PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Mayan Ahanotu was held out on Saturday with an injury, and Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano believes that the defensive tackle can and should be back soon.
Rutgers (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) is at Iowa (4-2 Big Ten) on Saturday. Iowa is coming off a win at Northwestern and has now won four of their last five games.
Ahanotu did not play on Saturday but Schiano thinks that the Iowa game is a distinct possibility for a return. The defensive tackle has 11 total tackles on the season.
“He was not available Saturday,” Schiano said on Monday during his weekly press conference.
“I think he will be available this Saturday, which is good because he’s a leader and a big part of our defense.”
In his stead, Isiah Iton stepped up for Rutgers.
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A transfer from Ole Miss, Iton tied a season-high with five tackles in the game on Saturday against No. 1 Ohio State. Iton has 24 total tackles on the season.
“He came from Ole Miss – they play a little different style. They are more of a two-gap, 3-4 team most of the time, at least on early downs,” Schiano said on Monday during his weekly press conference.
“So it’s been a transition for Isaiah for sure. He keeps getting better, slowly, but he’s progressing. We play a lot of people in the front, as you know, and rotate. But playing single-gap control defense is a lot different than playing two-gap. He’s learning and getting better at it every week.”