Rutgers Head Coach Greg Schiano met with members of the media after Rutgers’ 35-13 blowout loss to Illinois to answer questions and talk about where the team will go from here. This press conference was
relatively shorter than ones in games past, with Schiano only at the podium for a little less than six minutes instead of his usual eight or nine.
The first question Schiano was asked had to do with the fact that Illinois scored a touchdown on five of its first six drives and what exactly went wrong with the defense to allow that. Schiano had this to say in response:
“We got out-coached, I got out-coached, we got out-played, I thought they did a very good job, we were a step behind all day.”
He also, as usual, praised the talent on the other sideline.
Another question concerned the inconsistency of the offense and whether Schiano believed the unit underperformed on the day. While he did not necessarily disagree with the statement, he pointed out how it was the whole organization that underperformed and not just the offense. He also pointed out that they did not run the ball as they had wanted to and that the passing attack was inconsistent. Rutgers totaled 59 rushing yards on the day, and quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis went 25/45 through the air.
The last question that was asked had to do with whether Schiano was worried about the perception of the program after their blowout losses to Oregon and Illinois. Perception of a college program is very important for obvious reasons, such as donations, recruitment, etc. Schiano said that at this point in the season that he is not worried about the perception of the program because there are issues they have to attack now. He said that there is a time to address that, but that time is not in the middle of the season.
To view the entire press conference, click here.
