Syracuse miscues prove to be costly
Penalty, fumble aid visitors’ offense vs. stout Orange ‘D’
Rutgers took advantage of two Syracuse secondhalf miscues and downed the Orange 17-7 Saturday.
An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Syracuse (1-1) coach Dino Babers gave Rutgers (2-0) a first down on the Syracuse 11 and Kyle Monangai ran it in on the next play to give the Scarlet Knights a 7-0 lead with 6:46 to go in the third quarter.
A fumble by Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito was recovered on the Orange 10 and a 27-yard field goal by Rutgers’ Valentino Ambrosio made it 17-7 with 8:23 remaining in the game.
Rutgers’ 2-0 start is the team’s first since 2014.
Noah Vedral was 22 of 28 for Rutgers for 145 yards and a 30-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jovani Haskins. He was sacked four times by a Syracuse defense that held the Scarlet Knights to just 198 yards.
The Scarlet Knights sacked DeVito five times and Garrett Shrader once. DeVito was 15 of 25 for 149 yards.
Following a scoreless first half, both teams traded punches in the third quarter. After Monangai’s score, it took the Orange just 52 seconds to tie on a 24-yard burst up the middle by Sean Tucker. The Scarlet Knights returned the favor when Vedral found Haskins wide open in the middle of the field for a 30-yard score.
Syracuse held Rutgers, which scored 61 points in its season opener against Temple, to just 49 yards in the first half and sacked Vedral three times.
Up next
Rutgers hosts Delaware next Saturday.
Syracuse hosts the University at Albany next Saturday.