Saturday, November 24
Syracuse, NY
7:15 p.m.
Syracuse University
31
vs
52
Cincinnati
Mike Williams tied the Syracuse single-season reception record Saturday against Cincinnati. He also extended his school-record streak of consecutive games with a touchdown reception to nine.
Record-Setting Performances Abound In 2007 Orange Football Season Finale
11/24/2007 5:01:30 PM | Football
Head Coach Greg Robinson's Press Conference Transcript
Syracuse Player Quotes
Syracuse Game Notes
Cincinnati Head Coach and Player Quotes
Syracuse Player Quotes
Syracuse Game Notes
Cincinnati Head Coach and Player Quotes
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Several Syracuse players registered record-setting performances in the Orange’s 52-31 loss to #24 Cincinnati in the 2007 season finale on Saturday, Nov. 24 at the Carrier Dome. Sophomore receiver Mike Williams (Buffalo, N.Y.) caught nine passes to tie Kevin Johnson’s school record for most receptions in a season. The Orange passing attack set team records for yards (428), completions (31) and attempts (51) Saturday. Sophomore starter Andrew Robinson (Baltimore, Md.) threw for 419 yards and established a new SU individual record for attempts (47) and tied the school standard for completions (29). In addition, freshman Max Suter (Ruffs Dale, Pa.) made NCAA history, setting the record for most kickoff return yards in a season.
Williams’ nine receptions increased his season total to 60, matching the record set by Johnson in 1998. Williams recorded a career-best 160 receiving yards and a touchdown against Cincinnati, including 138 yards in the first half. Williams’ touchdown catch extended his school-record streak to nine straight games with a TD. He finished the year with 10 touchdown receptions, which ranks third on SU’s season record list.
Robinson was 29-for-47 for 419 yards and three touchdowns. It was his second 400-yard passing performance of the season and it ranks third on SU’s single-game list for most passing yards. Robinson tied Marvin Graves’ record for completions. Graves connected on 29 passes against Cincinnati in 1993.
Junior Cameron Dantley (Silver Spring, Md.) relieved Robinson late in the fourth quarter and completed two passes for nine yards.
Suter returned seven kickoffs against the Bearcats for 172 yards to raise his season total to 1,299 kickoff return yards. He broke the record of 1,260 yards set by Utah State’s Kevin Robinson earlier in the day. For the season, Syracuse registered 1,709 kickoff return yards as a team, the second-highest total in NCAA history.
Junior receiver Taj Smith (Newark, N.J.) caught five passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. It was the second time this season Williams and Smith each posted 100-yard receiving efforts in the same game.
Saturday’s contest was a see-saw affair with the two teams trading offensive punches. The game featured 13 scoring drives, eight by Cincinnati and five by the Orange. Seven of the Bearcats’ scoring marches were shorter than two minutes long as were three of SU’s.
With all the offensive fireworks, ironically it was the Cincinnati defense that made the biggest play of the game, sacking Robinson on a 3rd-and-3 in the third quarter. Robinson fumbled and the loose ball was scooped up by Angelo Craig and returned 16 yards for a touchdown.
The play broke open a 35-31 contest and extended the Bearcats lead to 42-31 with 6:13 left in the third quarter. It was one of 11 Cincinnati sacks in the game and changed the momentum, sparking the Cincinnati defense, which held the Orange (2-10) scoreless on its final six possessions.
The Bearcats (9-3) added a 31-yard field goal by Jake Rogers early in the fourth quarter and quarterback Ben Mauk scored on a 13-yard run with just over a minute to play to produce the final 52-31 score.
Mauk accounted for five Cincinnati touchdowns, throwing for four in addition to the one he had on the ground. He was 29-of-42 through the air for 431 yards. Three of his touchdown tosses ended up in the hands of Marcus Barnett, who caught 11 passes for 127 yards.
Cincinnati built a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the game. The Bearcats scored on their first two offensive possessions. Mauk connected with Barnett for a 33-yard touchdown a minute and a half into the contest. They added to the lead three minutes later when Bradley Glatthaar crossed the goaline from two yards out.
After that it was Syracuse’s turn to get into the scoring act. The Orange cut the lead to 14-3 on a 43-yard field goal by junior Patrick Shadle (Morgantown, W. Va.) with 2:09 to go in the first period. The score was set up by senior safety Joe Fields (Houston, Texas) who recovered a Greg Moore fumble at the Bearcats’ 14.
Syracuse continued to slice into the Cincinnati margin, pulling within four, 14-10, at the 7:45 mark on junior Paul Chiara’s (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) second career rushing touchdown. Chiara capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive with a two-yard TD plunge. Syracuse converted a 4th-and-8 from the Cincinnati 44 to keep the drive alive. Robinson hit Chiara for a 14-yard gain to move the sticks, and he found Williams over the middle for 23 yards three plays later. Williams was leveled by Haruki Nakamura on the reception. The hit drew a personal foul penalty and the ball was placed on the six-yard line. Chiara did the rest, going up the middle for four yards on first down and punching it in for six on the next play.
Seeing its lead evaporate awakened the Bearcats, who responded with consecutive scoring drives to extend its lead to 28-10. The first was a 71-yard march that took 1:38 off the clock and resulted in the second Mauk-to-Barnett scoring strike of the evening, this time from eight yards out. Mauk tossed his third TD pass on Cincinnati’s following drive, connecting with tight end Earnest Jackson for a 20-yard touchdown with 3:10 to play in the half.
The scores didn’t deter the Orange as Robinson hit Williams for a 10-yard touchdown with a 1:26 to go in the second quarter. Williams caught three passes for 64 of SU’s 67 yards on the drive. The Orange continued its aerial assault the in the second half as Robinson lofted a bomb to Smith on the first play of the third quarter that went for a 78-yard TD and got the Orange back within four, 28-24.
Another Mauk touchdown pass to Barnett extended the Cincinnati lead to 35-24 one minute and 50 seconds into the second half, but the Orange responded again on a Robinson TD pass to senior tight end Jawad Nesheiwat (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) at the 8:13 mark of the period to make the score 35-31.
The Bearcats' defense gained control after that, scoring on Craig's fumble return, forcing three SU punts and stopping the Orange twice on downs to end the game.
Seniors Jameel McClain (Philadelphia, Pa.), Dowayne Davis (Bronx, N.Y.) and junior safety A.J. Brown (Bealton, Va.) paced the Orange defense with seven tackles each.
Nakamura led the Bearcats’ defense with nine stops. Lamonte Nelms and Anthony Hoke each recorded three sacks.
The game featured almost 1,000 yards of total offense. Cincinnati registered 544 yards and Syracuse finished with 413.
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