Rutgers proving they're a national power already
BY MIKE McDONALD
Staff Writer

With each passing week, more and more people are realizing just how good the Rutgers University football team really is.

The fact is, the Scarlet Knights are making it very hard to doubt them.

The Rutgers team is rolling along with a perfect 7-0 record and is currently ranked 16th in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today polls after beating a good University of Pittsburgh (6-2) team this past Saturday.

Rutgers beat Pittsburgh, who was coming off four straight victories, by the final score of 20-10, in what was the latest strong performance in front of a national audience.

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, who is beginning to be mentioned as a front-runner in the national Coach of the Year race, is deservedly proud of the way his team has played this season.

"It feels good. It puts us in a position to keep moving forward," said Schiano after Saturday's victory.

Move forward is what Rutgers, specifically sophomore running back Ray Rice, did all night against Pittsburgh.

Rice finished the game with 225 yards on 39 carries and one touchdown. Rice has rushed for over 200 yards four times in his young college football career.

"Ray Rice just continues to play the game the way we love to see it played. He's a really special [running] back," said Schiano.

Just when Pittsburgh seemed like they were getting back in the game, cutting the Rutgers lead to just three points, Rice broke the game open when he busted through the middle of the Pittsburgh defense and darted downfield, stopping 63 yards later

"It [the Pittsburgh defense] just parted, it just split, and I had a burst and that was it right there," Rice said.

Now with Rutgers just yards away from the end zone, the sophomore again shoved his way through the Pittsburgh defense and found himself in the end zone. The plunge forward gave Rutgers a 10-point lead - a lead that Rutgers would not relinquish.

"Rice's 63-yard run was an answer-the-bell type run," said Schiano.

The Rutgers defense was able to shut down Pittsburgh's superstar quarterback, Tyler Palko, who came into the game as the nation's most efficient quarterback. Palko was sacked four times and was held to just 169 yards passing.

"The Pitt quarterback is a great player, no doubt about it. All we could hope to do was contain him, and we didn't even do that every time. The great players are going to be able to make things happen," said Schiano.

Speaking of making things happen, one of the best moves Schiano has made since coming to Rutgers was one that usually doesn't work. When he took over the reins of defensive coordinator, many thought he would be unsuccessful. After all, it is very difficult to be the head coach and defensive coordinator of a college football team.

Well, he has certainly proved his critics wrong. All that Rutgers' defense has done this year is become No. 1 nationally in scoring defense and No. 2 in total defense.

But more importantly, Rutgers, once a team that seemed like it couldn't do anything right, now plays as sound a football game - from minute one to the last second of the fourth quarter - as you can find anywhere at the collegiate level. Even the coach will not shy away from how flawlessly his team has played this season.

"Efficiency is what we're looking for. One of the best things about our guys is they learn from their mistakes. Sure, they make mistakes, but they don't make the same mistakes twice," said Schiano.

Rutgers, who is a perfect 2-0 playing Big East teams, next hosts Big East opponent University of Connecticut this coming Sunday at 8 p.m.