Greg Schiano describes 'step' for Rutgers football program with bowl eligibility

It’s been nearly a decade, but Rutgers will go bowling this postseason under Greg Schiano after the Scarlet Knights defeated Indiana 31-14 to improve to 6-2 on the season.

While the Scarlet Knights made it to the Gator Bowl in 2021, due to Texas A&M dropping out due to COVID-19 issues, Rutgers hasn’t made it via the traditional route since 2014. That season, the first in the Big Ten for RU, the Scarlet Knights led by then-coach Kyle Flood, Schiano’s successor, finished 8-5 and won the Quick Lane Bowl over North Carolina.

Since then, it’s been a lot of trial and tribulation for New Jersey’s state team, but Schiano always believed since he returned to the program in 2020.

“Well, it’s a step,” Schiano said postgame. “As we did last time, you get to be bowl eligible, and that’s one step on the journey. It’s been well chronicled, we didn’t finish the journey last time. And that’s the goal. It’s going to take time. I told you when we got here, it was going to take time. There’s no quick fixes. Not at Rutgers. It’s hard and you just work and work and work. But this is definitely a step.”

The “journey” last time, as described by Schiano, was finishing No. 1 and winning it all. In 2006, Rutgers soared as high as No. 7 overall before late season losses derailed any hope of an undefeated season and the BCS National Championship Game. Heck, it ended the team’s hopes of winning the Big East Conference.

Schiano promised a rebuild, progress and ultimately success in the Big Ten when he came back to the school. He’s 18-24 since coming back, but the fruits of the labor seem to be paying off this year.

The final third of the schedule is brutal from a competition standpoint: Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State and Maryland. But if anyone believes in one game at a time at Rutgers, it’s Schiano and his team.

“It’s monumental for us and our program,” linebacker Deion Jennings said. “What coach Schiano has done for this program, we’ve seen consistent growth. Seeing the ups and downs of this program – it’s been a wild ride, but I’m glad we’re here.”

Rutgers heads into the bye week already bowl eligible and will play a 13th game later in the winter. Wherever the Scarlet Knights go and whomever they play is to-be-determined. 

However, it won’t matter in the end if you measure substantial progress for the program based on what happened post-first year in the Big Ten.