Getty Image / Rich Schultz
Every once in a while, one of those “buy” games that power 5 teams play against a bad FCS team can turn interesting on the scoreboard as the FCS team tries to pull off a massive upset. By the end of the season-opener between Rutgers and Howard, that was not the case.
But, Rutgers and Head Coach Greg Schiano provided us with some intrigue when they decided to score a touchdown with seven seconds left. That caused Howard Head Coach Larry Scott to be pretty upset after the game.
For a while, the Rutgers-Howard game was competitive. Rutgers struggled on offense out of the gate, with their only points in the game’s first 25 minutes coming on a a pick-six in the first quarter. Eventually, the Scarlet Knights offense got going behind excellent running back Kyle Monangai (19 carries, 168 yards, 1 TD)
By the time the game was about to end, they had cruised to a 37-7 lead for a season-opening win. But, Greg Schiano wanted more apparently, and a ran a play to try to score as time expired. Reserve quarterback Antwan Raymond did just that, running in from 11 yards out after a 20-yard run on the first play of the drive.
Larry Scott was not happy about it, nor should he be. Take a look.
7 seconds left and Rutgers runs it up the gut for another touchdown. Didn’t seem to sit well with Howard HC Larry Scott. Schiano leaned in… pic.twitter.com/3VKT7LlhwF
— FootballScoop (@FootballScoop) August 30, 2024
There are two sides to this. On one hand, there’s no need for Rutgers to run a play there and run a risk of injury for either team in a game they already lead by 30 points.
On the other hand, Greg Schiano is in the midst of a rebuild that he’s looking to take to the next level after the team made a bowl game last year and beat Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl. He’s trying to instill a killer instinct, and this is one way to do it. Plus, the game is 60 minutes long, not 59 minutes and 53 seconds.
Ultimately, neither team’s season will be defined by Rutgers running that play to try to score.