Syracuse head football coach Greg Robinson needed a stimulant, anything to jump-start an offense that managed just 14 points in the previous five quarters, and he knew who to turn to.

With 13:05 remaining in the second quarter of Friday’s 26-7 loss to Connecticut, Robinson inserted sophomore quarterback Joe Fields into the game. The switch proved how poorly the offense played until that point, negating what may have been a redshirt season for Fields.

‘Joe’s a talented kid,’ Robinson said. ‘We’ll continue to use him. We need to find as much spark as we can. For a period of time, he gave us a spark. That was the intent.’

On Fields’ first play, he ran a bootleg left for 22 yards la UConn quarterback D.J. Hernandez. After an SU timeout, Fields ran the same play to the right for nine more. Fields’ athleticism took advantage of an off-balance Husky defense.

Until that point, SU starting quarterback Perry Patterson had scrambled only once for 11 yards. Though he was not pressured in the pocket as much as he was against Florida State, Patterson struggled to find open receivers. He was 3-for-7 in the first quarter for 29 yards.

Patterson did not speak to the media after Friday’s game.

Fields said Robinson approached him Thursday during the team’s final walkthrough about playing. At first, Fields was apprehensive but he wanted to help the team.

‘I was kinda on the fence,’ Fields said. ‘It’s hard to say no when somebody tells you they feel like you can help the team. Ultimately this is a team game; you can’t let that get in the way.’

Fields passed only three times against Connecticut, including an interception in the third quarter.

Last season, he earned the starting position as a freshman but struggled in SU’s first two games, losing the starting job to Patterson. Fields was used sparingly in the team’s ensuing games, mostly to run the option.

Robinson re-opened the competition last spring but named Patterson the starter a week before SU’s 2005 opener against West Virginia.

‘(Robinson) made it very clear, it’s Perry’s job,’ Fields said. ‘He just felt I brought some things to the table to help the team.’

In Robinson’s weekly press conference on Sunday, he affirmed that Fields will continue to get playing time though Patterson is still the starter.

‘We will utilize Joe in every way we can,’ Robinson said. ‘I mentioned to you Friday night that we are in need of all of the physical skills, talents that we have. Joe has those skills as well as the desire to be a real good player. He is going to help us.’

Published on October 9, 2005 at 12:00 pm