Close loss to Michigan buoys Rutgers
For a second consecutive season, Rutgers was staring at a stunning victory over Michigan, a win within reach only to let it slip away late.
What could've been a momentous achievement melted into a frustrating, disappointing loss that left the Scarlet Knights lamenting what went wrong.
Rutgers' 20-13 loss to No. 19 Michigan at Michigan Stadium Saturday represented both a crushing defeat that highlighted areas that need improvement, yet an encouraging sign about the Scarlet Knights' potential as they move into the thick of the Big Ten schedule.
Greg Schiano's team wasn't perfect. There are issues to clean up, issues that Rutgers can't afford to have going up against the elite Big Ten teams — teams like Ohio State, which travels to SHI Stadium on Saturday.
But there was enough to show Rutgers can be competitive.
That's significant, considering the Scarlet Knights are halfway to a potential bowl bid with teams like Northwestern, Illinois, Maryland, and even Wisconsin,
still on the schedule.
Those are all perhaps more winnable games than previously expected.
"We can now leave out that we're not capable because we certainly are capable," said coach Greg Schiano. "We knew that already. They knew that. But sometimes when you do it over time consistently, then you really get a belief, not only in yourself but in what you're doing.
That's what we have right now and we need to get back to work. When you lose one like that, you go one of two ways: You go into a shell or you just want to go out to practice. I feel we want to go out to practice. That's the way I feel our team is."
Rutgers went into halftime trailing, 20-3. The Scarlet Knights were struggling to slow down the Wolverines. They didn't look like a team capable of hanging around in the second half.
Yet Rutgers did just that. The defense toughened up, essentially taking the Wolverines' rushing attack away from them. The unit forced three-and-outs in the fourth quarter to give the offense chances, but it couldn't capitalize on enough of them.
A missed 29-yard field goal. A failed fourth-down conversion. A turnover.
Rutgers committed all of it the final quarter.
Still, the way the Scarlet Knights' defense played in the second half is the way they need to play for all four quarters — it held Michigan to just 42 yards after halftime.
"Progress is something that's very important for us. Now we've just got to find a way to put it all together for four quarters of a football game," safety Avery Young said. "This upcoming week's a great opportunity to do that."
Going up against Ohio State, at home, is another big opportunity for Rutgers to show its progress, to try to take down an elite Big Ten program.
The Scarlet Knights can hang around with the top Big Ten teams. The next step is actually beating them.