You can criticize Greg Schiano for not having won the Big East, but you wont be getting the Big Picture. Rutgers was never used in the same sentance as Winning anyways.
You can criticize Schiano for being one game over .500 in a weak conference. Again, the word Rutgers and .500 were not used in too many articles, except in the terms of how far under.
Imagine the lowest program you can think of, that was Rutgers. Then suddenly, slowly, they become a program that puts players in the NFL, and compete each year against the big boys.
You can criticize Schiano’s record against good teams in college, but youd be missing the point that those good teams used to only schedule Rutgers for homecoming. Under Schiano, they were winning some of them.
Problem is Rutgers didnt win a lot of game vs top quality opponents, but then again, your still not getting the big picture. Were talking about Rutgers here. So if you want an accurate way to judge Schiano, you have to look at Rutgers teams going against similarly talented ball clubs. Those are called Bowl Games. You get invited to Bowls to play teams in other conferences that are similarly ranked as you, fall into a similar standing as you (3rd place, 4th place, etc) and thats the best way to determine how good or bad a program or its coaches are.
Schiano and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights have won thier last 5 bowl games in a row. No, they didnt go to the Rose Bowl, or any major BCS bowl, but Rutgers wasnt that kind of team…yet. But they finished off their peers when they faced them in the big games.
It starts in 2005, 4 seasons after the new coach took over the program. Rutgers hadnt been to a bowl game since 1978 when they lost to Arizona state by 14. That was their only bowl game in history.
Greg Sciano guided them to the 2005 Insight Bowl vs Arizona State again by some odds. They lost in a shootout, 40-45, and both teams finished 7-5.
In 2006, probably Schiano’s teams best season, Rutgers beat Josh Freeman’s Kansas State team 37-10 behind the running of Ray Rice. One of Freeman’s Targets in that game was none other than Jordy Nelson. Rice ended up as the MVP of the game.
2007 International Bowl, Rutgers destoryed Ball State 52 to 30, with 280 yards for Ray Rice. Rutgers set 9 bowl records at the International Bowl.
2008 Rutgers beat NC State 29-23 on the strength of a come from behind win, erasin
g an 11 point second half deficit. Rutgers would finish the year 8-5.
2009 here in the St. Petersburg Bowl, Rutgers tore apart UCF 45 to 24 and finished 9-4. Rutgers scored touchdowns in all three phases of the game, Offense, Defense, and Special Teams.
Five teams that were competative with the Rutgers team, and five victories against them. Dont compare the names or bowls to the likes of Florida or Florida State. Rutgers attracts a different athlete, has a different history, its like comparing a 2A school to a 6A team. But when you compare like terms, Rutgers and Greg Sciano always came out on top.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
