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Syracuse University
Rutgers
SU's TD In Closing Minutes Defeats Rutgers 24-17
10/6/2001 5:51:12 PM | Football
PISCATAWAY, NJ ? The Syracuse University football team defeated Rutgers, 24-17, before a crowd of 17,511 at Rutgers Stadium on Saturday, October 6.
The Orangemen took the final lead of the game with 1:18 left in the fourth quarter. On third down and goal, sophomore quarterback R.J. Anderson rolled right and threw a two-yard touchdown pass to senior tailback James Mungro to give SU the 23-17 lead. Freshman placekicker Justin Sujanksy added the extra point.
Syracuse has now won four straight games en route to a 4-2 record. With the win at Rutgers, the Orangemen are 1-0 in BIG EAST Conference play. Rutgers is 1-4 in 2001 and 0-3 in the BIG EAST.
SU is now 5-1 when Anderson starts at quarterback. Anderson finished the game with 10 rushes for 37 yards and a touchdown. He completed 7-of-17 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. The Orangemen have won 34 consecutive games when they attempt 20 or less passes.
Syracuse rushed for 354 yards, the highest rushing output for the Orange this season. Mungro led SU in rushing with 140 yards on 23 carries. Mungro has 2,304 career rushing yards, which ranks eighth in school history, 82 yards behind Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis. The Orangemen are 7-2 when James Mungro rushes for more than 100 yards and 4-1 when the senior tailback gets 20 or more touches in a game.
Syracuse opened the scoring on the game's first drive with a 26-yard Sujanksy field goal.
Rutgers got on the scoreboard when Billy Tulloch sacked Anderson in the endzone. On the ensuing drive Rutgers' Steven Barrone made a 37-yard field goal to give the Scarlets Knights a 5-3 lead.
SU went ahead before halftime on a one-yard Anderson touchdown run. Anderson rolled left, looking to pass, then, with the help of two blocks by fullback Kyle Johnson, the quarterback ran into the endzone. The Orange took an 11-5 lead when placeholder Jared Jones scored his first collegiate points by running for the two-point conversion. SU lined up in kicking formation. Jones took the snap and sprinted to his right to convert the two-point play.
In the third quarter, senior defensive end Dwight Freeney extended his games with a sack streak to 14 with a half-sack of Rutgers' Ryan Cubit. Freeney's streak of seven consecutive games with at least two sacks came to an end.
With 1:36 to go in the third quarter, Syracuse increased its lead to 17-5. Johnson scored his first touchdown of the season on a 13-yard run. Johnson rushed for a career-high 96 yards on six carries at Rutgers. SU failed to convert the point after.
Rutgers came back to tie the game at 17 in the fourth quarter. In a one-minute 14-second span Rutgers scored two touchdowns and failed to convert both point after attempts. Ravon Anderson scored on a 19-yard run. After SU mishandled the kickoff, Rutgers recovered and three plays later Cubit threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Delrico Fletcher.
Mike Shafer booted a career-long 68-yard punt to the Rutgers one-yard line. Shafer's punt ties Don Bullard (vs. Baylor, 1966) and Pat O'Neill (vs. Virginia Tech, 1993) for the sixth longest punt in school history.
On the drive following the Shafer punt, Rutgers amassed 34 yards on seven plays before punting the ball to SU. The Orange took over on its 38-yard line.
Syracuse used eight plays and three minutes and 15 seconds to drive 62 yards for the game-winning score. Rutgers drove the ball to the SU 36 and Cubit threw a pass to the endzone that was intercepted by SU's Keeon Walker as time expired.
Syracuse's next game is at Pittsburgh on Saturday, October 13. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
