Don’t laugh: Rutgers will be good

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, April 27, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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I wonder how many snickers were stifled in the back of the room when Greg Schiano was introduced as the Rutgers Scarlet Knights' football coach in 2000 and told the assembled media: "We came here to build a program to build a national championship."

It was like a Bob Newhart line, delivered deadpan, and no doubt there was a moment of puzzled silence. Did this mean that Schiano had a great sense of humor, or was he simply delusional? Did he realize that Rutgers had become to college football as France was to global conflict?

"This program will be built on a rock foundation," he continued. "It will take longer than building it on stilts, but that's what we came for. It's time."

Well, apparently it wasn't time just then. Schiano's first team went 2-9, his second 1-11, his third 5-7. In 2004, the Scarlet Knights fluctuated between the sublime (an upset of Michigan State in the season opener) to the ridiculous (a loss to New Hampshire two weeks later).

All the while, however, Schiano was busy laying down his foundation, seemingly oblivious to those Rutgers supporters who grinned and said "I told you so," even more oblivious to those among them who wanted him fired. Schiano was a New Jersey guy, and he knew that if he could somehow reverse the tide of metropolitan New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia-area prospects migrating to other schools, he could be competitive.

So why should they stick around? As part of the answer, Schiano (a former defensive coordinator at Miami, where he got used to winning) convinced the school administration to foot the bill for one of the most complete training facilities in the country. At the same time, he was relentlessly pitching regional pride to the prep stars he was recruiting.

Finally, in 2005, it happened -- sort of. Rutgers went 7-5, accepted a bid to the Insight.com Bowl, and turned a few heads in a 45-40 loss to Arizona State.

That was huge, because it's the first question a lot of prep stars ask of a visiting coach: "Are you guys on TV a lot?" It was just announced that the Rutgers-Connecticut game will be broadcast on prime time Oct. 29. The Scarlet Knights may not win, but at least they've gained a reputation for being fun to watch. Especially two-time All-American fullback Brian Leonard, who returns with the reputation for highlight-reel runs for his senior season.

True, it's highly unlikely that the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will be a national title contender -- or even a Big East title contender – in 2006. They simply aren't in the same class as West Virginia and Louisville this time around, although neither of those teams should take them lightly.

But consider the annual spring game, held in the wind and rain (a metaphor for Rutgers football) on April 15.

The starting quarterback, Mike Teel? A sophomore. The top running back? Sophomore Ray Rice, a second-team freshman All-American last year. Top tacklers for the White team? Sophomores Kevin Malast and Chris Quaye, redshirt freshman Devin McCoursey. For the Scarlet? Sophomore DE Peter Tverdov and sophomore DB Courtney Green, a first-team Freshman All-American in 2005. That Gary Watts kid, who had two sacks? Sophomore. Leslie Jacklin, who had one of the game's two interceptions? Sophomore.

Welcome to Greg Schiano's foundation.
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