Given an opportunity, Syracuse coach Greg Robinson didn’t retract or restate his statement about calling a Rutgers a “one-year wonder” a year ago.
“That whole thing was really an unfortunate situation because I don’t think that it was…I think that it was somewhat construed…but those things happen,” Robinson said Monday on a Big East Conference call.
He added: “They’re going to be motivated to play us one way or the other.”
Syracuse (2-6, 1-3 Big East) visits Rutgers (3-5, 2-2) on Saturday at noon (ESPNU).
A year ago, before the Scarlet Knights beat the Orange, 38-14, at the Carrier Dome, Robinson was speaking to play-by-play announcer Dave Sims in the Big East Game of the Week production meeting about recruiting in New Jersey when he made a statement he apparently thought was off the record.
“Paul [Pasqualoni] was here 14 years. We got five in one year, that’d be 70 if we were here that long….We’ll recruit their tails off. They’re [Rutgers] a 1-year wonder. Do I like them? No. This recruiting thing? You wait and see…”
Part of the bad blood dates to the fact that Ray Rice initially committed to Syracuse and then chose Rutgers after Pasqualoni was fired in 2005.
Asked his thoughts on Robinson’s comments, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said they were taken “out of context.”
