Rutgers snaps losing streak with 31-21 win over Army

WEST POINT, N.Y. — Demonstrating the ability to overcome injuries to key players and the suspension of a defensive leader, the Rutgers football team snapped its four-game losing streak on Saturday at West Point with a 31-21 win over Army.

Leading tackler, junior weakside linebacker, Steve Longa was held out due to a lower body injury and the Scarlet Knights (4-7, 1-6) best offensive weapon, senior wide receiver Leonte Carroo, didn’t play a single snap in the second half due to his own lower body injury.

But none of that mattered to running back Paul James.

The senior captain carried Rutgers’ offense, rushing for 116 yards on 18 carries and tied a career-high with three touchdowns to pace a rushing attack that picked up 258 yards on the ground at Michie Stadium.

After the win, James was just happy to put the brakes on the losing skid.

“It’s a relief,” James said. “It brings that happiness and that excitement that we really haven’t had in awhile. That’s what really drives you.”

Rutgers second-leading rusher coming into the contest, sophomore Josh Hicks, started at free safety in place of junior Anthony Cioffi, who was suspended for the game due to a violation of team rules.

Flood made a bold move by flipping Hicks to the defensive side of the ball. But after the sophomore’s performance, it’s clear Flood pushed just the right button.

Hicks was all over the field on defense, collecting six tackles, recovering a fumble and making a pivotal interception to end a scoring threat from Army midway through the fourth quarter.

The fourth-year head coach said after the game that he and Hicks had discussed the position change early in the week. Ultimately it paid off.

“It’s something Josh (Hicks) and I spoke about earlier in the year, but I didn’t think the timing was right,” Flood said. “I approached the thought again with him as we were getting ready for this game and looking at who would be available.”

Hicks’s performance wowed sophomore quarterback Chris Laviano,who himself had a bounce back game.

Laviano’s stat line was far from impressive — 13-of-21 for 105 yards — but he was able to protect the football and make throws when the offense needed it, helping the rushing attack by forcing the Army defense to defend the pass.

But on Saturday, ot was all about Hicks.

“(Hicks is) a real team player,” Laviano said. “Our relationship is so close because we pretty much are involved together all the time. I sit next to him in the team meeting room and he’s always for the team. He got rewarded for his sacrifice today and he made a really nice play.”

That nice play sealed the victory for the Scarlet Knights.

Army true freshman quarterback Chris Carter drove the Black Knights 60 yards to get into the red zone with the assistance of a pass interference call on redshirt freshman cornerback Isaiah Wharton on a 3rd-and-8 to gain a fresh set of downs.

A few plays later, Carter threw into the middle of the end zone and Hicks leaped in the air to pick it off as his teammates mobbed him in celebration.

“I thought it was really critical,” Flood said of Hicks’s pick. “You’re talking about a two-possession game or a one-possession game. If you don’t get the interception and they score a touchdown, now you’re dealing with an onside kick and you’ve got a lot more outcomes that you could be looking at.”

Despite his impressive individual performance, Hicks spoke of the impact of the win for his team after the game, saying little about his personal play on the field.

“It was a real good day for the team,” he said. “We got the win and that’s the only thing that’s important right now.”

The visiting Knights ran the ball effectively and they were able to contain Army’s triple-option for the most part. Army scored just once in the second half, coming early in the third quarter on a 65-yard catch-and-run by wide receiver Edgar Poe, who reached over true freshman cornerback Blessuan Austin to pluck the pass from the air before rumbling the rest of the way into the end zone.

The win allows the boys from the Banks to take a deep breath and return home for next week’s matchup with Maryland as their faint bowl hopes remain on life support.

Rutgers remains in the mix for its 10th bowl berth in 11 years, even at 5-7, due to its Academic Progress Rate, a measure that serves as a tiebreaker.

"I’m really proud of this team,” Flood said. “I’m really proud of the unselfish nature of the players on this team, and I probably couldn’t have enough good things to say about Josh Hicks who goes from being the MVP of our bowl game last year as a tailback and tells me he will play anywhere on the team if he can help us win.”

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