Greg Schiano is both right and wrong in defense of Rutgers football

Greg Schiano has long been one of the best defensive coaches in college football. He’s also been one of the best at playing things close to the vest in what he says publicly. On Monday during his game week press conference ahead of Saturday’s matchup against Penn State, he defended his program against criticism following a 22-0 road loss to No. 22 Iowa.

When asked about the read option and whether quarterback Gavin Wimsatt has the green light to make certain run calls, Schiano took it as an opportunity to remind everyone of the progress made this season. After a disappointing result this past Saturday, Schiano didn’t seem too pleased of the second guessing and criticism directed at the program. He used the question as an opportunity to express it.

Below is the full quote, along with reasons why I think Schiano was right in how he responded to critics as well as what I thought he was wrong about.

Full Quote

“It’s interesting that you read that question. That was somewhere from your Football 101 or — yeah, I am not going to get into how we read plays, Richie. I’ll never do that. That would be foolish on my part. You’re right, Gavin didn’t carry it as much as he has, and in retrospect, maybe we should have, right.”

“There’s a lot of — the tough thing where we are right now is you know, if all of us were together on July 31, and we were hanging out talking and somebody said, okay, you’re going to the fourth quarter at Kinnick Stadium and it’s 6-0 Iowa, and by the way, you’re 6-3, would you take it, would you take it? Would you have taken it in July? I would have taken it in July.”

“We are a developmental program. We are developing, for sure. We are going like this (indicating upward trajectory). But let’s realize who we are. That’s one of the biggest things I talk to our team about. At Rutgers, and I think that meant a lot that have been here longer than I have. So I kind of know about this place. I might not know about every place but I know about this place. And at this place, you’ve really got to stay focused on who you are. See, the way we’ve played the game, has allowed us to be in every single game this year going into the fourth quarter with an opportunity to win. In the past, that wasn’t the case. To me, that’s an incremental improvement.”

“I know we’d all love to go from 4-8 to 12-0, but it’s just not going to work that way at Rutgers. Maybe somewhere else but not here. Maybe if you go into free agency — I’m sorry, NIL, and get all these players in a swoop because you had a bankroll the size of Detroit, then maybe you would turn it (snapping fingers), but we don’t have that. So we know who we are. I know who we are. And the way we are playing the game right now might not necessarily be the way we play it two years from now when some of these younger players that we think are really promising now are developed, and playing at a different level, thenot n we can play the game differently.”

“So everything we do right now, whether it’s right or wrong that, can be argued, that’s the beautiful thing about sports, right. That’s why you guys have jobs. You write stuff. It stirs it up. People want to talk about it. That’s why I have a job, because people want to come watch it. But we really think the way we are doing it gives us the best chance to win. It doesn’t guarantee us a win. We are not at that point. Hopefully down the road we’ll be at that point. That’s kind of how we do it. With your question, it’s particular how we’re going to read something out. I would never get into that. But I will say that I do agree with you, when he runs the ball, he’s been effective. Nothing was really effective Saturday after the first quarter. First quarter, you know, we’re moving the ball. We just shoot ourselves in the foot with those procedure penalties. It’s not going to be quiet this weekend, right. So it was really loud at Iowa and guess what, at Beaver Stadium, it gets pretty loud. We are going to have to get over that and figure out how to operate in the noise. Poise in the noise.”

Why Schiano is right

I thought the head coach was spot on in saying if the idea of his team having a 6-3 record and trailing Iowa 6-0 in the fourth quarter was presented in July, every single person affiliated to Rutgers in some way would be happy with that hypothetical. It was a reality on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights having a legitimate chance to win in Iowa City late in the game is a form of progress.

There is no denying the improvement made already this season. Even if RU is unable to win again in 2023, the season has to be considered a success.

Of course, things got away from RU resulting in a 22-0 loss. However, a disappointing loss to Iowa in a game many fans thought Rutgers had a chance to win is actually a sign of progress too. Acknowledging a desire for a better outcome while pointing out the challenges your program has overcome to even be in that situation is fair.

Schiano obviously has the credibility in saying he is an authority on what is best for his program. The way in which Rutgers has approached games this season has kept them in every game, even in those they ultimately lost by multiple scores.

In the end, Schiano knows there is value in what happened against Iowa. He said on Saturday that the coaches and players will learn from it. Fans don’t always think about the big picture when a loss occurs.

Why Schiano is wrong

On the flip side, showing frustration in fans and media driving the narrative that Rutgers should have played better because expectations have grown is a bit of wanting things to be both ways.

The challenges Schiano lamented in being a developmental program, not being able to turn the roster over with NIL and trying to beat an established winning program in a difficult environment are fair.

That being said, garnering support, interest and excitement when you win is predictably going to turn on you when a disappointing loss occurs. It’s a reality with social media and years of losing. A success starved fan base is going to react with disappointment, some more negative than others.

Schiano is almost always immune to showing any frustration in this regard, but Monday was different.

I don’t think fans are being ungrateful for being upset with how Rutgers played against Iowa. I personally criticized the coaching staff and play calling for how the Scarlet Knights performed. Schiano has spoken at length this season about the program being close to breaking through. He has routinely said they need to change the “not yet” in regard to seizing the moment.

This is a program that hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent in 14 years. Rutgers hasn’t had a winning season in 9 years, which is also the last time they’ve become bowl eligible before this season. Fans hoped another step could be taken on Saturday.

I said in my postgame reaction that rarely are teams able to accelerate progress multiple steps in the same season. That doesn’t mean fans shouldn’t be disappointed that it didn’t happen. And media rightfully criticized a shutout loss while allowing the worst power five offense to amass over 400 yards in total offense for the first time this season.

In this current college sports landscape, it’s not realistic to ask for NIL support and fans selling out home games without having to also deal with the fallout from falling short.

Saturday was an opportunity for the program to take a big leap forward. It didn’t happen. It doesn’t mean the progress made is for naught. It just means fans believed more can be made and were upset it didn’t happen.

Venting about fan frustration and media criticism seems counterproductive and also unfair to many who have cared for a long time. Even through many bad seasons after he left the first time. Being upset that an opportunity was missed shows the belief fans have in what he has built at Rutgers, both previously and now.

Greg Schiano even being in the conversation for Big Ten Coach of the Year is a testament to the job he’s done. It’s deserved. But so was fans being upset with the team’s performance against Iowa.

In the end, everyone wants the same thing and that’s for Rutgers to be successful. I know Schiano knows that and his frustration is a sign of how much he wants that to  occur. It’s the same thing for fans. Saturday doesn’t change the fact all sides believe it will ultimately happen.