Oh yes, and next up, Nebraska football.
Rutgers Coach Greg Schiano’s pre-Nebraska news conference Tuesday lasted 12 and a half minutes. Only in the final minute did he mention the Huskers. The remainder of the news conference was related to his extension for 2027, announced by Athletic Director Keli Zinn earlier.
“They’re an incredibly talented team,” Schiano said of the Huskers.
Coaches say such things in preparation for an opponent, of course. But Schiano and Matt Rhule have a connection. Schiano was the secondary coach at Penn State when Rhule was there.
“I have great respect for him,” Rhule said.
That respect was reflected in Rhule’s comments about a 2-7 Rutgers team.
At this point, the injury-compromised Scarlet Knights appear to be Nebraska’s best chance for a sixth win and bowl eligibility. The Huskers’ final two games are against Ohio State and at Iowa.
But first things first. Rutgers is the focus.
Schiano will “have a great plan for us,“ said Rhule. “We are going to continue to work to have a great plan for him, and I think the biggest thing for us is just putting our players in a position where they can be free and be detailed and go out there and play at a really high level.”
Though Rutgers ranks 14th in the Big Ten in total offense, the Scarlet Knights have had an outstanding receiver, KJ Duff, who caught 45 passes for 774 yards and nine touchdowns. The nine touchdowns rank 7th nationally and his average 96.8 receiving yards per game rank 12th.
“KJ’s probably a top-five receiver in the country,” Husker defensive coordinator Rob Aurich said.
He’s “one of the best players in college football,” said Rhule.
But for now, change those verbs to past tense. Duff didn’t play in last week’s loss to Wisconsin after suffering an injury against Michigan. And he’s listed as out for Saturday.
Pete Thamel reported earlier Wednesday sources indicated he will be lost for the season because of surgery for an ankle issue. That’s a huge loss, to Nebraska’s benefit.
Rhule said the Huskers also need a “great plan” to stop Rutger’s running game, and they’ll have to do so without two key defensive starters in Andrew Marshall and Owen Chambliss.
Running back Antwan Raymond is first in the Big Ten, averaging 87.7 rushing yards per game. He’s carried 149 times for 789 yards and six touchdowns.
Clay Thevenin has 425 yards and five touchdowns on 50 carries.
Schiano “continues to do a great job of finding ways to run the football,” said Rhule.
Rutgers’ No. 1 quarterback, Dylan Longeran, is in concussion protocol and out. AJ Surace has completed 57-of-107 passes for 823 yards and eight touchdowns, with five interceptions.
Defensive back Chis Joines, who has a team-high 45 tackles, is also listed as out.
“Special teams-wise, they always challenge you,” Rhule said. “They’ll come after you in the punt game. He (Schiano) does a great job in those two areas (defense the other) … Defensively, they are fairly similar to our defense in that they’re a 4-3 quarters-based defense.”
Again, however, the Scarlet Knights are 2-7, having lost three in a row after a 37-30 win at Maryland.
The Scarlet Knights are 101-115 during Schiano’s 18 seasons as coach, first from 2001-2011 (when he had an 11-2 season and two 9-4 seasons) and then currently since 2020.
Though the game is in Piscataway, N.J., Rutgers is 1-4 at home this season, its lone win 58-7 against Howard, an FCS team.
This is Schiano’s fifth losing season in the current seven. He was 7-6 twice.
That the focus of Tuesday’s news conference was Schiano’s return in 2027 is understandable given the circumstances, just as Rhule’s Monday news conference was heavy in questions regarding the firing of offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen following the Huskers’ fourth-consecutive loss, to Illinois.
