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Rutgers QB updates: Vedral, Wimsatt progressing, Simon seeing growth

Evan Simon made his second career start in the Rutgers football team’s Big Ten home opener this past weekend against Iowa.

Noah Vedral missed his fourth-straight game based on an injury that occurred in training camp, and Gavin Wimsatt sat out the game after getting hurt against Temple a week ago.

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Simon threw nearly 50 passes and was 28-of-49 for 300 yards on the nose with two interceptions and a touchdown in the 27-10 loss. One of the picks led directly to a touchdown. Iowa also returned a fumble for a touchdown. Simon was hit on a good amount of his drop packs and pass attempts.

His performance was a mixed bag.

“I thought Evan did some really good things,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said after the game on Saturday night. “Obviously the turnovers, the stat in the last 18 games when Iowa has not turned it over, they have won. And the fact of the matter is, in the last eight or nine games, we don't turn it over, we've won. So that was going to be a critical part of this game. We turned it over three times and they didn't. I think Evan grew up this week. Took a lot more plays than he has ever taken in practice. Those guys, the other two you mentioned, Noah and Gavin, were coming back at different rates. So at one point, we only had one guy that was actually operating in practice, and I think he grew. Unfortunately we turned it over twice and that really -- I got done telling the team this, and I'll share with you, every football game, it writes its own story. When you turn it like that and they score, that's hard to overcome.

“I really thought that they fought, like all the way into the fourth quarter when we scored to make it a two-possession game, there wasn't a guy on that sideline that didn't believe we weren't going to win. So that's something that's a positive. But we just weren't up to the challenge tonight. We will be. This is temporary. We just need to be a little more consistent on offense. Defense, I thought played their guts out. We're close on offense. We'll get there.”

Evan Simon Carrie’s the ball against Iowa
Evan Simon Carrie’s the ball against Iowa (Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)

As of now, all signs point to Simon getting the start on Oct. 1 when Rutgers plays at No. 3 Ohio State at 3:30 p.m. in Columbus.

Vedral and Wimsatt both dressed for the game against Hawkeyes and took part in warmups on the field, but it was found out later that both were only available in an emergency situation. Wimsatt was seen at the Scarlet Walk wearing a walking boot.

“Yeah, we are going to see as the week goes on,” Schiano said Monday. “They are both progressing. So what that means by the end of the week, I don't know. What that means in practice rep, I don't know. I'll probably know more tomorrow. But we'll continue on as we're doing, right. We'll just keep trying to improve with whoever is available.”

No matter who starts and plays quarterback for Rutgers frankly won’t matter. At least that’s what history says. Ohio State should win this game no matter what, and putting in Vedral and Wimsatt might only injure them further.

“I'll never risk their health, I don't care who we are playing,” Schiano said. “Their health is always first and foremost to me. We are going to win the game. That's what we're doing. We're going to Columbus to win the game. Will that happen? You know there's another team on the other sideline that wants the same thing.

“That's why goals are overrated in my opinion. We both have the same goal at the beginning of many games. But we are going to do everything we can, we are going to practice and get ready and go out to Columbus and play our best.”

Simon saw his practice reps go up this past week as QB1, and he absorbed tons of hits in the Iowa game. He never wavered, and bounced back to throw a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Schiano said Simon saw growth as the contest and week went along.

“Yeah, a lot. You know, I think one thing you can say, he is a tough son of a gun now. He stood in there and made some throws and as he was letting it go, he was getting hit but he didn't flinch. You know, you can't teach that, and the reality is, to try to keep your -- it didn't work so well but to try to keep your quarterbacks healthy, they have a green jersey on and they don't get hit in preseason. When do you know? You know when they get hit in the game how tough they are. I would tell you that all three of our quarterbacks are tough guys. They don't flinch, they hang in there and they are not afraid to run the ball. That was a big step.

“The other thing I thought, when we went no-huddle, I thought Evan looked very comfortable. He had command of the situation. And that's another one that you don't know until you do it, right. So that was good to see. So that was a positive.”

Simon was the lone scholarship quarterback available in the game and might be again next week. Had Vedral not gotten hurt, he might have been the starter in Rutgers first four games and not Simon, Wimsatt, or Johnny Langan, who took the first snap behind center in the season opener at Boston College.

“You know, when Noah went down, there's your experienced guy. He's got 20, whatever starts under his belt, and that's a nice thing to have to bring the other guys in and see how it all fits together. Once we lose that option, now it's young guys.

“So to go out and win the first ballgame at BC and then continue on to win a couple with young quarterbacks, that's good, right. Was it all stellar play? No. But I don't expect it to be when there's very little to no experience there. But now we are in Big Ten play, and I thought we did some good things offensively. We just turned the ball over twice, and I say just. That's the story of the game.”

Simon is a third-year sophomore and Wimsatt is a redshirt freshman. The other QBs on the roster walk-ons that will be around next season. Vedral is a sixth-year senior and in his last year of college football.

Will Rutgers target the transfer portal in the offseason to bring in someone to the room already with added experience?

“That's down the road. I think all of that comes out of the guys that you're developing and how they do develop. If you end the season a certain way with your quarterback situation, then that's less important. If you don't, then it's more important,” Schiano said.

“Everything to me is a fluid situation and you have to look at it as such. …The switch is going to flip at some point and all of a sudden, well, they are set for a few years here, let's go. So we'll figure it out as we go. I'm optimistic, though.”


Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.

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