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Friday, August 31
Syracuse, NY
8:00 p.m.
Syracuse University
12
vs
42
Washington
Andrew Robinson passed for 199 yards and a touchdown in the first start of his career.
Washington Spoils Robinson's First Start With 42-12 Win At The Dome
8/31/2007 6:28:28 PM | Football
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Washington Huskies (1-0) defeated Syracuse (0-1) by the score of 42-12 in front of 40,329 fans at the Carrier Dome in the second-annual College Colors Classic on Friday, Aug. 31. The game was the season opener for both teams. Syracuse sophomore quarterback Andrew Robinson made his first career start in the contest and was 20-for-32 for 199 yards and a touchdown. He completed passes to 10 different receivers.
Junior Taj Smith was his favorite target, tying his career high with five receptions for 33 yards in his return to the field after suffering broken collar bone last season.
Junior running back Curtis Brinkley was SU’s top receiver in terms of yards gained. He caught four balls for a career-best 63 yards.
Freshman running back Derrell Smith led the Orange rushing attack with 19 yards on five carries in his collegiate debut.
Running back Louis Rankin and quarterback Jake Locker each rushed for multiple touchdowns to power the Husky offense, which out-gained the Orange 444-207, including a 302-8 advantage on the ground. Rankin led the Huskies with 147 rushing yards on 17 carries and three TDs. Locker carried 10 times for 83 yards and two scores. Locker was 14-for-19 through the air for 142 yards before being relieved by Carl Bonnell.
Orange rookie Max Suter sparked the Carrier Dome faithful, taking the game’s opening kickoff and racing 44 yards to the Syracuse 45 to give the Orange excellent field position on its first drive of the season. Robinson, operating mostly out of the shotgun, was efficient on the possession, completing five of his first six passes for 34 yards, but the drive stalled deep in Husky territory. Junior Patrick Shadle came on and hit his first field-goal attempt of 2007, a 42-yarder, to give the Orange a 3-0 lead with 10:59 left in the first quarter.
In the second part of the opening quarter, the Washington offense got on track and started asserting itself with a pair of 80-yard scoring drives. On the final possession of the period, Locker marched his squad 80 yards on 10 plays to claim a 6-3 advantage less than two minutes into the second stanza. Ryan Perkins converted the extra point to make the score 7-3. Rankin carried the load on the drive, rushing for 32 yards and catching two passes for 10 yards. He capped the march with a 13-yard touchdown run off the right side.
The Huskies padded their lead with another 80-yard scoring march that took 6 minutes and 24 seconds off the clock. Locker punctuated the drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak for the TD, and he rushed five times for 56 yards on the drive. Perkins tacked on the point after to extend Washington’s advantage to 14-3 with 2:48 to go before the half.
Shadle moved in to ninth on SU’s career field goals ledger with his second field goal of the game, another 42-yarder, with 19 seconds to play in the opening half. The kick pulled the Orange within eight, 14-6, and was the 18th of his career.
That was as close as the Orange got as the Huskies put the game out of reach in the third quarter. Rankin broke free for a 47-yard touchdown run on the first possession of the second half and Locker added an 8-yard TD run at the 10:38 mark of the third period to extend the lead to 28-6. Another Rankin touchdown scamper, this one from 20 yards out, pushed the Huskies margin to 35-6 with 2:17 left in the period.
Syracuse recorded its first touchdown of the 2007 season with 6:59 left to play in the game. The Orange converted on fourth down and 10 as Robinson hit sophomore Mike Williams on a crossing route for the TD to make the score 35-12. It was the second time on the drive the Orange went for it on fourth down. A Washington pass interference penalty on an earlier 4th-and-1 kept the drive alive. Shadle missed the extra point and the Huskies maintained their 23-point advantage.
Washington freshman Brandon Johnson added a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:13 remaining, and Perkins added the point after to produce the 42-12 final.
Junior safety A.J. Brown led the Syracuse defense with eight tackles. Linebacker Ben Maljovec made a personal-best seven stops in his first career start.
Mesphin Forrester paced the Huskies’ defensive unit with seven tackles. Defensive end Greyson Gunheim made four stops, including two sacks.
The Orange will take the field for the second time this season next weekend when it plays Big Ten foe Iowa at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 8:00 p.m. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
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