The final bit of ugliness was the kind of play that makes the not Top 10 on highlight shows. Rutgers quarterback Noah Vedral dropped back to pass and was immediately swarmed by green jerseys, the ball coming loose and sailing high into the air before he could even throw it.
It was scooped off the turf by 285-pound Michigan State tackle Simeon Barrow, and the only saving grace is that the big man was tackled before he could score a fifth Spartans touchdown of more than 60 yards in a deflating 31-13 Rutgers loss.
Vedral ended up in the medical tent after that hit — the fourth time he was sacked in this game but the umpteenth time he was thrown to the turf — and didn’t return to the game. That means the Scarlet Knights, already down their top two playmakers, could enter the second half of their season wondering if their starting quarterback is healthy.
The good news: Vedral said in an interview after the game that he will be ready to play when the team travels to Northwestern next week. Even so, his unit is averaging just two touchdowns a game against Power 5 competition. It is hard to watch this team midway through the season and not get that here-we-go-again feeling.
The Rutgers offense is broken again.
The offensive line is nonfunctional, rotating players in hopes of finding some combination that can keep Vedral off his back. The receiving corps is depleted, with Aaron Cruickshank joining No. 1 target Bo Melton on the sidelines after falling to the turf following a long pass in the third quarter. Vedral remains the best quarterback option, but he misfired on several throws as the Scarlet Knights kept stalling in the red zone.
And, for maybe the first time, the play calling looks suspect. Sean Gleeson was showered with praise and rewarded with a seven-digit contract after his first season as offensive coordinator for building a functional attack in Piscataway. Now, in Year 2, he seems to be running into the same problems as his many unsuccessful predecessors.
What does Rutgers do well on offense? If you can come up with an answer, Greg Schiano might hire you as a consultant.
“We feel like we’re just right there,” Vedral said after the loss. “I feel like the team battled today, we just made a few self-inflicted wounds that we couldn’t overcome. That’s my feeling. I feel like we’re a play here, a play there, one less mistake here from being a really good football team.”
To be clear: This loss doesn’t fall entirely, or even mostly, on the offense. The Rutgers defense gave up scoring plays of 94, 65, 63 and 63 yards in the game as Michigan State — hardly the mighty Buckeyes when it comes to firepower — left town with a 300-yard passer, a 200-yard rusher and a 200-yard receiver.
If that sounds unusual, well, that’s because this is only the fifth time a team has accomplished that in FBS history. Payton Thorne completed 16 of 27 passes for 339 yards. Kenneth Walker III rushed 29 times for 233 yards. Jalen Nailor needed just five catches for 221 yards and three touchdowns. That’s quite a box score.
“I look at this game, we gave up big plays,” Schiano said. “We gave up four big plays. We haven’t done that. We haven’t given up big plays. You give up big plays, it’s hard to do anything. You’re behind the 8-ball.”
Schiano was encouraged that the Scarlet Knights still were within striking distance in the second half despite those breakdowns. But even that has a lot to do with a lack of aggression and mistakes on the other sideline from his counterpart, Michigan State coach Mel Tucker, who squandered several chances to put the pedal to the floor.
He won because he had the better athletes. Michigan State’s playmakers had 91 yards after the catch, compared to seven for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights’ biggest offensive play of the day was a 33-yard run by Vedral in the first quarter, and after that, the MSU defense seemed ready for the designed runs that are a staple of Gleeson’s offense.
No one should give up on the OC. He proved last fall that he is good at his job while breathing life into an offense that ranked near the bottom of nearly every NCAA statistic. It is undeniable that the results, however, haven’t been nearly as good this season.
Have teams caught up with his game plans? Is this a fundamental problem with the talent level? Either way, it’s his job to figure it out.
“We had an opportunity to win for the better part of this football game, even though we didn’t play well in areas,” Schiano said. “That, to me, shows we just got to keep going. It’s not time to panic. We’ve got a lot of football left. After six games, we’re back to neutral, so here we go.”
The second half of the season starts in Evanston, Ill., against Northwestern, which is ranked 113th in total defense while giving up 448.6 yards a game. The Scarlet Knights might have played the three best defenses they’re going to face this season, which is as good a reason to keep the faith as any.
They are unlikely to beat anybody, however, scoring just two touchdowns a game. The Rutgers offense looks broken right now. Can it be fixed in time to save the season?
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Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com.
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