Brinkley's big game goes to waste

The worst thing about Syracuse University’s 42-28 football loss to Akron today was … well, there were a lot of worst things.

Aside from a horrific defensive day, though, the worst might have been the Orange wasting a terrific performance by senior tailback Curtis Brinkley.

To say Brinkley was ready to play is an understatement. Not starting will do that for you.

“I was fired up,” Brinkley said emphatically after the game.

Understandably. Brinkley played pretty well in last week’s opening loss to Northwestern, and yet SU coach Greg Robinson chose to start sophomore Doug Hogue. Maybe it was Hogue’s turn. Maybe he had a great week in practice. No matter.

That didn’t work, and Akron was up 14-0 before Brinkley came in and changed the game, leading the way to a comeback that left the teams tied 28-28 in the fourth quarter.

It wasn’t Brinkley’s fault that the defensive simply could not stop the Zips, quickly yielding a 78-yard scoring drive that pretty much decided it.

Brinkley carried 21 times for 143 yards and a touchdown, the best performance by an SU back in some time. He did it with hard, smart running, hitting holes precisely, worming through tiny gaps, making sensational cuts in traffic, finishing plays with a punch. Granted, Akron isn’t Penn State and gave up 404 rushing yards against Wisconsin, but it just showed what Brinkely can do when he gets room. He’s always had ability, but he’s rarely had room to run.

Hogue is a serviceable back, but he’s a standup runner and he’s not shifty. Delone Carter is a good back, and has terrific power for his size, but Brinkley is more dynamic, and he plays very hungry. There might not be too much to cheer about for SU fans this season, but Brinkley is one of them.