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It is becoming a weekly occurrence around the Big Ten as opposing head coaches heap praise on the direction of Rutgers football but also head coach Greg Schiano. Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst spoke to the media on Monday, singling out his team’s upcoming opponent – and their head coach – for praise.
Rutgers (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) got on track this past Saturday with a 20-14 win at Illinois. Now on Saturday, the Scarlet Knights face a huge challenge in a surging Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) program that has won four straight games.
Chryst was asked about Rutgers and he was quick to speak about the impact of Schiano on the program. A week ago, Illinois head coach offered some very similar thoughts about the direction of Schiano’s rebuild at Rutgers.
“It starts with a lot of respect for Greg (Schiano). You see them, it’s a tough team. You can see them play hard, you can see them play well,” Chryst said on Monday according to Badgers Wire.
“You see talented players. It’s been a while since we’ve played them but you see it coming together. Greg has a really good staff and they’re playing good, sound football… In all three phases they want to be a physical team and you see that on film. You see a good, well-coached, tough team.”
It certainly wasn’t a bad weekend for Wisconsin either, who beat now No. 16 Iowa. The 27-7 win from the Badgers was certainly a statement of the direction of the program following a rough 1-3 start to the year.
Rutgers snapped a four-game losing streak with their win at the Illini. The first three games were to teams currently in the top 10 of the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. The fourth loss was at a Northwestern team that made the Big Ten Championship Game a season ago.
The praise from Chryst is certainly warranted for Schiano, who is in his second season back at Rutgers. Last year, the Scarlet Knights exceeded expectations with a 3-6 record. They seem to have taken a step forward this year.
Earlier this week, ESPN projected that Rutgers would make the Quick Lane Bowl.