#TBT: Orange Run Past Rutgers

Thirty years ago, the Syracuse football team made history, finishing the regular season with an 11-0 record and earning an invitation to the Sugar Bowl where it tied Auburn. This fall, Cuse.com will celebrate the 30th anniversary of that historic team each week with a recap of each contest from the 1987 campaign.

In its second game, Syracuse went on the road for the first time that year and faced Rutgers. The date was Sept. 12 and the game was played at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Behind 423 yards of total offense, the Orange rolled to a 20-3 victory at Rutgers to improve to 2-0. Syracuse ran for 292 yards against the Scarlet Knights and held the ball for more than two-thirds of the contest.

The Orange defense yielded only 161 total yards, holding Rutgers' Henry Henderson, who came into the game as the nation's second-leading rusher, to just 27 yards on the ground.

"With Rutgers getting over 300 yards on the ground last week, the challenge was there for us," head Dick MacPherson said after the game. "We responded very well."

Quarterback Don McPherson completed 14-of-21 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown. McPherson hit on his first eight passes and broke the Orange records for career attempts and completions.

Fullback Daryl Johnston ran for 73 yards, Robert Drummond added 72 yards and running back Michael Owens tallied 71 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown run, to pace a balanced rushing attack. Kicker Tim Vesling added a pair of field goals.

"Syracuse has a very fine football team and played a fine football game," Rutgers head coach Dick Anderson said. "They didn't make mistakes, didn't turn the ball over, and dominated the clock."

Score By Quarter	1	2	3	4	F
Syracuse	7	3	3	7	20
Rutgers	0	0	3	0	3

Scoring Summary
Team	Play	Score
SU	Kane 20-yard pass from McPherson (Vesling kick)	7-0
SU	Vesling 24-yard field goal	10-0
SU	Vesling 45-yard field goal	13-0
RU	Sclafani 36-yard field goal	13-3
SU	Owens 22-yard run (Vesling kick)	20-3

Team Stats	SU	RU
First Downs	25	8
Rushing Yardage	292	62
Passing Yardage	131	99
Total Offense	423	161
Passes	14/21	15/31
Passes Intercepted By	1	0
Punts/Avg.	5/30.2	7/39.6
Kickoff Returns	2/43	5/92
Fumbles/Lost	0/0	3/1
Penalties/Yards	8/60	4/30

RUSHING: Syracuse – Johnston 14-73, Drummond 13-72, Owens 9-71. Rutgers – Cobb 1-37, Henderson 7-27.

PASSING: Syracuse – McPherson 14-21-0-131. Rutgers – Erney 15-31-1-99.

RECEIVING: Syracuse – Kane 3-35, Glover 3-29, Drummond 3-28. Rutgers – Botti 3-15, Stephens 3-4.

Syracuse hosts Middle Tennessee this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. Tickets start at $25 and are available online (Cuse.com/tickets), by phone (888-DOME-TIX) and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B).

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Syracuse University Athletics

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