Three Thoughts on Rutgers Football's 14-13 loss to Nebraska
It was a tough night for Rutgers as it fell to Nebraska 14-13 at SHI Stadium and dropped its 21st straight home game against a Big Ten opponent.
Here are three thoughts after the game….
AN OFFENSE IN DISARRAY....
At the end of the day, this offense is not good enough. Not only do the Scarlet Knights (3-3, 0-3) rank 121st in total offense, but there does not seem to be any rhyme or reason to how they deploy their personnel either.
“We have a lot of work to do,” head coach Greg Schiano said. “This bye week we are going to have to really examine everything we are doing, why we are doing it, who is doing it, and when they are doing it.”
Although Rutgers might not have the talent to dominate offensively, it has enough playmakers to at least make some noise week-to-week so to see it struggle the way it has is a troubling sign for the Scarlet Knights. The fact of the matter is, three offensive touchdowns in four weeks is almost inexplicable and not good enough to win no matter who the Scarlet Knights are playing in the Big Ten.
QUESTIONS AT QUARTERBACK....
Despite Noah Vedral getting his most playing time of the season so far, Simon had his share of opportunities but it did not matter who took snaps for the Scarlet Knights as they were held to 85 yards of total offense in the second half. The two quarterbacks’ stat lines almost mirrored each other as they finished 6-for-15 with Vedral throwing for 133 yards and Simon for 100. However, Simon’s three interceptions in the second half were costly in handing Rutgers its third straight loss.
“Noah has a hand injury, he had it repaired and he has healed but his stamina isn’t what he needs to be yet,” Schiano explained. “So he’s not in danger of hurting himself worse but he can’t always grip the ball the way he wants to and part of it is muscle fatigue.”
Schiano continued to discuss his quarterback dilemma.
“Gavin [Wimsatt] actually has an injury that, if he played tonight, would have risked hurting himself worse so we are never going to do that,” he added. “Evan is the most healthy but has certainly been banged up as well. It’s unfortunate, the quarterback situation the way it is. It’s not the way you want it as a head coach but you don’t get to pick that.”
While it is understandable to see Rutgers’ signal callers struggle against Iowa and Ohio State, the Cornhuskers (3-3, 2-1) represented a good opportunity to get back on track as they rank 126th in total defense. Now, the Scarlet Knights find themselves going into another must-win matchup against Indiana considering the slate of teams they play afterward.
A TALE OF TWO HALVES....
Despite Rutgers dominating the first half and holding Nebraska scoreless, its offense did not do enough as it only mustered up 13 points. The Scarlet Knights also had two interceptions and were in prime position to take a two-touchdown lead late in the first quarter following a blocked punt and return that put them at Nebraska’s nine-yard line. However, they ended up settling for a field goal to take a 10-0 lead.
“We didn’t take advantage of opportunities in the first half and I’ve been doing this a long time and when you do that, sometimes you get away with it but more times than not you don’t,” Schiano said. “More times than not it comes and bites you in the rear end and in this game it sure did. There was an opportunity in this game to have it three scores or more at the half and we couldn’t do it.”
In the end, the Scarlet Knights smelled blood in the water but did not capitalize and the fact they squandered it through errors and inefficiencies is a tough pill to swallow for a team that should be beyond these types of mistakes by now.
Rutgers will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 22 when they face Indiana at SHI Stadium at noon.
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