USC, Indy, NW

[Zebnatto1!]

#6 Indy game was an embarrassment, totally dominated;
#15/16 USC was an even game, one we could even have won;
Both at home.

#24 NW on road?

Do we compete?

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Not sure home vs road has been much of a factor for us. The issue is lack of talent. Maryland stinks. We haven’t been able to stop anyone halfway decent from scoring on us pretty much at will.

 

[Shelby65]

Not sure home vs road has been much of a factor for us. The issue is lack of talent. Maryland stinks. We haven’t been able to stop anyone halfway decent from scoring on us pretty much at will.

Amen

 

[M.Sherrane]

Not sure home vs road has been much of a factor for us. The issue is lack of talent. Maryland stinks. We haven’t been able to stop anyone halfway decent from scoring on us pretty much at will.

And yet, Maryland was literally inches away from tying the game with 16 seconds remaining after leading by 14 with 4:00 remaining. I would make the point that Maryland lost the game as opposed to Rutgers winning it.

 

[RUGuitarMan1]

This defense is not holding any B1G team under 30 points, unless by some strange occurrence they take the ball away 3 or 4 times (which they don’t do). Hard to believe they will stay within 2 TDs of NW.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

And yet, Maryland was literally inches away from tying the game with 16 seconds remaining after leading by 14 with 4:00 remaining. I would make the point that Maryland lost the game as opposed to Rutgers winning it.

Whatever. I’m over this season and expecting nothing. Ready for basketball. My only point was that any positive we showed on defense was a product of Maryland being terrible versus our defensive making major strides. Anyone halfway decent at offense is going to score at will on our defense. The D stinks.

 

[ScarletDave]

And yet, Maryland was literally inches away from tying the game with 16 seconds remaining after leading by 14 with 4:00 remaining. I would make the point that Maryland lost the game as opposed to Rutgers winning it.

Rutgers scored 37 points so we still won it. QB threw for almost 300 yards. Starting running back hobbled so backup RB puts the team on his back. Converted over 50% 3rd down.

 

[RU#1fan]

#6 Indy game was an embarrassment, totally dominated;
#15/16 USC was an even game, one we could even have won;
Both at home.

#24 NW on road?

Do we compete?


The 97 Yard pick 6 by USC was the difference. We were about to score . 7 point loss.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Rutgers scored 37 points so we still won it. QB threw for almost 300 yards. Starting running back hobbled so backup RB puts the team on his back. Converted over 50% 3rd down.

Yeah - happy for our players but Maryland still sucks relative to every other team we’ll play. I’m usually optimistic but nothing I saw leads me to believe we’ve turned some kind of corner. Would love to be wrong.

 

[Colbert17!]

And yet, Maryland was literally inches away from tying the game with 16 seconds remaining after leading by 14 with 4:00 remaining. I would make the point that Maryland lost the game as opposed to Rutgers winning it.

Totally disagree. RU was down 10 on the road at the half. They turned it around to a 14 point lead in the 4th and then held on by the skin of their teeth. They were lucky on the last two plays but they won the game. They just as easily could have packed it in at half time but they didn't. RU won that game, albeit against a lousy team, but they won.

 

[Anon17890609591074267]

"Anyone halfway decent at offense is going to score at will on our defense. The D stinks."

Who would have thought that with a defense-first head coach like Schiano that Rutgers would ever have a tissue paper defense and have to rely on its offense ?

 

[Bueller]

Recent USC teams are notorious for losing distant road games. Sports media has written about it quite a bit. Not a lot to takeaway from USC win.

Northwestern is pretty good and only lost to Indiana 29-23 at Indiana. But Indiana doesn't jump off the page statistically. Northwestern feels confident in their run game (#39) but thinks they can be vulnerable to passing attack (#100 defensively) . One place they have been good is turnover margin. They are #7 with 1.17 plus and RU is 124 with -0.83

Coach says his team (10 returning starters) is humble and disciplined. The QB is most accurate in B1G and he has 7 rushing TDs and 9 passing. Schiano admires the QB and thinks he's had good coaching at NW and Michigan St.

