The Rutgers football team just finished wrapping up its bye week and has turned its attention to this Saturday's game at Illinois at 12:00 p.m. EST.
The Scarlet Knights are 3-4 (0-4 Big Ten) and are in the midst of a four-game losing streak, but there at still five games to go. With a season at a crossroads, it's make or break time.
Defeat Illinois and a chance at a bowl game is within reach. Lose, and the promising start to the season continues to go down hill.
"I'll close by saying we have the pen in our hand. We get to write this story," head coach Greg Schiano said on Monday during his weekly press conference. "It's up to us to do it. I'd ask that our fans stick with us. It's coming. I know it can get frustrating, no one more than us.
"But I understand when you follow a team, you don't really have control so all you get to do is see what they do on game day and we obviously have more control because we're doing it every day, but the arrow on this program is up and we just keep moving. But we need our fans to stick with us and I guarantee our players will continue to work hard and our coaches will. It'll turn."
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Despite tough games the last couple of weeks, including a dud on the road against Northwestern last time out, the Scarlet Knights aren't losing faith. They still see a great opportunity in front of them.
"As I talked to the players and I think it's important that everybody we all understand it, is we're now going into our eighth week, and we still have the chance to write the story for the 2021 season however we see fit. We have five ballgames left, starting with this one this week, and it's in our hands. We can have a very successful season or we cannot, and it's all up to us. So if anybody wants to talk about anything going on other places, it doesn't matter. It's up to us, it's what happens in this room out on those practice fields, and we have to make it happen. And that excites me.
"We're heading into November and we still have an opportunity to do something special. And it's been a while for that around here and that excites me. Now what we do with it's going to make the difference, that's the key."
Rutgers has dealt with its share of injuries this year to guys like Bo Melton, Aron Cruickshank, Avery Young, Patrice Rene, Max Melton, and more, but Schiano says the team is getting healthier and only Reggie Sutton is out for the rest of the season as of now. The status of a few of those aforementioned players are still up in the air.
Playing at near full strength will be key going forward in the Big Ten grind.
"In some ways, I think we're trending in the right direction. But some of the things that we've had are a little longer term stuff. But we'll get some guys back as well so it's going to be a little this a little that," Schiano said. "Other than Reggie Sutton. right now he's the only guy for the whole season. Now that could change if a guy's condition doesn't improve the way we anticipate. What I ask our medical staff to do for me all the time is give me a best case and a worst case. And this way, at least I know where we're dealing somewhere in between. Right now, none of the worst cases are the whole season except Reggie."
Illinois is 3-5 and 2-3 within the league. The Fighting Illini are coming off of a nine-overtime victory over a ranked Penn State team. Illinois ran for a whopping 357 yards and came back to win 20-18 after trailing 10-0 in the second quarter.
"I tell you what, Bret Bielema's doing a great job. He's a good friend, he's an excellent football coach, obviously he's won Big Ten Championships. My thought when he got hired, it was a great decision," Schiano said. "He's a very very good head football coach, and he'll do a great job there he is doing a great job. They're putting their team together, putting their program together. I see a team defensively that's really tough. They do things that are a little bit different, which I think talented players, big, strong, and then they do some different things that give you kind of miss reads if you will.
"Offensively they were in a format and then last week they did some things that were a little different, seven o-lineman package and really ran the ball really, really effectively. So there's certainly things we have to get ready for. They present some issues. In the kicking game they're very, very good. So, it's a big challenge going on the road again in the Big Ten. We certainly know what we're up against and we need to be concerned with us. We went to Northwestern and they beat us but we didn't play well, and we have to make sure we at least go play our best and then if that's good enough great and if it's not, we'll figure out another way. But when you don't, and you did what we did, you got to get it going."
During the win, former Rutgers quarterback and New Jersey native Artur Sitkowski was knocked out for the year in the sixth overtime. Bielema revealed that the signal caller suffered a broken arm. Sitkowski immediately grabbed his wrist/forearm area after he fell and put all his weight on it while being tackled.
Brandon Peters, who came in and threw a game-winning 2-point conversion pass, will make the start against the Scarlet Knights.
“Art, unfortunately, did break his arm," Bielema said. "He will actually have surgery on Wednesday, so he’ll be done for the year."
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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