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Rutgers football has a chance this weekend to continue the momentum from last Saturday’s 20-13 loss at Michigan. The game, despite being a loss, resonated within the Big Ten.
Rutgers went toe-to-toe with a team that was No. 19 coming into the game. They shut out Michigan in the second half, with the Wolverines managing just 44 yards of total offense and just two first downs.
Since joining the Big Ten in 2014, Rutgers hasn’t beaten the Buckeyes, a program that has won the conference the past four years. Last season, Ohio State, then No. 3 in the nation, beat Rutgers 49-27 in Columbus. It was a game where the Scarlet Knights impressed, keeping it close and putting up some points against a team that made the College Football Playoff and lined up against Alabama for the championship.
Rutgers surely won’t be gunning for a moral victory, but a good solid game would show continued progress under head coach Greg Schiano, who spent three years as defensive coordinator of the Buckeyes beginning in 2016.
Click below to read what Phil Harrison of ‘Buckeyes Wire’ had to say about Saturday’s meeting at SHI Stadium between two teams who come into Week 5 at 3-1.
There’s no question about it. Ohio State fans see Rutgers as a program on the rise and do understand its place among football history. There is no hatred at all for the Scarlet Knights, in fact, because of the connection with Greg Schiano, I think you’ll find most Buckeye fans pull for Rutgers in almost any other week besides the one when the two teams matchup. I know a lot of OSU fans were glued to their television sets and streaming devices, willing Rutgers to complete the takedown of Michigan last week.
There is clear momentum within the Scarlet Knights’ program since Schiano has taken over. The culture is noticeably different in a very, very good way, the recruiting has been bumped up, and there’s a sense that Rutgers could be a bit more of a problem in the future.