Scarlet better
Rutgers rallies, improves to 7-0
PHILADELPHIA — Whatever Rutgers coach Kyle Flood does during halftime, he should keep doing it. Whatever alchemy he brews up for adjustments, he should keep making them. Awful in the first half, his Scarlet Knights were awesome in the second yesterday, drilling Temple 3510 to stay undefeated.
After digging themselves into a 100 halftime hole, the No. 19 Scarlet Knights bludgeoned Temple the rest of the way to raise their record to 70 and 40 in the Big East. They bounced back the way a ranked team should: with authority. They ran off 35 unanswered points before 35,145 at Lincoln Financial Field, inching closer to their first Big East crown.
“I wish I could tell you it was a magical halftime speech that you give, but the message was very simple: We need to execute better,’’ Flood said. “Offensive football is about an 11man execution. In the second half you saw that, and the results were obvious.’’
And emphatic. Rutgers outscored Temple 210 in the third quarter, and has outscored its foes 683 in the third quarter this season. And with nonleague home games looming against Kent State and Army before a Nov. 17 clash at Cincinnati, their Orange Bowl dreams are getting close enough to taste.
“It means a lot to us,’’ receiver Mark Harrison said. “We want to keep winning these games and get as close to the Big East championship and the national championship. That’s our dream, and that’s what we’re pushing for.’’
After a shaky first half that saw quarterback Gary Nova throw his first pick in 164 passes, lose a fumble and recover another, and being forced to throw left-handed to avoid a safety, he finished 17of27 for 232 yards and TDs to four different receivers. Running back Jawan Jamison had 195 total yards and a score to bury the Owls (33, 21 Big East).
“We adjusted ourselves, our attitude, our demeanor,’’ said Jamison, who had 114 yards rushing and another 81 receiving. “We had to come out with that fight. We didn’t come out with it in the first half.’’
The Scarlet Knights’ defense kept them in it while the offense spent the first half playing ropeadope, searching for Temple’s Achilles’ heel. They allowed 61 yards on the opening drive to the Owls’ spread, then just 130 the rest of the way, forcing three turnovers — including Khaseem Greene’s 19yard fumble return for a TD.
“We got behind each other and fought to the death, fought to the end and got the result we wanted,’’ Greene said. “We didn’t adjust [anything], we just snapped out of it, said we’ve got to play our ball.’’