Orange still crushed, but not completely

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- Two games into his third season at Syracuse, head coach Greg Robinson is still searching for answers as to what ails a program that's not showing telltale signs of improvement.

After opening the season with a 42-12 home loss to suddenly resurgent Washington, the Orange were routed 38-0 on Saturday night at Iowa. It was the worst loss in Robinson's tenure here and his team's third straight setback by 30 points or more (Rutgers beat Syracuse 38-7 in the 2006 season finale).

"I don't know if I have a low point. I don't look at it like that," Robinson said Sunday, somehow managing a smile. "I'm challenged. I'm being challenged right now. That's part of the deal. But this is a long haul."

And at this pace, it's going to be a very long season. After two weeks, Syracuse is the lone Big East team to lose to a non-league opponent. The conference is 14-2 overall, and the Orange are responsible for both losses.

Against the Hawkeyes (2-0), Syracuse managed just 103 yards offensively as sophomore quarterback Andrew Robinson had a subpar outing in his second college start. He completed 7-of-20 passes for just 79 yards and suffered his first career interception and six sacks. The Orange also had two field-goal attempts blocked.

The loss came on the heels of an awful performance against Washington. Syracuse, which hosts Illinois on Saturday, finished with 8 yards rushing on 29 carries while the Huskies amassed 302, averaging 7.4 yards per carry. Washington took command by gaining 380 yards and scoring touchdowns on five straight possessions against a team that seemed beaten early in the second half.

"I was more disappointed after Washington than I was after this game because I didn't feel the fight of our football team in the second half," Greg Robinson said. "On the road in a situation that was a tough environment and things had gone wrong, I never felt our football team discouraged in any way. They knew that they were beaten, but when you still feel fight in your football team to the very end, you're heading in the right direction."

The statistics after two games don't necessarily back up that optimism. Syracuse:

--Is averaging six points a game and allowing 38.5.

--Has just 18 first downs to its opponents' 45.

--Has a storied history of running backs, but currently has 32 yards rushing, averaging a half-yard per carry, while allowing 420 and an average of 5.1 yards per carry.

--Is averaging 155 yards per game offensively and allowing 426.

--Has not scored a rushing touchdown and has allowed seven.

--Has allowed 13 quarterback sacks and registered two.

--Is 8-for-30 on third down (27 percent efficiency) while allowing an eye-opening 67 percent conversion rate (20-for-30).

"Is the offense broken?" Greg Robinson asked. "It's not finished being built. It's a work in progress. Same thing on the other side of the ball. Right now, what I know is we're an 0-2 football team and the experience of playing at Iowa was good for our team. There's a lot we can grow from."

And there were some positives for Robinson to emphasize in the loss to the Hawkeyes at sold-out Kinnick Stadium. The defense produced its first three turnovers of the season (two interceptions and a fumble recovery), and punter Rob Long averaged 42.6 yards on his eight kicks, with two downed inside Iowa's 20-yard line.

"There's never been a year you don't have to address issues," Greg Robinson said, putting a good spin on a bad start to the season. "Even in a win, you come back knowing you have issues."