Rutgers showed improvement defensively against Purdue. How involved was head coach Greg Schiano in the unit?
on Saturday. It was a low bar to clear considering how poorly it had played through seven games, and to be sure, the— Rutgers held Purdue to 24 points, marking the lowest total scored against it by a Big Ten team and marking the second time it held an FBS team below 30 points in seven tries this season.
— While the Scarlet Knights did not take the ball away in their first nine drives against the Boilermakers, who averaged 2.3 turnovers per game against FBS opponents this season, they forced a fumble in the final minute that gave kicker Jai Patel a chance to hit the game-winning field goal as time expired.— After giving up a touchdown and a field goal on the first two drives of the game, Rutgers forced five punts over the next six drives, four of which ended in four plays or fewer. Yes, there were still shaky moments — most notably the three touchdowns, all of which were basically uncontested by the Scarlet Knights — and some credit goes to quarterback Ryan Browne, who missed multiple open receivers. But in a game Rutgers had to win to salvage its season, the unit did just enough to win. “Were we perfect? No. But improved,” Schiano said. “And now we got to take another step playing a really good Illinois team next week and we have to continue. Our big thing is incremental improvement. We have to continue to get better every day. You let a day go by where you don’t get better, it’s a waste." How much credit does Schiano get for the turnaround? He hinted at changes made during the week, including pushing back his weekly press conference a day from Monday to Tuesday, presumably to have more time to participate in game prep. Schiano admitted to taking on “a little additional responsibilities” and partaking in “some late nights trying to just get it down to bare bones and and see if we can’t just go play really hard.“ He played coy when asked how much more involved he was this week and whether he was calling plays — “Coach knows what he had to do,” senior captain Jordan Walker said — but the sight of him holding a play sheet on the sideline and huddling the defense between series on the bench were telling. “I’m not going to get into who was calling what. We worked at it together," Schiano said. “That sounds like a cop out, literally, that was like a staff meeting during the game with the players. It felt like a defensive meeting during the game. The thing that I was so pleased with is how everybody just put their egos aside and worked together. Smith Sparber, the whole defensive staff, everybody. We got a job to get done.” The defense did not improve by leaps and bounds — “We made mistakes today, believe me,” Schiano admitted — but ultimately, the unit Rutgers poured so much energy into this week did enough to stifle Purdue in key moments, make a huge play when it mattered and play its part in the first Big Ten win of the season. Take it from Walker, who challenged his teammates after a historically-poor performance against Oregon last week. The defensive end made his impact felt by deflecting Browne’s pass on his unit’s vital final play, and he felt the rest of the defense did the same. “We buckled down this week, we attacked what we needed to attack and we executed on the field. That’s what happens when we execute,” Walker said. “My teammates did exactly what I said they needed to do. We came in. We were men, we fixed what we needed to fix. Our eyes were on Purdue, what we needed to do against them and we did it.” If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
University Hospital, Rutgers break ground on $325 million expansion in NewarkGov. Murphy joins city, state, and federal officials to celebrate a nine-story tower that fulfills a decades-old promise to the community.
Read more »
Hazing involved when Rutgers student was critically injured at frat house, national org saysAlpha Sigma Phi called for the prosecutor to see the maximum penalties allowed.
Read more »
Rutgers fraternity closed after student critically injured during hazing incidentThe prosecutor's office says the student is out of critical condition but remains hospitalized
Read more »
Fraternity chapter closes following alleged hazing incident that left Rutgers student seriously injuredA 19-year-old Rutgers University student was injured, officials said.
Read more »
Rutgers fraternity shut down after hazing investigation, frat saysAlpha Sigma Phi says it's closing the New Jersey chapter after it found hazing was a factor in a student's injuries at an off-campus house.
Read more »
Fraternity closes Rutgers chapter after hazing nearly electrocutes studentThe prosecutor's office says the student is out of critical condition but remains hospitalized
Read more »