2008 Syracuse Orange football team The 2008 Syracuse Orange football team represented Syracuse University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Orange were coached by Greg Robinson and played their home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse , New York . Before the season . The Orange lost its leading receiving from the 2007 season , Mike Williams . Williams was suspended from the team due to academic reasons . The most recent report says that Williams is not enrolled in classes for the fall semester . Williams led the team with 60 catches for 837 yards in 2007 . He finished the season on a school - record streak of nine games with a touchdown reception . That mark stands nine short of Larry Fitzgerald ' s record of 18 consecutive games . Syracuse ' s number two receiver , Taj Smith , declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft . Smith was not drafted , but did sign as a free agent with the Green Bay Packers . Smith recorded 44 catches for 822 yards in 2007 . Recruiting . Syracuse landed the nation ' s No . 50 recruiting class , which featured three 4 - star recruits and five 3 - star recruits . The class was headlined by Churchville , NY tailback Averin Collier , Syracuse , NY receiver Marcus Sales and New Berlin defensive end Romale Tucker . In addition , All State local talent Nick Robinson was recruited in 2011 . Nick was the NYS All Upstate Player of the Year and two - year All New York State lineman from Syracuse suburb , Baldwinsville . Game notes . Northwestern . Syracuse opened the 2008 football season with a 30 - 10 defeat at the hands of Northwestern . The Orange marched the ball 63 yards on its opening drive , settling for a 36 yard field goal . SU ' s defense kept Northwestern at bay until late in the second quarter , but the offense provided the Wildcats first points . Syracuse quarterback Andrew Robinson was called for intentional grounding in his own end zone , resulting in a safety . Northwestern closed out the first half with 16 - yard touchdown pass . The Orange took advantage of a Tyrell Sutton fumble to open the second half . The ensuing touchdown run from back Curtis Brinkley gave the Orange its second lead of the game 10 - 9 . Brinkley would finish with 49 yards on nine carries . He was joined by Delone Carter and Doug Hogue in the backfield . Neither broke 50 yards , though Carter ' s long rush of 32 yards was longer than any carry the Orange had in the 2007 season . Northwestern closed the game on a 21 - point run . One of those touchdowns came off an interception . From the opening drive on , the Orange had only one possession that went longer than 40 yards . The drive resulted in a missed field goal , as kicker Patrick Shadle hit the upright from 51 yards out . The season opening loss was the Orange ' s fifth straight . Akron . Syracuse lost its fourth straight home opener and second straight game to a MAC opponent with a 42 - 28 loss to Akron . The Zips set the pace early , taking the ball 65 yards down the field for a touchdown . Akron scored again in the first quarter . The 79 - yard drive was capped off with a 35 - yard run by Dennis Kennedy . The Orange found the endzone for the first time in the second quarter . Quarterback Cam Dantley connected with tight end Mike Owen for a 32 - yard touchdown pass , his first career TD reception . Akron and Syracuse would then exchange touchdowns on one - yard runs . The Orange ' s score came from Curtis Brinkley , who set a career - high with 143 yards . The Zips would score again on a one - yard carry heading into halftime . Syracuse tied the game in the fourth quarter , thanks to two touchdown passes from Dantley . One went for four - yards to Owen ; the other was a 15 - yard pass to redshirt freshman Nick Provo . Dantley finished 13 - of - 20 with 135 yards , 3 touchdowns and an interception . Akron put the game out of reach with back - to - back touchdowns . Penn State . Syracuse renewed its historic rivalry with Penn State with a 55 - 13 defeat . The teams last played in 1990 . Each of Penn State ' s three quarterbacks threw touchdown passes . Daryll Clark finished 10 of 21 for 163 yards and two touchdowns , Pat Devlin was 8 of 13 for 130 yards and two touchdowns , and Paul Cianciolo was 2 of 4 for 51 yards and a score . Receivers Jordan Norwood and Deon Butler both had over 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns apiece . The Nittany Lion defense held the Orange offense without a first down until early in the second quarter . Northeastern . Syracuse defeated Football Championship Subdivision Northeastern , 30 - 21 , behind a combined 245 yards and two touchdowns from tailbacks Doug Hogue and Curtis Brinkley . Quarterback Cam Dantley completing 14 of 17 passes for 167 yards and one TD in his third straight start for the Orange . Pittsburgh . Pittsburgh tailback LaRod Stephens - Howling scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter , Conor Lee kicked four field goals , and Pittsburgh scored 18 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to rally past Syracuse 34 - 24 . West Virginia . Playing without starting quarterback Pat White , West Virginia turned to tailback Noel Devine , who rushed for a career - high 188 yards and a touchdown , in a West Virginia 17 - 6 win . Although Syracuse outgained West Virginia 346 - 268 , and SU tailback Curtis Brinkley rushed for 144 yards , the Orange ( 1 - 5 , 0 - 2 ) didn ' t register a touchdown for the first time in the season . South Florida . South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe threw three touchdown passes and ran for another as South Florida crushed Syracuse , 45 - 13 . Grothe finished with 72 yards on the ground and went finished 19 - for - 26 in the air for 248 yards . Louisville . Syracuse tailback Curtis Brinkley set a Syracuse single - season record Saturday night with his fifth consecutive 100 - yard game as Syracuse upset Louisville for the second year in a row , 28 - 21 . The win was just head coach Greg Robinson ' s third Big East Conference win . After the game , Robinson had accumulated a 3 - 22 overall in four seasons against the Big East . Rutgers . Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel threw three touchdown passes and Rutgers overcame a 14 - point deficit to beat Syracuse 35 - 17 . The loss made the Orange ineligible to compete in a bowl game for the fourth straight year under coach Robinson . Connecticut . Connecticut tailback Donald Brown rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown , Jasper Howard scored on a 69 - yard punt return and Robert McClain delivered a 37 - yard interception return for a score as Connecticut defeated Syracuse 39 - 14 . Connecticut broke the game open after struggling to hold on to a 22 - 14 second half lead . Notre Dame . A week after Syracuse announced that it was firing its head coach at the conclusion of the season , Syracuse delivered the biggest win under the Robinson era , stunning the Irish in South Bend , 24 - 23 . QB Cameron Dantley ' s 11 - yard touchdown pass to Donte Davis with 42 seconds left proved to be the game winner , as the Irish lost to an eight - loss team in its school ' s storied history . The victory allowed Syracuse ( 3 - 8 ) to avoid a third 10 - loss season in four years under Robinson . Cincinnati . The Greg Robinson era mercifully came to an end against the Bearcats as the Orange was dominated by the Bearcats . Cincinnati QB Tony Pike threw for 274 yards on 28 - of - 44 passes while kicker Jake Rogers connected from 45 , 38 and 45 yards . Syracuse went 10 - 47 in coach Greg Robinson ’ s four seasons , including 3 - 25 in the Big East . Statistics . Offense . Note : These lists are not complete . Only the leaders are included . Receiving . Note : This is not a complete list . Defensive Leaders . Note : This list includes only defensive leaders . Click for a complete list .