PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Samuel Brown V got an increased number of carries on Saturday as the Rutgers football running back took another big step forward in getting back to full strength.
Brown, who suffered a season-ending injury in mid-October of his freshman year, had nine carries for 38 yards and a touchdown in Saturday’s 52-3 win over Wagner. It was his most carries of the season and the latest (and most encouraging) sign that Brown is back and ready to take on a bigger workload.
The solid showing from Brown was certainly encouraging for head coach Greg and ideal for an offense that now goes on the road to play at Wisconsin on Saturday.
“That was great. That was one of the things, the takeaways, for all four running backs to score touchdowns today,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said after the game.
“And Sam has worked his way back. You know, you’re a natural player, right, so you’re a good player but like all the things, if you don’t practice because you’re injured, they can have a bad effect on your game day, ball security, things that people don’t think about until a guy fumbles it, and they say, well, how could he fumble? Well, he hasn’t practiced. I mean, all those things, pass protection, right. If you haven’t practiced for a while, it’s not that easy to stop some of those rushers.
“So Sam has been practicing more and more every week. Aaron (Young) has been practicing more and more every week. So they are all starting to get well, and that’s important going into this stretch because, as you know, it’s a very physical stretch we’re going to face here.”
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Brown, as a true freshman last year, put together several strong performances before his injury. He finished the 2022 season with 86 carries for 374 yards and three rushing touchdowns.