Orange Car Wreck

After losing 42-12 at home against a Washington Husky team led by a redshirt freshman, how could it possibly get any worse? Well, try losing 35-0 and playing some of the worst offensive football one can imagine.

Right from the beginning, whether watching on television or listening on the radio, every SU fan knew the Orange were in for a long night. Syracuse went three-and-out on six consecutive possessions to open the game. On the other hand, Iowa scored four touchdowns with their six opening possessions. Iowa quarterback Jake Christensen found TE Tony Moeaki who ran 52 yards for the score as safety A.J Brown missed a tackle and was chewed out by head coach Greg Robinson afterwards.

Quarterback Andrew Robinson threw his first interception of the year on the next SU drive, which turned into six more points when Iowa running back Albert Young went untouched for a 36 yard touchdown on a screen pass. The Hawkeyes added two more touchdowns, one on the ground and the other through the air in the second quarter. The rushing score came on a fourth down as Iowa did not have to fear the Orange offense at all. In fact they were probably laughing at the display put on by SU's offense.

Talk about offensive ineptitude, during the entire first half, the SU offense could not muster up one first down. Not one measly first down. Robinson was 2-9 passing for 15 yards and was sacked three times. His receivers didn't help either, as the Orange had four dropped passes. But it was all gravy for Iowa. QB Jake Christensen threw for 192 yards on 15-24 passing and had three touchdowns. The Orange's only opportunity for points, a Patrick Shadle field goal attempt, was blocked. Score at halftime, Iowa 28 Syracuse 0.

While Iowa only scored one touchdown in the second half, it was a near formality. This may have been the most disappointing game under the Greg Robinson era, and that is not a good sign. I think we all thought last week qualified in that category, but this one clearly topped it. A worse performance by a Syracuse football team does not come to my mind right now. This game could only be described as a disgrace to the university and central New York.

For the game, Syracuse rushed 30 times for an average of 0.8 yards per carry. Robinson finished 7-20 for 79 yards with one interception. Syracuse was out gained by 305 yards on offense, and only had a total of five 1st downs, all picked up in the second half. Iowa QB Jake Christensen had a terrific game, going 23-32 for 278 yards with 4 TDs and only 1 INT. The TE Tony Moeaki had a career game, catching eight balls for 112 yards including three touchdowns. Out of 13 offensive drives, only four lasted more than three plays and five possessions ended with the offense losing yardage.

We all thought that going 1-10 a couple years ago was the worse feeling we could experience as Syracuse football fans. But I don't think we have felt so let down so early on during the season. We had high hopes for this team, not a bowl game but at least more improvement in the offense. After tonight's game, the offense took a step back to the 2005 version. Even more disappointing is the defense, which has deteriorated over Robinson's three seasons at the helm.

As I write this, South Florida just defeated the Auburn Tigers on the road in overtime. Only a few years ago South Florida wasn't even on the map. This win is a legitimate program building win and signals to the nation that USF is for real. Talk about two programs going in opposite directions. I ask the question again, could SU play any worse? I guess we'll find out that answer on Saturday against Illinois. Of course, that is if you dare to watch.