The offense -- specifically the running game -- found life in the Rutgers football team’s 20-14 win over Illinois last Saturday.
Rutgers ran for 230 yards as a team, outpacing Illinois (107), which rushed for 357 the previous week against then-No. 7 Penn State. The Scarlet Knights are 29-2 under head coach Greg Schiano when rushing for at least 200 yards.
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Isaih Pacheco carried the ball 21 times for a team-high 91 yards -- his second-best output of the season. Kyle Monangai, who scored the game’s first points with a touchdown in the first quarter, also had 77 yards on 15 carries. Quarterback Noah Vedral sealed the game with a late fourth quarter run, and he scored the go-ahead rushing touchdown early in the frame. He finished with 56 yards on the ground.
A big reason for the uptick in production all around was getting left tackle Raiqwon O’Neal back in the lineup. O’Neal got hurt against Ohio State on Oct. 2 and had missed the last two games before Illinois.
“It was good to have Raiqwon back. I don't think a left tackle calms the group down, I just think we played a little bit better,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said on Monday during his weekly press conference. “We strained a little bit more and a little bit longer. It's such a fine line. What people don't understand is running backs don't need holes that are big. As long as there's daylight you can come flying through it and an arm tackle or a shoulder bump isn't going to stop you. No you may not go 60 yards because it's going to slow you down a little bit, but you're going to go four and those are all good. They turn into 14- and 15-yard gains and they turn into 40s and 50s. If you are in a position to be able to continue to run the ball in a tight ball game - if you get behind and that becomes much harder -- so that's all part of it.”
Ireland Brown started again as left guard. The 6-foot-3, 300-pounder shifted over from defensive tackle this season and has made an impact. The Boston College transfer made his debut on the O-line against Delaware, started his first game there last week against Northwestern, and got the start again this past Saturday against Illinois. The New York native played a season-best 59 snaps versus the Illini.
“He's really progressed a lot. It's a good question. I thought Saturday was the first time he looked like he belonged,” Schiano told TKR. “There wasn't a newness look to it. He kind of just played the game like all the rest of the guys and that's a big step when you can do that. I've talked to him saying now it looks like you belong and now it's time to go. He's really talented. He's explosive, he's strong, he's athletic. This is a guy that could really take off. I expect him fully to and it's just sometimes a matter of timing.”
Pacheco currently owns 2,215 career rushing yards which is 11th in program history. Robert Martin is 10th with 2,256. Pacheco needs 41 yards this week against Wisconsin to crack the top 10. The Vineland native is averaging 52.5 yards per game this season, but the Badgers are the No. 1-ranked defense in the country, especially against the run. Wisconsin allows 49.6 rushing yards per game including only 5.3 in away games.
“I think Isaih has improved a lot from last season,” Schiano said. “I think he improved a lot when we got here that first season. And I do believe that his game has progressed in other areas other than just carrying the football. That's protection, routes, the whole understanding of the game. I think he's a player who's ascending.”
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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