“The truth is we got a special football team, a group that is humble, hungry and knows it’s not a finished product,” Wildcats coach David Braun said Monday. “I truly believe this team can beat anyone in the country and also believe this team if we’re not prepared and don’t execute at the level we need to, we can be beat by anyone in the country."

So they aren't super-duper at a lot but they are smart and good fundamentally overall. Duff should get his stats. Cant expect NW to lose via mistakes ands/or turnovers. They have a solid coiaching staff advantage.

“Special football team” No. 24 Northwestern preps for Rutgers​

“Special football team” No. 24 Northwestern preps for Rutgers

Off to its best start in a full season since 2012, Northwestern's schedule is about to stiffen.With three games against the Big Ten's upper echelon looming, the 24th-ranked Wildcats know they cannot afford a letdown Saturday afternoon when they host Ru...

www.thesportsleader.com

Rutgers vs Northwestern Prediction​

"Rutgers has been playing better over the last few weeks, but it's not nearly consistent enough on either side of the ball to hang around for long. Northwestern will need about a quarter to get going, and then, in its shiny new-look stadium, the avalanche will come.

Rutgers has cut down on the turnovers, but there will be a few big mistakes that allow Northwestern to open this up."

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rutgers-vs-northwestern-prediction-wildcats-073348094.html

 

[M.Sherrane]

Totally disagree. RU was down 10 on the road at the half. They turned it around to a 14 point lead in the 4th and then held on by the skin of their teeth. They were lucky on the last two plays but they won the game. They just as easily could have packed it in at half time but they didn't. RU won that game, albeit against a lousy team, but they won.

There has been plenty of coaches who have said, "The most meaningless statistic in football / college sports is the halftime score". Most recently by Bob Chesney, but the idea has been conveyed by Dan Reeves and Gene Stallings as well. Football fans will worship their coach if he makes halftime adjustments. As you pointed out, RU had a 24-point swing (down 10 to up 14) in the first 26:00 of the second half and nearly squandered it. You truly have low standards.

 

[LETSGORU91]

As you pointed out, RU had a 24-point swing (down 10 to up 14) in the first 26:00 of the second half and nearly squandered it. You truly have low standards.

How exactly is that low standards? All he did was point out Rutgers could have packed it in after down multiple scores but didn't. That's a positive as compared to you and the half glass emptiers

 

[M.Sherrane]

How exactly is that low standards? All he did was point out Rutgers could have packed it in after down multiple scores but didn't. That's a positive as compared to you and the half glass emptiers

I wish I was optimistic enough to view this as "half empty". You are spinning "not quitting when only trailing by 10 points at halftime" as a positive. A 10 point halftime deficit is not a deep hole to climb out of. Texas trailed Ohio State 20-3 at halftime this year and Wisconsin trailed at Penn State 17-7 at halftime. Overcoming two score deficits at halftime is fairly common. While you want to view "not packing it is" as a positive, I would say it was evidence Schiano must get fired if they quit. Personally, I would say that is something you say to a youngster to encourage them to play through and finish.

Also, to prove my negativity I did post this in the RU/MD prediction thread:

Rutgers 34, Maryland 31

While the score makes it seem like it was a good game, it will stress both fan bases. "Holy Cow! Big play! We may win this game! (later) Ohh crap. Figures."

I used to write game recaps for Falcons games in the 90's (for an old website called The Falcons Roost). One thing I always believed was "good teams find ways to win while bad teams find ways to lose". The prediction I posted was because it was a game between two bad teams in my opinion. It seemed fairly accurate, wouldn't you say?

Dan Reeves has said (about the NFL, but FBS is close enough to consider this relevant) that games are more often lost than won at that level. That is precisely what happened Saturday. If RU makes a sack on 4th down, preventing that final pass, and you have a strong point when you say RU made the play to seal the win. Unfortunately, Maryland failed to make a play that was clearly there for the taking on their way to losing the game... bad teams find ways to lose. The next four teams on RU's schedule are unlikely to squander key opportunities as Maryland did. Penn State and Michigan State are the only teams who have struggled enough to believe they could lose in similar fashion as Maryland. I didn't see anything that gives me any confidence that RU will avoid a 2-8 record in the first 10 games.

