SYRACUSE - Greg Robinson has the first win of his head coaching career, and he's pleased with the progress his Syracuse Orange appear to be making.

The Syracuse (1-1) offense showed marked improvement in a 31-0 win over Buffalo on Saturday.

After gaining only 103 yards in total offense in their season-opening 15-7 loss to West Virginia, the Orange had 338 yards rushing and 487 yards overall against an opponent that lost its 16th straight road game and suffered its third straight shutout.

Senior tailback Damien Rhodes made the biggest impact, rushing for 236 yards and four touchdowns behind an offensive line that excelled despite starting tackle Kurt Falke's knee injury early in the game.

"Damien would be first to tell you there were a couple of holes I could have run through," Robinson said Monday.

Robinson also was happy to see the Orange notch their first shutout since 1997, because he's also the defensive coordinator. The unit has not allowed a touchdown this season.

"I liked what I saw, but they still have a lot of work ahead of them," he said.

Such as containing the quarterback. West Virginia's Adam Bednarik, in his first career start, gained 28 yards on one play, and Stewart Sampsel, a first-year starter at Buffalo, got outside Syracuse defensive end James Wyche for a 25-yard run on Saturday.

Wyche (10 tackles and one sack) and his counterpart at the other end, Ryan LaCasse (12 tackles and three sacks), thrive on using their speed to create pressure.

It's something they'll have to keep in check when the Orange host No. 25 Virginia (1-0) this week.

Cavaliers quarterback Marques Hagans burned them last year, getting outside the rush and running 59 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter to shift the momentum in a game Virginia won 31-10.

"Yeah, it's an issue, no doubt about it," Robinson said of keeping Hagans in the pocket. "There's a fine line there. You want your guys to be aggressive, you don't want to water them down so much. At the same time, this guy can hurt you."

Syracuse sputtered offensively against West Virginia in part because of 11 penalties that placed them in long yardage (10 yards or more) seven times on third down.

Junior quarterback Perry Patterson, still trying to get comfortable running the Orange's West Coast offense, threw two interceptions in that game and failed to convert any of the 15 third-down situations he faced.

Against Buffalo, Syracuse had seven penalties and converted five of 16 third downs. Patterson faced only four third downs of 10 yards or more over the first three quarters, while the starters were still in the game.

Patterson, who is 25-for-51 (49 percent) with no touchdown passes in two games, had a fast start. He ran for 11 yards on a third-and-7 play on the Orange's first possession, and that gave him a boost.

"That third-down run was the first time I ran the ball, and it gave me my confidence back," said Patterson, who lost 33 yards rushing in the opener. "I said to myself, 'OK, now I'm in the game again."'

Notes: Rhodes was named Big East offensive player of the week for his performance against Buffalo. ... Robinson said Falke's status for Virginia was day-to-day and reported no other injuries. ... Virginia was off last weekend after opening with a 31-19 win over Western Michigan.