PISCATAWAY, N.J. — It was obvious from early on that Rutgers football was simply going to roll away with a win on Saturday over Wagner. The only questions were by how much would Rutgers win and how efficiently.
A 66-7 win in the home opener proved to be a useful exercise for the Scarlet Knights. So says head coach Greg Schiano when asked following the game what he could glean from playing such an overmatched opponent.
Three different players threw a touchdown pass in the game’s first half (Evan Simon followed by Gavin Wimsatt and then Johnny Langan). Three other players scored their first collegiate touchdowns including two true freshmen (wide receiver Rachad Rochelle and running back Samuel Brown).
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The 66 points, for what it is worth, is the most scored by a Schiano-coached Rutgers team.
“In college football, we don’t get preseason games so we play in a really, really tough league, and a game like today was great,” Schiano said after the game.
“No. 1, like I said for maturity – to stay focused. And No. 2, to get a lot of different people playing time. I don’t know, but we had, I don’t know how many different people scored touchdowns, I think it was like eight or nine guys scored touchdowns. I don’t care who you are.
“That’s good for your confidence. I’ve been there, done that. Now the next time you score, it’s not going to be the first time. And even that late return by train — by Rochelle, I thought he was going to…that would have got called back, anyway, because of the penalty but I thought he was going to get in the end zone. We have got some really young, talented players that we just have to kind of bring along, so these games I think are good for that.”
Saturday’s win was a good exercise for Rutgers to build their depth and experience ahead of the start of their Big Ten schedule in two weeks.
Rutgers gained 335 yards rushing and 262 passing yards. Nine different players registered a catch.
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Next Saturday, Rutgers plays at Temple. They open their Big Ten schedule the following Saturday when they host Iowa.
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