I'm good with you wanting to put lipstick on a pig and then show her off. Just don't expect me to say, "Wow man! She is HOT!!!"

 

[Ru-baby]

As you pointed out, RU had a 24-point swing (down 10 to up 14) in the first 26:00 of the second half a

But there are those who repeatedly post RU makes no half time successful changes despite this, the last 2 years Maryland games, the MSU comeback etc.

 

[Rutgers Chris]

But there are those who repeatedly post RU makes no half time successful changes despite this, the last 2 years Maryland games, the MSU comeback etc.

Hand up, I am one who has repeatedly pointed that out. You are correct, Schiano out coached Locksley the last two years and Smith vs MSU last year in the second half. Coincidentally both of those coaches have now been fired.

Conversely we’ve seen second half blown leads versus Washington (2025), Penn State (2025), Minnesota (2025), Iowa (2025), Kansas State (2025 bowl), Illinois (2024), Ohio State (2023), Michigan (2022), Nebraska (2022)…

In year 18, my goal would be for us to win while making halftime adjustments against more than the 1-2 worst coaches in the league.

 

[Ru-baby]

To be accurate on facts:

llinois 2021 and BC in 2022 were also second half comebacks.

And Minn 2024 was a 4th quarter comeback after trailing after 3 quarters.

We all would like leads to stick but the always indications are not factually accurate.

 

[Rutgers Chris]

To be accurate on facts:

llinois 2021 and BC in 2022 were also second half comebacks.

And Minn 2024 was a 4th quarter comeback after trailing after 3 quarters.

We all would like leads to stick but the always indications are not factually accurate.

To add to the facts…
Greg 2.0 is 9-9 when leading at the half in B1G games. Worst among active coaches who’ve been in the B1G longer than a year. 50% of the time he loses a second half lead. Most every other coach is 70-80% or higher.

He’s 7-31 when trailing at the half. Third worst amongst active coaches.

He’s an objectively bad gameday coach.

School	Coach	Leading at half	Win %	Trailing at half	Win %
Illinois	Bret Bielema	17-3	85.0%	5-18	21.7%
Indiana	Curt Cignetti	18-0	100%	2-2	50.0%
Iowa*	Kirk Ferentz	104-25	80.6%	23-65	26.1%
Maryland	Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, interim	0-0	0%	0-0	0%
Michigan	Kyle Whittingham	0-2	0%	1-0	100%
Michigan State	Pat Fitzgerald	0-1	0%	0-3	0%
Minnesota	P.J. Fleck	31-9	77.5%	8-30	21.1%
Nebraska	Matt Rhule	11-6	64.7%	0-10	0%
Northwestern	David Braun	9-0	100%	4-15	21.1%
Ohio State	Ryan Day	52-2	96.3%	6-3	66.7%
Oregon	Dan Lanning	17-0	100%	2-2	50.0%
Penn State	Matt Campbell	0-2	0%	0-1	0%
Purdue	Barry Odom	2-2	50.0%	0-9	0%
Rutgers	Greg Schiano, 2020-present	9-9	50.0%	7-31	18.4%
UCLA	Bob Chesney	4-0	100%	0-0	0%
USC	Lincoln Riley	7-2	77.8%	5-5	50.0%
Washington	Jedd Fisch	8-2	80.0%	2-9	18.2%
Wisconsin	Luke Fickell	7-3	70.0%	4-15	21.1%

 

[LETSGORU91]

I wish I was optimistic enough to view this as "half empty". You are spinning "not quitting when only trailing by 10 points at halftime" as a positive. A 10 point halftime deficit is not a deep hole to climb out of. Texas trailed Ohio State 20-3 at halftime this year and Wisconsin trailed at Penn State 17-7 at halftime. Overcoming two score deficits at halftime is fairly common. While you want to view "not packing it is" as a positive, I would say it was evidence Schiano must get fired if they quit. Personally, I would say that is something you say to a youngster to encourage them to play through and finish.

Also, to prove my negativity I did post this in the RU/MD prediction thread:



I used to write game recaps for Falcons games in the 90's (for an old website called The Falcons Roost). One thing I always believed was "good teams find ways to win while bad teams find ways to lose". The prediction I posted was because it was a game between two bad teams in my opinion. It seemed fairly accurate, wouldn't you say?

