This week the weather has challenged football teams on the East Coast almost more than their upcoming opponents.

After Hurricane-turned Superstorm Sandy swept up the coast, some Big East teams were forced to adapt, with safety taking precedence over game preparation.

“I think it’s in the best interests of everyone in the program to make sure they’re safe first,” Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood said in Monday’s Big East teleconference.

For schools in the Northeast such as Rutgers, Connecticut and Temple, their campuses are positioned in the storm’s track. Sandy forced widespread evacuation measures, the closure of New York’s subway system and the shutdown of schools and universities across the region.

Football programs are not immune, and Big East teams are taking precautions to ensure that players and coaches are prepared for the damage. If practice or film study time is lost, it’s a sacrifice that must be made.

Situated in Northeastern New Jersey, Rutgers needed to prepare for the storm quickly. The school decided to deflate the team’s practice bubble by midmorning Monday, and Flood said he wasn’t sure if it would be back up and running by Tuesday.

Rutgers canceled classes on Monday and Tuesday, and Flood said he planned to have players come in to study film on Tuesday — but not practice.

Flood lives near Piscataway in Middlesex, N.J., and knows from personal experience the damage that a freak storm can cause.

“The Middlesex area has been hit pretty hard in recent years,” Flood said. “I see it driving in now. I remember the last time we had a hurricane.”

Rutgers is fortunate that the team enjoys a bye this coming week before preparing to face Army next Saturday. Without a game to plan for, the Scarlet Knights can go through a standard bye week routine before beginning preparations for Army on Sunday.

Temple isn’t as fortunate. Coming off a 47-17 loss to Pittsburgh last Saturday, the Owls are faced with a quick turnaround before traveling to Louisville for a Saturday matchup.

Located in Philadelphia, Temple buckled down for the brunt of the storm, canceling classes Monday and Tuesday as well.

Owls coach Steve Addazio knew he had to do something to accommodate potential scheduling changes. He had the team meet on Sunday, a rarity for Addazio, for film study and analysis.

“The kids aren’t here today,” Addazio said in the teleconference. “Nobody should be out and about in this weather. I’m glad we did what we did.”

Addazio said he has never faced a situation that prohibited the team from practicing on a Tuesday, and the superstorm forced this dilemma.

“There’s a legitimate possibility we won’t get our practice in,” Addazio said. “We’ll deal with it and find positives in whatever the situation is.”

Addazio recalls a time in 1998 when he coached offensive linemen and tight ends at Syracuse and a similar storm came through. Falling trees forced road closures, creating a major disruption on campus. But the team got its practice in, Addazio said.

Addazio feels that Wednesday may be later than desired for a team to start physical, full-contact preparation for the week. But Superstorm Sandy presented a unique situation, and the second-year Temple coach refuses to seek out excuses.

“Who knows?” Addazio said. “I’m done worrying about it. Whatever we get done, we’ll get done.”

Connecticut also braced for the storm, with the university completely shut down Monday along with team facilities. Huskies coach Paul Pasqualoni said he wanted to simply take things as they come.

“Obviously the weather here is pretty bad,” Pasqualoni said. “We’ve just got to hang in there and hope that this comes through and lets up. Hopefully by Tuesday afternoon, we can get things going again.”

Pitt braces for big test

Pittsburgh has experienced an up-and-down season in rookie head coach Paul Chryst’s inaugural campaign, mixing highlights such as last Saturday’s 47-17 win over Temple with lowlights like a season-opening loss to Football Championship Subdivision foe Youngstown State.

This weekend, the Panthers get a chance to put a major stamp on their season when they travel to South Bend to face No. 4 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are coming off a 30-13 win last Saturday over then-No. 8 Oklahoma and are poised to make a run at the national championship under third-year head coach Brian Kelly.

Chryst and his Panthers team can expect a raucous environment at Notre Dame where students and fans will be riled up for its 8-0 team’s chances at sustaining its undefeated campaign. Despite the challenges, Chryst doesn’t feel that he has anything to worry about in making sure his team will be ready to play.

“It’s a heck of an opportunity,” Chryst said. “It’s going to be a big challenge; we better have a great week of preparation. I think our players will be excited.”

Temple charged with quick turnaround

Aside from weather-related concerns, Temple is faced with the challenge of traveling to undefeated Louisville on Saturday and making a game out of it. After opening conference play 2-0 in its return to the Big East, Temple has dropped its last two conference games to Rutgers and Pittsburgh by a total of 55 points. In its last six quarters, Temple has been outscored 82-17.

Addazio knew coming into the season that his team would find a challenge in sustaining a high level of play for the entire conference campaign. After losing by 30 at Pittsburgh, the Owls shouldn’t find any easier of a time in Louisville, where the No. 12 Cardinals are looking to continue their rise up the rankings.

Still, Addazio finds value in the opportunity.

“We have to beef up, refocus and keep going,” Addazio said. “We’ll take these situations and grow from them. It’s nothing I didn’t expect; it’s all part of the process.”

Published on October 30, 2012 at 11:37 pm

Contact Kevin: kmprisei@syr.edu