The words slipped off the tongue of former Syracuse football quarterback R.J. Anderson with disgust. The phrase he uttered came off colder than the brisk conditions that surrounded Anderson and his SU teammates in their 24-7 loss to Rutgers late last November.

‘A sad moment in Syracuse history,’ Anderson said after the loss. ‘No offense, but we just lost to Rutgers.’

A few years ago, Anderson had every right to throw such a low blow in the direction of the Scarlet Knights. As recently as 2002, Rutgers finished 1-11 and didn’t win a Big East game.

But since the start of last season, Rutgers has won seven games. SU has won eight. Get the picture?

Things are changing in New Brunswick, N.J., and just about everyone except Anderson has seemed to notice. The much-improved Scarlet Knights will be on display when they play Syracuse in the Carrier Dome this Saturday at noon in the Big East opener for both teams.

Starting with the hiring of new head coach Greg Schiano in 2001, a new sense of confidence has swept over the Scarlet Knights. Improved recruiting has equaled more wins. And possibly the biggest win of all was that victory over the Orange in Rutgers’ last game of the season.

‘Once Schiano got there, people began to take it more seriously,’ said Jason Greene, an SU offensive lineman and New Jersey native. ‘They’ve upgraded everything. High school football means a lot in Jersey. If they can continue to recruit like that in-state, the sky’s the limit.’

Rutgers (2-1) may have finished just 5-7 last season, but that was its best mark since a 5-6 record in 1998. The Scarlet Knights haven’t had a winning record since going 7-4 in 1992.

But Schiano, now in his fourth year on the job, is finally starting to see rewards for his recruiting efforts. He’s finally capitalized on New Jersey talent, something Rutgers head coaches have failed to do for years. This has also cut into SU’s recruiting base, as New Jersey is one of the Orange’s primary targets.

‘Everyone always said they’d be good if they could get players from Jersey,’ SU linebacker Troy Swittenburg said.

And, perhaps more importantly, Schiano has dug deep in Florida. A former Miami assistant himself, Schiano took his knowledge of the area and has somehow convinced top Florida prospects to leave behind schools like Miami, Florida and Florida State. Twenty-six Rutgers players, including star senior wide-out Tres Moses, hail from Florida.

Coming into this season, many believed Rutgers could surprise and make a bowl appearance. After its surprising 19-14 season-opening win over Michigan State, it looked like the Knights may indeed be headed for the postseason. But a shocking 35-24 loss to Division I-AA New Hampshire quickly changed that positive outlook.

Still, SU players have vowed not to overlook the Scarlet Knights. A few players hinted that may have been the case last season. The Orange (2-2) entered the game at 5-5, and a win likely would have meant a bowl game.

With the much-awaited Notre Dame game next on its schedule, Syracuse players may have looked past Rutgers in favor of the prestigious Fighting Irish. It would have been easy to do so considering, before last season, Rutgers had beaten SU just four times since 1980.

Maybe last year’s loss has taught SU players a lesson. With the exception of Anderson, they learned facing Rutgers now is much different than it once was.

‘It’s most definitely been on my mind,’ center Matt Tarullo said. ‘They hurt us real bad last year. They took away what we’ve been wanting. We forgive but don’t forget.’

Published on October 1, 2004 at 12:00 pm