No Vedral, no problem as Sitkowski, Langan lead Rutgers to win over Purdue
Quarterbacks Artur Sitkowski and Johnny Langan led Rutgers to a 37-30 win on Saturday on the road against Purdue.
Noah Vedral, who started the first five games of the season, missed the game due to an injury suffered in last week’s three-overtime loss to Michigan. He made the trip and tried to go all the way up to kickoff.
But Sitkowski earned the start and guided Rutgers to touchdowns on its first two possessions, throwing two 14-yard scores to wide receiver Shameen Jones. It was Sitkowski’s first start since last September.
“I thought Art stepped in and ran the offense very well, was very confident, and gave everybody a calming effect,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said.
Sitkowski finished 18-of-27 for 141 yards and two touchdowns, though he was almost intercepted a handful of times.
“I was just so happy to be out there with my teammates to be really honest, because it's been a long time since I've played. It was awesome,” Sitkowski said. “I thought I did OK. I started strong. Missed some reads and have to keep chopping.
“...Me and Shameen have worked real hard this offseason, and hats off to him for making two great catches. The O-line protected and I went through my progressions.”
Trailing by 10 points at halftime, Rutgers went with Langan more after the break and it paid off as he used his downhill running style to move the chains. Langan completed all four of his passes including one for a 62-yard touchdown on a short throw to Kay’Ron Adams.
Langan ran for a team-high 95 yards on 21 carries and got key yards on the ground down the stretch.
“They both did a good job,” Schiano said of Langan and Sitkowski. “Johnny's role was going to be expanded just because of the situation. We really didn't know if it was going to be a three quarterback deal or two quarterbacks. But as the game played out, Johnny became a great option for four minute offense. He did an unbelievable job with time of possession in the second half. How he competes and how hard he runs, I'm really happy for him.
“That's a Jersey kid, tough guy and wanted to be here.”
Rutgers outscored Purdue in the second half, 24-7, and outgained the Boilermakers in the final two quarters, 228-122.
The Scarlet Knights held the ball for 21:57 in the second half and mustered 14 first downs, including eight on rushes. They were also 5-of-8 on third downs and tallied 41 plays.
“I'm just so thrilled about this win,” Langan said. “We played really tough and we played our brand of football.”
Rutgers went on an 18-play, 70-yard drive that was capped by an Aaron Young 1-yard touchdown that took 9:38 of game clock. It then proceeded on another 10-play drive to close out the game.
“When you have long drives, I think one drive was 18 plays, they're gonna get tired,” Langan said. “We just kept pounding the rock.”
Langan converted a critical fourth-and-1 from the Purdue 45-yard line and got great push for six yards.
“Situations like that are what just makes football so great” Langan said. “It's our men vs. their men. Right before the snap I looked them in the eyes and I said 'here comes Rutgers football'. It's a great feeling.”
Rutgers has three capable quarterbacks, and Schiano and offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson, whose wife had a baby late Friday night, are comfortable playing any of them, but Vedral will start next week against Penn State if he’s healthy.
“I'm hoping that Noah can return,” Schiano said. “I don't know what the timeframe is going to be. But I feel very confident that we have multiple quarterbacks that can do different things. There's some overlap with all of them. Sean and I and the rest of the offensive staff will just go through it but I think Noah, I mean, he played extremely well against Michigan, really, really well, so, if he can go, he'll certainly be back back behind center.”
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisWasky.