BY RYAN TICE
A
fter former head coach Greg Schiano
turned the Rutgers football program
around and left for the NFL, the Scarlet
Knights turned to longtime offensive line
mentor and assistant head coach Kyle
Flood. The team debuted under the first-
time head man with a 9-4 mark in 2012,
but stumbled to a 6-7 ledger last year after
starting 4-1.
Rutgers is 4-1 once again after a
non-conference slate that featured over-
matched foes Howard, Navy and Tulane,
along with a quality win over Washington
State, which is 2-3 with one-score losses to
Rutgers, Nevada and No. 2 Oregon (WSU
also has a win over Utah, which beat U-M
at The Big House earlier this year).
The Knights did lose to Penn State by
three despite senior quarterback Gary
Nova having arguably the worst game of
his career and throwing five interceptions.
Still, the squad has surpassed expectations
to this point, which bodes well for their
bowl hopes, although the postseason is
no sure thing with matchups against four
ranked squads in the final six contests.
"There wasn't a ton of hope for Rutgers
to have a decent season before the year,"
Matt Hladik, staff writer for ScarletNa-
OCT. 1, 2014
Kyle Flood is in his third season as the
head coach at Rutgers, and he has com-
piled a 19-12 record, including a 9-4 mark
in 2012.
PHOTO COURTESY RUTGERS ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
Strong Start
A Veteran Rutgers Squad Has Opened 4-1
And Knows Saturday Is A Vital Contest
