Pitarresi: Brinkley needs to get the ball

 

Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008

 

Curtis Brinkley is the Syracuse University football team's biggest weapon.

 

The senior from Philadelphia, who is coming back from a broken leg suffered late last season, is quick, makes great cuts in traffic, and finishes plays, attacking defenders when closed in, rather than waiting to be hit. A great many backs don't do that.

 

Brinkley needs to carry the ball more than 16 times in a game, which is what he did in today's 34-24 loss to Pitt, a game the Orange definitely had a shot to win.

 

Brinkley gained 119 yards - 43 of them on one fabulous run - but he could have had more, and they might have made a difference. Brinkley was on the bench after Pitt tied the game 24-24 in the fourth quarter. Number two tailback Paul Hogue was nicked up, and freshman Antwon Bailey was on the field. He carried twice for five yards as SU went four-and-out. That was followed by a Lee Conor field goal that gave Pitt the lead. Brinkley, in fact, got only two more carries in the game - for 12 yards - but Cameron Dantley was sacked on the next play and fumbled, and that was it.

 

This wasn’t the same situation that occurred in the 42-28 loss to Akron Sept. 6, but the under-use of Brinkley in that one hurt, too.  Hogue started that game, wasn't able to get going on the first two series, and before you knew it, the Zips had a 14-0 lead. Brinkley then came in and gained 143 yards on 21 carries, but it was too late.

 

Coaches have all kinds of reasons for doing things, many of which they aren't about to share with you and me. That’s fine, but today, SU coach Greg Robinson said Bailey was in the game because Brinkley was fatigued. Brinkley said he wasn't. Well, Brinkley is the kind of kid who wants the ball on every down, so you have to take that into consideration, but the game was on the line and your biggest weapon is on the bench. Again, maybe Robinson had another reason, but everything in the SU offense looks better when Brinkley has the ball. Nothing against Hogue, Bailey, or Delone Carter, who was out again with a pulled hamstring, but Brinkley adds a special dimension, and he has to get the ball more if SU is to be successful.

 

And how about these scores:

 

Ole Miss 31, No. 4 Florida 30: No wonder Urban Meyer had little to say to Dan Patrick on the radio the other day and kept repeating that he was just focused on Mississippi. He needed to focus even more.

Navy 24, No. 16 Wake Forest 17: Navy is good, and mentally tough. You’d better be ready to play when the Middies show up.

Houston 41, No. 23 Easton Carolina 24: The Skip Holtz legend goes up in smoke, and now even the SU vultures don’t want him as their next coach.

Michigan 27, No. 9 Wisconsin 25: It’s hard to pull for Michigan, the winningest team in college football history, but, heck, they were underdogs now.

No. 8 Alabama ? over No. 3 Georgia ?: I’m watching this one right now, its 24-0 ‘Bama, and I think I can figure out who is going to win even though its just the second quarter. You never know, though.