PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano struggled crossing the field at halftime. Syracuse punter Brendan Carney watched helplessly as his punts rose into the air and hung suspended in the wind before suddenly torpedoing to the ground. Kick returner Steve Gregory tried desperately to track down second-half kickoffs. All parties agreed that they had never been part of a game where the wind had so much of an effect – so much so that it decided the game.

It seemed that the gusts of more than 30 mph favored the Scarlet Knights, as nearly every bounce went Rutgers’ way. The Orangemen never recovered from several wind-induced errors, as SU fell to the Scarlet Knights, 24-7, on Saturday at Rutgers Stadium.

Because of the wind, the Orangemen’s postseason chances were blown away. Syracuse will almost certainly not make a bowl for the third time in four years. At 5-6 overall and 2-5 in their conference, the Orangemen will finish in sixth place at best in the Big East for the second straight year.

‘I don’t know what the gusts were, but when I ran off at half I literally felt like I was running on a treadmill that was turned up at full speed,’ Schiano said. ‘I can only imagine trying to kick into that, throw into that.’

At first, things appeared to go Syracuse’s way. Because of the wind, SU head coach Paul Pasqualoni chose to defer on the opening kickoff and take the wind at the Orangemen’s backs. The strategy worked, as Syracuse blocked two first-quarter punts from Rutgers (5-7, 2-5), the first of which resulted in SU’s only score of the game.

Offensively, though, the Orangemen could not get going. Walter Reyes failed to establish a rushing presence. On a day in which passing was nearly impossible, quarterback R.J. Anderson struggled to find his rhythm. He constantly missed receivers, struggling to find the right touch with the wind.

‘You throw the ball (with the wind behind you) with just a little strength and it takes off on you,’ Anderson said. ‘You throw it the other way and it just dies.’

Despite the mistakes, SU still appeared ready to head into the locker room up 7-0. That is, until freshman Marcus Clayton muffed a punt, setting up Rutgers’ first score. RU punter Joe Radigan booted a 52-yarder with the wind at his back, sending Clayton spiraling back toward his own 45-yard line. Back-pedaling, he couldn’t grab the ball cleanly.

‘The wind pushed the ball to the left,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘Clayton couldn’t get totally in front of it.’

With the wind at the Orangemen’s backs to start the third quarter, it would figure to give SU an advantage. Instead, with Syracuse driving, Anderson fired an interception, which Rutgers returned to the Syracuse 3-yard line, setting up RU’s second score.

Just when it appeared the wind could turn no more tricks, it did. Kicking into the wind, Mike Cortese’s kickoff landed at the 33-yard line between Gregory and his first line of blockers, none of whom could get to the ball. The Scarlet Knights recovered and scored a touchdown on their ensuing possession for a 21-7 lead.

Then, it happened again. Cortese’s kick appeared strong before suddenly freezing in the air and plummeting down. Again, several Orangemen tried desperately to pounce on the ball without success. Even with Rutgers failing to convert, Syracuse couldn’t climb back into the game.

‘It really hurt when the team went three-and-out, and it was tough for me to punt the ball back out,’ Carney said. ‘And then the two kickoffs they had. How often does that happen?’

Though the wind caused many of Syracuse’s problems, the outcome still left the Orangemen in shock. It marked SU’s first loss to Rutgers since a 1999, 24-21, overtime loss. Prior to that, the Scarlet Knights hadn’t beaten Syracuse since 1986. Of all the losses this season, this loss may have been the toughest.

RU dominated the whole game, out-gaining the Orangemen, 292-198. Anderson threw for 162 yards, but 66 of them came on a last-second, desperation drive. His third-quarter interception arguably turned the momentum toward Rutgers.

The wind, combined with SU’s offensive impotency left SU’s defense with little room to work. The Scarlet Knights average starting field position was at the SU 37-yard line for the second half and their own 47-yard line for the game.

The loss also guaranteed a second-straight season of finishing .500 or below, leading many to question Pasqualoni’s job stability. After the game, Pasqualoni tried both dodging the subject and denying it was an issue, instead looking to next weekend’s season finale against Notre Dame.

Following the game, Anderson’s frustrations clearly showed. At one point during a post-game interview, he stopped mid sentence as a reporter’s cell phone rang and snapped, ‘Is somebody gonna turn that thing off?’

‘It was a rough day,’ Anderson said. ‘A sad moment in Syracuse history. We turn the ball over one time and they score 14 points. I’m gonna blame this one on myself.

‘No offense, but we just lost to Rutgers.’

Published on December 1, 2003 at 12:00 pm