COLUMN: Rutgers football must have balanced offensive attack to take next step in 2024
As head coach Greg Schiano got a grip on the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl trophy and hoisted it high into the air, a huge smile appeared on his face. The Rutgers football team had just defeated Miami 31-24 to cap off its first winning season and first bowl game victory since 2014.
“If you were in that locker room seeing those kids celebrate, bowl games are really important,” Schiano said.
The Scarlet Knights (7-6, 3-6) had a successful 2023 season. Many pundits predicted Rutgers to get around four wins, and very few thought it would make a bowl game. But as the team hung around Yankee Stadium taking pictures with the trophy, they did not seem to care much about what the pundits had to say heading into the season.
“To finish over .500 is definitely a big step for this program,” said junior running back Kyle Monangai. “And to win the last game of the season definitely something positive to build off going into the offseason.”
The 2024 season was the Knights' best campaign in the Schiano 2.0 era, but as Schiano himself will tell you, it is only a step in Rutgers' development.
“It’s literally a mile marker on the road to where we're going, it’s not the exit,” Schiano exclaimed after the game. “This is exciting, this is the start. It's not only the end of the 23’ season, but it's the beginning of the 24’ season, especially in this day and age. I think this will be great to fuel us in the wintertime and in the springtime to get ready for 2024.”
The Knights got to the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl by playing complimentary football. They relied on their defense, special teams and rushing attack. But if Rutgers wants to take the next step in the 2024 season, it is going to have to open up the playbook and pass more often.
In the middle of the third quarter, the Hurricanes (7-6, 3-4) had come back from being down 14-0 to being up 17-14 and had momentum on their side. The Knights could get nothing going on offense as Miami was able to bottle up Rutgers’ rushing attack.
Then, junior defensive back Trevor Yeboah-Kodie blocked the Hurricanes punt in the endzone which was recovered by junior defensive back Timmy Ward to give the Knights the lead back. Rutgers was able to use its positive momentum from there to grind out the victory.
Junior quarterback Gavin Wimsatt only attempted five passes in the second half and completed one of those attempts, a six-yard pass completion to Monangai in the middle of the third quarter. While the Knights did not need Wimsatt’s throwing ability on Thursday, they can not rely on special teams touchdowns to bail them out if they want to take another step next year.
Rutgers consistently struggled against the upper echelon of the Big Ten due to its one-dimensional offense.
“I think there’s definitely some things that I could’ve did better this season,” Wimsatt said assessing his season. “But that's what the offseason is for. Go into the offseason, have a plan, make sure we get better for next year.”
Whether the coaching staff believes Wimsatt is the right guy to open up the passing playbook, or they will look into the transfer portal to get a quarterback who can, the Knights need to have a more balanced attack come 2024. It will be hard to generate the program-defining upsets without one.
Getting transfer wide receiver Dymere Miller is a good start but that momentum needs to continue as the offseason progresses, whether that be a change in personnel or scheme.
The 2023 season was a great success, and the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl trophy was held up by Schiano as a testament to the team's achievements this season, but a balanced offensive attack is needed to take another leap forward in 2024.
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