The past couldn’t have been farther away from the present Saturday in the Carrier Dome.

On a fall afternoon, when Syracuse honored a few of its all-time greatest players and the No. 44 jersey they all shared, the present team reminded everyone in attendance why it might be the worst of all Syracuse teams.

The past greats like Jim Brown and Floyd Little offered a glimmer of hope that, for one four-hour stretch, things might be different. They brought memories of great personal and team accomplishments. They talked about the future of SU football, when things will again be great.

The players agreed: It’s disappointing now, but just wait.

Saturday’s performance, a 27-0 loss to Southern Florida, suggests the waiting will have to suffer through two more games of, perhaps, the worst team in SU history.

Greg Robinson, at 1-8 with just one win over perennial Division I doormat Buffalo, sounded more confident than ever Saturday. Brown and Little gave their assurances throughout the week and at halftime during the retirement of No. 44 that Robinson will lead a revival.

‘It was unbelievable,’ Little said shortly after the jersey was unveiled in the rafters of the Dome. ‘I had the chance to sit with Jim throughout all the proceedings and to get to visit with him and be a part of it with him and we’ve shared some great things about the direction of the university, the leaders they have, what Nancy (Cantor) has done, what Daryl Gross has done, what Coach Robinson will do. It’s an unbelievable opportunity.’

Brown and Little’s public defense gave Robinson an extra push after Saturday’s loss. He sounded more upbeat than he has in weeks, despite the routine nature of losing.

‘I like (their support). I think it is good. Quite frankly, I believe they are right,’ Robinson said. ‘I think we are going about it the right way. We are laying a foundation. We are working our tails off. We didn’t take the step I wanted to take, but we will. I feel strongly about that.’

Yet Saturday’s performance might have been the most disappointing loss all year. The seniors talked about how they wanted to leave the Carrier Dome with a win. Other players said they wanted to win for Brown, Little and other No. 44s, like Rob Konrad, who were in attendance.

Instead, it was another letdown, much like the entire season. Build hope up and then deflate it in the worst manner. It started in the preseason with talk about a quick turnaround. That ended with demoralizing losses to West Virginia and Virginia in the Dome, both winnable games.

The losses aren’t even competitive anymore. Teams like Rutgers and Cincinnati are easily disposing of Syracuse. Saturday was a chance to avoid a 10-loss season, which would be the worst of any Syracuse team. It was a chance to impress the former players, to show them that progress is being made.

Not yet. The same problems still exist and if progress is going to be made, it’s going to have to come in the offseason with a stellar recruiting class.

‘It was our day to shine, and we just didn’t get it done,’ senior tight end Joe Kowalewski said. ‘Being in front of all the legendary players and seeing the looks of disappointment on their faces, it just really makes you feel bad. You want to do well because you want to show off your talent for all those great players that you’ve seen do it in the past so it’s really tough.’

With road games against No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 23 Louisville looming, a 10-loss season is all but assured. A road upset would show fans hope for the future, not to mention help with recruiting. But considering how awful Robinson’s first season has gone on the field, it’s hard to believe Syracuse could beat anyone at this point. It might just be better that the season ends quickly and quietly to work hard on recruiting.

Robinson can’t turn Joe Fields or Perry Patterson into high-level D-I quarterbacks. He can’t establish a running game when the offensive line doesn’t open holes. The pass defense is good, but it doesn’t help that teams can run at will. Syracuse won’t improve without better talent and the recruiting questions are building.

‘We are going to get players here who can get it done and fit into what we are doing,’ Robinson said. ‘I think there are a lot of remarkable people here who really feel for this program. I want so badly to get it done for them. I can’t do it as fast as I wanted to do it.

‘I think (recruits) believe in what we’re doing, they know where we are trying to go and a number of them are on board. I’d like to believe they see an opportunity for them to help us.’

Syracuse hosted a few of those recruits Saturday. They saw a great halftime presentation of Syracuse’s past. They’ve just yet to see any concrete proof that the future will be better.

Scott Bisang is a staff writer at The Daily Orange, where his columns appear occasionally. You can e-mail him at smbisang@syr.edu.

Published on November 12, 2005 at 12:00 pm