It hasn’t been easy for Andrew Robinson, getting use to this whole backup thing.

Sure, the Syracuse junior quarterback has played understudy before. Back in his freshman season, when Robinson watched from the sidelines as senior Perry Patterson spearheaded the Orange attack.

But that was different. Robinson was the heir apparent then. He knew his time to be the No. 1 at Syracuse would come.

This spell on the bench has been much more difficult to swallow. Robinson, Syracuse’s opening day quarterback, will watch fellow junior Cameron Dantley start for the third straight game when Northeastern visits the Carrier Dome Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

For Robinson, who’s spent the last three weeks trying to fix his mechanics and rediscover the accuracy he flashed parts of last season, it’s an assignment he’s still trying to get used to.

‘I haven’t been in a situation like this ever, I don’t think, playing football,’ Robinson said. ‘To realize that all your hard work has – not that it hasn’t paid off – but that you’re not where you want to be at this point in time is the best way to describe it.’

The bench, after all, was not where Robinson was supposed to be. He started 11 of 12 games last year for Syracuse (he missed one contest with a cracked rib), producing an efficient campaign despite the Orange’s 2-10 record.

Robinson came into this summer the unquestioned starter, but that spot became tenuous as camp wore on. Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson said Dantley simply outplayed SU’s incumbent passer.

Andrew Robinson’s scuffles culminated in an erratic performance (14-for-28 for 103 yards) on opening day against Northwestern. That outing included an interception – run back for a touchdown – that ended any lingering hopes of an SU upset.

The Monday after that game, Greg Robinson informed the junior, that Dantley would get the call against Northwestern.

‘The first two days I was a little disappointed, because it wasn’t something I completely expected,’ Andrew Robinson said. ‘It was a little bit shocking … I had to lean strongly on my parents and my family and just get more support from them.’

After the initial sting, Robinson set to fix his accuracy issues that had plagued him during the summer. Robinson said he feels he corrected a flaw in his delivery – he wasn’t using his lower body enough to create consistent and powerful throwing motion.

Robinson and Dantley – friends off the field – claim the decision hasn’t harmed their relationship. Nor, Dantley said, has it hampered Robinson’s practice habits.

‘Andrew’s always been a competitor, so there’s nothing different from him,’ Dantley said. ‘And he knows I’m a competitor as well. Even though we’ve been friends this whole time since he’s been here and I’ve been here, we’ve always competed against each other.’

There was some speculation Robinson would get his spot back this week. Dantley went 13-of-32 in Syracuse’s 55-13 defeat to No. 16 Penn State last week – a disappointing outing after a promising one against Akron. Robinson played the final series against the Nittany Lions, going 0-for-3.

Tuesday, Greg Robinson announced Dantley would be the starter again against the Huskies. Andrew Robinson said that’s a temporary arrangement.

‘I think I will,’ he said when asked if he’d get his job back before the end of the season. ‘I didn’t come here to be second string quarterback.

‘I’ve been trying to improve every single day with the reps I get, which, for a backup during a game week aren’t a ton. But for the reps I do get, I just try to be consistent.’

So far, so good. Greg Robinson said he sees more confidence in his opening day starter. ‘I know he’s prepared to be ready to go at any time,’ the head coach said.

But nobody will truly know whether Andrew Robinson’s summer funk has truly dissipated until the quarterback gets another chance to prove it on gameday.

‘When it comes down to it,’ Robinson said, ‘some of that is a little bit out of my hands.’

Such is the life of a backup.

jsclayto@syr.edu

Published on September 18, 2008 at 12:00 pm