After a devasting Rutgers loss to end the season, there is a lot the Scarlet Knights will need to work on moving forward. Maryland beat the Scarlet Knights 37-0, moving the Terps up to a 7-5 record, and Rutgers down to a 4-8 record to end the season. By the fourth quarter, both teams even switched their quarterbacks. After losing that poorly, what went wrong in the devastating Rutgers loss against Maryland?
Devastating Rutgers Loss: The Offense
The Scarlet Knights’ offense had a horrible game against Maryland. In the devastating Rutgers loss, the team had to punt on every position, aside from their last due to the game clock running out of time. On the bright side, senior Punter, Adam Korsak was able to show off, as he is the highest draft prospect for the Scarlet Knights.
In this game, sophomore quarterback, Gavin Wimsatt once again got the start. Wimsatt completed five passes out of 13 attempts for only 48 yards, according to ESPN. In the fourth quarter, Evan Simon was put in to replace Wimsatt and completed three out of nine passes for 24 yards. Luckily for the team, neither quarterback threw an interception. Despite no turnovers, this was not enough to get a point on the board.
As for the run game in the devastating Rutgers loss, that also was not able to reach 100 yards. The team had a total of 27 carries for 63 yards, the longest run being for 16 yards. This does include Wimsatt, who rushed for negative 13 yards. After losing this poorly to Maryland, it is evident there is a lot that will need to be fixed before next year.
Devastating Rutgers Loss: The Defense
Despite not having the greatest season, the Scarlet Knights’ defense has not been as bad as their record may indicate. When playing against Maryland, the defense had a total of 73 combined tackles, only 11 being tackles for loss. The team also totaled only five sacks, two coming from senior defensive lineman, Mayan Ahanotu. This may have been a devastating Rutgers loss, but the ability to tackle is a great part of the game to look at.
Between the two quarterbacks for Maryland, primarily Taulia Tagovailoa, the team had a total of 379 receiving yards, according to ESPN. Tagovailoa alone had a total of 345 passing yards and one passing touchdown. For as good of a defense that the Scarlet Knights have, they did not do enough. The Terps also had a total of 134 rushing yards. The Scarlet Knights really did not do too poorly defending the run, but three touchdowns were rushed by freshman running back Roman Hemby. Despite this devastating Rutgers loss, the team can be relieved to hold Maryland to only 134 yards.
As long as the Scarlet Knights can bring in solid depth through the transfer portal, or through recruits, they should be able to hold their own. A large priority will need to be filling in the positions where the team will lose seniors, such as defensive back Avery Young.
Devastating Rutgers Loss: The Coaching
While by this point in the season there was not much Rutgers could have fixed ahead of playing Maryland, questions need to be asked. It was not just this devastating Rutgers loss that brought on questions about the decisions made by head coach, Greg Schiano. This does not mean that he should be fired, especially because the team looked better than they have in recent years, but questions should be raised.
As it was the final game for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, when Wimsatt was pulled out of the game, it was curious that Sciano did not put the senior quarterback, Noah Vedral in. With Rutgers only winning four games this season, this was the last one, and it is odd Vedral did not get to play his final collegiate game. This was a devastating Rutgers loss, but they could have at least gotten Vedral a couple of snaps in.
This season, it was questioned why Vedral was pulled once Wimsatt was healthy because the Scarlet Knights were winning with Vedral. They also did poorly with Wimsatt in. While it is too late for anything now, the decision-making should be worked on before next season.
After this devastating Rutgers loss, the Scarlet Knights will end the season with a 4-7 record. The team played better than expected this season, and if they can build their team, they have a lot to look forward to.
For More NFL and NCAA Content:
Check out my most recent article on Deebo Samuel being listed as questionable for the 49ers here. Also, check out this Rutgers article, and this Penn State article here. Check out my most recent NFL Underestimated Player Spotlight.
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