After a blowout loss to West Virginia, Greg Robinson held an animated and heated postgame press conference. One week later, following a crushing loss to Rutgers, the Syracuse head coach seemed dejected, despondent and downright depressed in the postgame – except when responding to one question.

It was about his quarterback, and the thrashings Andrew Robinson has taken from defenders week in and week out due to atrocious pass protection.

The topic didn’t just reignite the fire – it turned the head coach’s stomach.

‘I tell him he is one tough son of a gun,’ Greg Robinson said. ‘I tell him that I am sick of watching him get hit like that. I’m sick of it. It’s not fair. He’s too darn tough, hanging in there and doing what he’s supposed to do. We have to find ways to protect him better than what we are doing.’

Each time Robinson smacked the ground in the 38-14 home loss to Rutgers Saturday, it was a testament to all the problems plaguing the Syracuse offense. But the fact Robinson always picked himself right back up indicated the quarterback might be the toughest player on the team.

Watching Syracuse this season can be painful. But nothing has been more cringe-inducing than watching the ferocious shots Robinson has endured all season. His persistence has shown at least the team has a leader at quarterback.

Andrew Robinson has been brutalized by defenses during his first year as the SU starter. Opponents average four sacks a game against the Orange. In the Rutgers loss, Robinson went down five times, alongside numerous knockdowns after passes.

This is a sophomore, who never played football until high school because his parents worried about his safety. Now the first-year starter has been repeatedly abused on his grandest stage.

He’s come up fine each time, and he seems to ignore the lines woes after the game. It might be beneficial to hear Robinson impart some blame, but so far, that’s not his style.

‘I get all the glory when there’s glory to be had,’ Robinson said. ‘They bust their butts every single game trying to protect me, and I appreciate every single thing that they do.’

One thud might’ve caused the entire Carrier Dome crowd to flinch Saturday. Near the end of the first half, Rutgers safety Joe Lefeged crashed into Robinson’s blindside and drove the quarterback hard into the ground. During his Sunday press conference, Greg Robinson deemed the tackle an illegal and ‘vicious blow to the head.’ Referees called it a legal play.

Andrew Robinson lingered on the ground for a couple of seconds before standing up. Once on his feet, his reaction showed a quarterback more frustrated by the fumble he had given up on the hit than shaken up by the smackdown he had just suffered.

Running back Curtis Brinkley looked astounded by Robinson’s resilience.

‘Andrew Robinson is tough,’ Brinkley said. ‘One of the toughest people I’ve ever played with, and I’ve been playing football for the longest – I played against the best and with the best, and Andrew Robinson is tough. Man, he’s tough. There ain’t no other words for it.’

Robinson’s teammates, especially those in charge of protecting him, reverberated Brinkley’s words. Guard Carroll Madison said each hit makes him ‘sick to his stomach,’ echoing Greg Robinson from earlier in the day. Freshman offensive tackle Jonathan Meldrum said he has the same thought (‘I hope to God he’s all right’) go through his head each time Andrew gets walloped.

The linemen insist they can save Robinson from more poundings. It won’t help that Syracuse’s best offensive lineman, Ryan Durand, left this weekend’s game with what might be a significant ankle injury. Pass protection broke down further after Durand left the field.

Robinson also has caused his own headaches during performances. While scrambling, he has a penchant for challenging defenders head-on rather than sliding or stepping out-of-bounds. Greg Robinson added that his quarterback has a tendency to hold on to the ball too long and take a sack when Robinson could simply throw the ball away.

Then again, the pressure also has forced Robinson to hurry passes and throw off his back foot. Since his brilliant 423-yard performance in the upset over Louisville, Robinson has struggled looking no more than average in three straight performances.

But through six games, Robinson has proven himself as a leader. And although it would help to have a formidable offensive line, it’s difficult not to have the feeling Robinson will keep doing what he’s been doing all season – and persevere. That is, unless he can’t get up from one of those hits.

‘I have to keep my mind on the things I can control,’ Andrew Robinson said. ‘I have to keep my mind on the pass reads, the run checks and things like that. I’m not really too worried about it. If I let the hits get to me then that makes me a worse player.’

Published on October 14, 2007 at 12:00 pm