | 16.6 | 0 | 62 | 18.6 | |
| Da'Mon Merkerson | 10-1 | 8 | 101 | 12.6 | 1 | 42 | 10.1 | |
| Lavar Lobdell | 12-0 | 8 | 86 | 10.8 | 0 | 14 | 7.2 | |
| Mike Owen | 12-3 | 5 | 51 | 10.2 | 0 | 18 | 4.2 | |
| Dan Sheeran | 12-1 | 4 | 24 | 6.0 | 0 | 13 | 2.0 | |
| Doug Hogue | 9-4 | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 0 | 19 | 3.4 | |
| Jeremy Sellers | 12-0 | 2 | 31 | 15.5 | 0 | 27 | 2.6 | |
| Arthur Kapalanga | 11-0 | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 10 | 1.4 | |
| Derrell Smith | 12-0 | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 0 | 9 | 0.7 | |
| Kyle Bell | 2-0 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | 3.5 | |
| Total | 12 | 202 | 2750 | 13.6 | 18 | 79 | 229.2 | |
| Opponents | 12 | 267 | 3131 | 11.7 | 20 | 63 | 260.9 |
Note: This list includes only a select number of defensive leaders. For the complete list, click http://suathletics.com/Sports/Football/2007/2007fbstats.asp
| Name | GP-GS | Tackles | Sacks | Pass Defense | Interceptions | Fumbles | Blkd Kick | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Total | TFL-Yds | No-Yds | BrUp | QBH | No.-Yds | Avg | TD | Long | Rcv-Yds | FF | ||||
| Joe Fields | 12-12 | 53 | 44 | 97 | 2.5-4 | 0.0-0 | 2 | 1 | 4-62 | 15.5 | 0 | 35 | 1-0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jake Flaherty | 12-12 | 45 | 50 | 95 | 6.5-26 | 1.0-6 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jameel McClain | 12-12 | 39 | 38 | 77 | 6.0-24 | 1.5-12 | 3 | 4 | 1-38 | 38.0 | 0 | 38 | 1-0 | 2 | 1 | |
| Mike Holmes | 12-8 | 40 | 24 | 64 | 2.0-3 | 0.0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Arthur Jones | 11-11 | 32 | 19 | 51 | 17.5-43 | 1.0-4 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Total | 12 | 556 | 387 | 943 | 63-197 | 9-65 | 21 | 8 | 9-213 | 23.7 | 0 | 52 | 5-2 | 8 | 4 | |
| Opponents | 12 | 458 | 282 | 740 | 87-411 | 54-324 | 41 | 25 | 10-114 | 11.4 | 2 | 49 | 10-16 | 12 | 3 | |
| Name | Punting | Kickoffs | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Yds | Avg | Long | TB | FC | I20 | Blkd | No. | Yds | Avg | TB | OB | ||
| Rob Long | 75 | 3139 | 41.9 | 73 | 8 | 22 | 21 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| John Barker | 4 | 217 | 54.2 | 71 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| TEAM | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| Patrick Shadle | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 44 | 2484 | 56.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| Total | 80 | 3356 | 42.0 | 73 | 9 | 22 | 24 | 1 | 44 | 2484 | 56.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| Opponents | 52 | 2025 | 38.9 | 63 | 3 | 20 | 22 | 0 | 78 | 4835 | 62.0 | 5 | 1 | |
| Name | Punt Returns | Kick Returns | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | ||
| Max Suter | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 51 | 1299 | 25.5 | 1 | 93 | |
| Mike Holmes | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 14 | 352 | 25.1 | 0 | 64 | |
| Bruce Williams | 5 | 13 | 2.6 | 0 | 11 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| Randy McKinnon | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 54 | 18.0 | 0 | 23 | |
| Ryan Howard | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Paul Chiara | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| Total | 10 | 46 | 4.6 | 0 | 13 | 69 | 1709 | 24.8 | 1 | 93 | |
| Opponents | 33 | 430 | 13.0 | 0 | 53 | 41 | 906 | 22.1 | 0 | 64 | |