For all Greg Schiano has done rebuilding the country’s oldest football program, Rutgers has never won a Big East championship. But after yesterday’s 20-3 rout of Cincinnati — with dominant defense and a surprising ground game — the Scarlet Knights are on the precipice of that first elusive title.
Freshman Jawan Jamison ran for a career-high 200 yards and two touchdowns, while the defense held Cincinnati to 225 yards, its worst outing since facing Rutgers six years ago. And when it was over, Rutgers (8-3, 4-2) pulled into a first-place tie with Louisville (7-3, 3-2), and can clinch a share of the league crown next week.
“It means a lot. Yeah, it means a lot,” Schiano said. “It’s what every competitor is in it for. We’re not there yet, but we’re going to have a chance next week.’’
The Scarlet Knights would lose a head-to-head tiebreaker to Louisville and West Virginia but win tiebreakers vs. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. If Louisville loses at South Florida and West Virginia loses at home to Pitt on Friday, Rutgers can clinch a BCS bid with a win Saturday at UConn.
“We want a Big East title [but] we’ve got to focus on our jobs, take it one game at a time,” said defensive tackle Scott Vallone. “Start thinking about West Virginia, you get smacked by Louisville.
“It’s a great win for the program and we’re right in the thick of it. That’s where we want to be. We have to make sure we take care of business.’’
It’s ironic Vallone was sitting near a plate full of oranges, because that’s the Scarlet Knights’ goal. Among the 47,447 at High Point Solutions Stadium were reps from the Champs Sports Bowl and the Belk Bowl, but Rutgers still is holding out hope for the Orange Bowl and their first BCS bid.
Against the conference’s highest-scoring attack — albeit minus injured quarterback Zack Collaros — and the country’s second-stingiest run defense, Rutgers was dominant. Ranked just 118th in rushing, the Scarlet Knights shockingly piled up 212 yards on the ground. They held the ball for 38:14, keeping the defense fresh to harass quarterback Munchie LeGaux and stuff running back Isaiah Pead.
Pead had gashed them for five TDs last year, rushing for 213 yards and four scores as Cincinnati rolled 69-38 and piled up 661 yards. But yesterday, the Scarlet Knights held the Bearcats to a single field goal and Pead to 28 yards on 14 carries.
“[Last year] definitely crept into my mind and we used it as motivation,’’ said defensive lineman Justin Francis, who had a fumble recovery, a quarterback hurry and batted down two passes. “That was a tough loss for this program, and we used it as a stepping stool to elevate our play, elevate our mental focus, and elevate our whole organization as a whole. … [This win] means a lot.’’
“In the second half you could tell they were wearing down,’’ Jamison said. “We got them tired and the O-line just kept punishing them.’’