Experience mattered for Rutgers football, who got a massive outing from its offensive line on Saturday afternoon. The line paved the way for Rutgers to run its way to a win at Indiana and a third Big Ten win of the season.
Part of the reason why the line has looked so dramatically improved is experience. The unit has, by and large, played together for the past three years and boasts significant experience.
Then there is the experience of [autotag]Pat Flahert[/autotag]y, in his first year as the offensive line coach at Rutgers but by no means in his first year coaching an offensive line.
Flaherty holds two decades of experience coaching in the NFL and his background and experience have been vital in turning an inconsistent line into a very strong unit.
On Saturday, Rutgers had 276 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in a 31-14 win at Indiana.
“It starts up front. The guys have gotten better every single week. Are we where we want to be? No. But we’re just getting better every week, and that’s our goal,” head coach Greg Schiano told reporters after the game.
Early in the fourth quarter, Gavin Wimsatt went on an 80-yard touchdown run.
[lawrence-related id=31373,31370]
On an RPO, Wimsatt followed some good blocking, made a tremendous cut and then combined speed with some nice downfield blocking for the longest touchdown run of his collegiate career.
His 143 rushing yards were the most in the game for either side and was tthe highest rushing total of his career.
[lawrence-related id=31367]
“As long as we can keep the arrow going that way. That was a heck of a play,” Schiano said.
“It really was a great read by him. Everything was done just right by him for that play to work. It’s not an easy one to read. He did it all very well. We needed it.”