John Pitarresi: A genuine must-win game

If ever there was a must-win football game, this is it.

Northeastern University visits the Carrier Dome Saturday, and the Syracuse University Orangemen absolutely, positively have to beat them. If they don’t, it will be the worse loss in SU memory, maybe the worst ever, and a program that already is hurting will be all but dead.

Nothing against the Huskies, but they play in the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly I-AA, and theoretically shouldn’t be able to defeat a BCS school. Theoretically. Such things do happen – Appalachian State over Michigan last year, Maine over Mississippi State in 2004 and many others – and Northeastern, 0-2, did gain 452 yards and held the ball for 38 minutes in an overtime loss to traditional I-AA power Georgia Southern Saturday.

The Orange can’t assume anything, and they aren’t.

“They play football just like we do,” said running back Curtis Brinkley.

“We have to look at it like any other week,” said defensive end Vincenzo Giruzzi.

For the Orange, it’s another football game and another chance to get a win.

“That the way I look at it,” said coach Greg Robinson. “That’s the way I look at it. They’re a football tam. It’s the team we’re playing this week.”