For the first time since 2014, Rutgers Football is bowl-eligible after defeating Indiana 31-14 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN.
Here are three thoughts after the game….
Back to the Future
Sometimes in order to move forward you have to go back and that is just what Rutgers did in 2019 when it hired Greg Schiano for a second go-round with the program. Fast forward four seasons later, the Scarlet Knights (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) have secured their first six-win season since 2014 when they finished 8-5.
“As we did last time, you get to be bowl eligible and that’s one step on the journey,” Schiano said. “It’s been well chronicled, we didn’t finish the journey last time and that’s the goal.”
Although the journey to get to this point has had its share of ups and downs, it feels as though Rutgers is starting to turn a corner and getting back to where it was during Schiano’s first tenure. Between navigating 2020’s COVID season along with the ever-changing world of college athletics, Schiano should be commended for getting the program back to bowl eligibility with four games still to go.
Ground and pound
Rutgers brought a whole new meaning to the term “ground and pound” as it ran 67 offensive plays against Indiana (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten) with 55 of them being runs. Gavin Wimsatt led the way with 16 carries for 143 yards and three touchdowns, including an 80-yard score early in the fourth quarter to give the Scarlet Knights a 31-14 advantage. Wimsatt also recorded the most rushing yards by a quarterback in a game in program history and is the first to score three times in a contest since 1996.
“It feels really great,” Wimsatt said. “I remember Coach Schiano recruiting me. This is what I came here for, to try to help him get to a bowl game, and for me to be the quarterback to help him do that is amazing.”
Kyle Monangai also proved once again how valuable he is to Rutgers’ offense as he finished with 24 rushes for 109 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry. Thanks to their stout running attack, the Scarlet Knights dominated time of possession 37:38-22:22.
Special teams come through again
One week after playing a pivotal role in its 27-24 comeback victory against Michigan State, Rutgers’ special teams came up big once again. Backed up at their 32-yard line, the Hoosiers attempted a punt that was blocked by Shaquan Loyal and caught by Eric Rogers who ran it in for a 17-yard score to put the Scarlet Knights ahead 14-7 early in the second quarter.
“It’s going to take time, I told you when we got here,” Schiano said. “There’s no quick fixes, not at Rutgers. It’s hard and you just work and work and work, but this is definitely a step.”
Similar to his first tenure, Schiano seems to have installed an emphasis on making sure Rutgers is buttoned up when it comes to special teams. While it might not always be pretty, “Schiano-ball” got the job done this season as Rutgers looks to add to an already successful season.
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