Dan Reeves has said (about the NFL, but FBS is close enough to consider this relevant) that games are more often lost than won at that level. That is precisely what happened Saturday. If RU makes a sack on 4th down, preventing that final pass, and you have a strong point when you say RU made the play to seal the win. Unfortunately, Maryland failed to make a play that was clearly there for the taking on their way to losing the game... bad teams find ways to lose. The next four teams on RU's schedule are unlikely to squander key opportunities as Maryland did. Penn State and Michigan State are the only teams who have struggled enough to believe they could lose in similar fashion as Maryland. I didn't see anything that gives me any confidence that RU will avoid a 2-8 record in the first 10 games.

I'm good with you wanting to put lipstick on a pig and then show her off. Just don't expect me to say, "Wow man! She is HOT!!!"

No spinning at all. Someone pointed out a positive which controndicated your negative. Glass half empty vs half full. Life's too short to b*tch and moan after a comeback victory which was almost blown. Rutgers fans cant even acknowledge a win without complaining about something. Celebrate the victory unless you are a hater or negative Nelly. If you are either one, dont hang out in my campground.

 

[yesrutgers01]

Whatever. I’m over this season and expecting nothing. Ready for basketball. My only point was that any positive we showed on defense was a product of Maryland being terrible versus our defensive making major strides. Anyone halfway decent at offense is going to score at will on our defense. The D stinks.

I cant even feel like I can get excited about basketball either

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

I cant even feel like I can get excited about basketball either

Why? I feel terrible for Pike but based on the circumstances anything positive about the program is suddenly a nice feel good story. It’s basically become a refreshing season with nothing to lose and only the upside of having the potential to become a media darling should the stars align.

2026-27 RU basketball is the antithesis of the Dylan / Ace team with zero pressure from expectations. Aside from this - there’s a nice looking recruiting class on the horizon ahead.

 

[M.Sherrane]

No spinning at all. Someone pointed out a positive which controndicated your negative. Glass half empty vs half full. Life's too short to b*tch and moan after a comeback victory which was almost blown. Rutgers fans cant even acknowledge a win without complaining about something. Celebrate the victory unless you are a hater or negative Nelly. If you are either one, dont hang out in my campground.

Sorry, but your spin was undeniable.

How exactly is that low standards? All he did was point out Rutgers could have packed it in after down multiple scores but didn't. That's a positive as compared to you and the half glass emptiers

This wasn't a 10U game at the local high school, where you encourage and compliment a youth player about his effort and not quitting in the face of adversity. Coaches are paid millions. Every player is on scholarship and some are making huge NIL dollars to the point where they may earn less after graduation. Any player who quit should be kicked off the team. At least one coach should have been fired before getting off the plane in Newark if the team went in the tank. Not quitting at halftime is an expectation rather than something you can build on. You have a very low expectation because continuing to play hard is the least they can do.

Maryland was the worst B1G team on our schedule. I'm sure they had the same opinion about us. Northwestern and Michigan State also likely have that view about RU. Luckily, Penn State plays Maryland after RU, so Maryland is now their weakest conference opponent.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

This game has 38-20’ish written all over it IMHO. Chip Kelly will have plays going for wide-open TD’s against our D. Unfortunately.

That being said LET’s GO RU!!!

 

[LETSGORU91]

Sorry, but your spin was undeniable.



This wasn't a 10U game at the local high school, where you encourage and compliment a youth player about his effort and not quitting in the face of adversity. Coaches are paid millions. Every player is on scholarship and some are making huge NIL dollars to the point where they may earn less after graduation. Any player who quit should be kicked off the team. At least one coach should have been fired before getting off the plane in Newark if the team went in the tank. Not quitting at halftime is an expectation rather than something you can build on. You have a very low expectation because continuing to play hard is the least they can do.

Maryland was the worst B1G team on our schedule. I'm sure they had the same opinion about us. Northwestern and Michigan State also likely have that view about RU. Luckily, Penn State plays Maryland after RU, so Maryland is now their weakest conference opponent.

JFC. Rutgers won. Be happy. Imagine your reaction if they lost!!