PISCATAWAY, N.J. — With a weekend win over Virginia Tech, it is now three straight seasons for Rutgers football where they have started 3-0. And in each of those seasons, Rutgers has declined in the second half to finish with a losing record.
Only one of those years, in 2021, ended with a bowl appearance when Rutgers was a last-minute replacement in the Gator Bowl.
So forgive the Scarlet Knights players on Saturday night for not getting too excited about the win over the Hokies. While there was enthusiasm for the win, it was a measured excitement among the group.
It wasn’t that this was the team’s weakest performance from their three wins, something understandable given that Virginia Tech is a very solid team. But rather, it was a collective recognition that the job isn’t anywhere close to being done yet.
“It means nothing right now,” linebacker Tyreem Powell said after the game.
“We’re just looking, just staying in the moment and focusing on the next opponent.”
That next opponent is No. 2 Michigan, who are coming off a Saturday win over Bowling Green.
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Rutgers had a halftime lead on Michigan last year, only to get the doors blown off in the second half. Now with a trip to Ann Arbor on Saturday, Rutgers faces a true measuring stick game.
“I don’t know. I don’t know the significance. We worked really hard to be 3-0, but the most important thing is after today we’re 1-0 this season,” head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag] said after Saturday’s win.
“So we’re going to relax a little bit tonight and then it’s right back to work tomorrow. We know what’s coming. We know what’s coming the rest of the year. I mean, that’s the league we play in. That’s what we love about it.”
Despite the muted response to Saturday’s win, the reality is that Rutgers has placed themselves in a good spot with the heart of the Big Ten portion of the season looming.
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Following Michigan, the next game is home to Wagner. So in a worst-case scenario, Rutgers would be 4-1 with seven Big Ten games looming.
That is seven games for Rutgers to get two wins and bowl eligibility.
“You know, the goal at the beginning og every week is to be 1-0 at the end of the week,” running back [autotag]Kyle Monangai[/autotag] said.
“So you know, we’re gonna get on the film, see what the game plan is But I’m excited to go back to the ‘Big House.’. And we’re playing a great team, I’m excited.”