The job of a coaching staff is to make quick decisions at the most important moments of a game.
For Rutgers, those decisions came in the second half against Virginia Tech on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights led 23-7 in the third quarter when head coach Greg Schiano was put in situations with multiple options.
Sometimes decisions work, sometimes they don’t. In the second half, some decisions didn’t go in Rutgers’ favor.
“When people start questioning decisions, that’s what you do,” Schiano said after the game. “That’s what you do for a living. That’s part of it. Game announcers have to make decisions. In 12 seconds, they have to make decisions that really matter. I was really proud of our staff.”
Early in the second half, DJ Djabome forced a fumble and the Scarlet Knights took over Hokie territory with a 23-7 lead. Rutgers was able to advance to the 10-yard line and create a goal-to-go situation.
Two runs by Kyle Monangai and a seven-yard run by Athan Kaliakmanis set up the fourth down and the game-winning play from the one-yard line. After a timeout, Rutgers decided to break away from its identity and didn’t turn around to put the ball in the hands of Monangai or even Sam Brown, who is a powerful running back.
Kaliakmanis came under pressure and his pass was incomplete, giving the ball back to Virginia Tech.
“You plan what you think are the best plays for the situation,” Schiano said. “You have more than one in your plan and you call what you think is best at the time. Virginia Tech does the same thing on the other side. Their decision was more advantageous than ours on that play.”
The defense held firm and forced Virginia Tech to punt. On Rutgers’ ensuing possession, it faced a fourth down at the Hokies’ 35-yard line. Schiano outran Patel, who had missed earlier in the game, and made a 53-yard field goal. A delay of game returned the ball five yards, but Virginia Tech jumped offsides and returned the ball to the original spot.
“First of all, we decided we were going to shoot the ball,” Schiano said. “He made it before the game. From there, he made it. Then we got the penalty and went back to the spot where we originally said we were going to shoot it. Maybe I should have thought about it a little more. The reason we lured him offside and went into a different rhythm was so we could shoot it again. Let’s call it aggressive, I call it trusting my guys.”
The Patel kick missed and the Hokies were once again in position. Rutgers held on defensively, but Virginia Tech tied the game at 23-23 before the Scarlet Knights made the plays they needed to win down the stretch.
Rutgers took the ball into the red zone six times during its first eight possessions, only scoring three times. This is an area where improvements need to be made going forward as the competition remains tough.
“We moved the ball up and down the field,” Schiano said. “Sometimes we didn’t finish the job. So far, we’ve done a really good job in the red zone. Again, the team we played against has really good players. That’s part of the deal. Well coached. Coach Pry does a great job.”
