Knights already focusing on West Virginia
In the locker room following Rutgers' 38-0 win over Morgan State on Saturday, Kevin Malast broke his team's 24-hour rule.
Rather than taking the evening to celebrate the Scarlet Knights' first win, the senior linebacker was already focused on the next opponent.
"We're going to enjoy it for, oh, an hour, maybe,"
Malast said. "I'm already thinking about West Virginia, to be honest. I'm so keyed in on this West Virginia game, I really can't think about anything else."
Like Malast, Pete Tverdov wasn't about to reflect on the Morgan State shutout. Instead, the senior defensive tackle was looking ahead at the Scarlet Knights' next "one-game season,"
a game in Morgantown, W.Va., this Saturday (Noon, SNY) to kickoff the Big East schedule.
"I think we're trying to focus on every game really being it's own season,"
Tverdov said. "Each week we have to worry about who we're playing. Next week against West Virginia this game's not going to matter. It's only going to matter how we prepare for West Virginia."
Sure, Rutgers is 1-3 overall and still has a pile of rubble to dig from before it can salvage its season. But this week the only record that matters is 0-0 — the blank slate in Big East play.
Not that you'll get anyone in Rutgers' locker room to say that.
"I know this sounds like coach-speak, but every game is a new season and that's the way we approach it. We play 12 one-game seasons but the previous week has very little to do with the current week and the week after this has very little to do with it,"
Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. "When you only play 12 games, you have to make every game its own season."
"As coaches, what we need to make it clear what they need to learn from the previous games and then everything else you gotta flush it because it's a whole new season."
Though Rutgers has never won at West Virginia in 15 previous tries, the Mountaineers (2-2) have been one of college football's biggest disappointments after beginning the season ranked in the Top 10.
Still, it's the Big East opener for the Mountaineers as well, and it's their first chance to show why they were pegged as the conference's team to beat in the preseason.
"It's a very talented football team,"
Schiano said.
As for Rutgers, Schiano said Sunday his team remains "a work in progress."
"We got a long way to go, there's no doubt about that,"
he said. "But probably most coaches feel that way right about now. You're through four games and this is where you start to define the season."
In evaluating a running attack that mustered just 93 yards against Morgan State, Schiano said there were "a couple plays that we just didn't flat out didn't make because we just didn't run them."
Schiano refused to offer a pass to a makeshift offensive line that allowed three sacks while playing without left tackle Anthony Davis (suspension) and right tackle Mike Gilmartin, who was sidelined the majority of the afternoon with a knee injury.
"We didn't stay on some of our blocks in the front, and I didn't think our second-level blocking with our fullbacks and our tight ends (was) the way we're capable of blocking,"
Schiano said. "Now, Morgan State did some things that are not easy to handle but, you know, it's your man, you need to be able to block him."
Schiano offered a positive review for quarterback Mike Teel, who passed for 188 yards and a touchdown before sitting out the entire fourth quarter.
"In the Navy game, I thought Mike really had a real good mentality up until the very end when he got frustrated,"
Schiano said. "This game, I thought he kept that mentality and really played the way we like him to play. So hopefully he can feel good about that, but again, the only thing that really matters is if he comes out and has that same approach against West Virginia."
NOTES: Though West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said that the thumb injury that sidelined star quarterback Pat White for most of the second half Saturday against Marshall "was fine,"
Schiano indicated that his game plan doesn't change regardless of which quarterback his team faces in Morgantown. "Pat White is certainly one of the premier quarterbacks in the country, but we saw the backup quarterback (Jarrett Brown) two years ago and he's a fine player,"
Rutgers' coach said. . . . Injury-wise, Schiano said his team was "a little banged up,"
but he didn't anticipate any significant injuries to arise before his team reported for practice Sunday night. "I'm sure we'll be sore tonight,"
Schiano said, "(so) there'll be some guys limited."
. . . While he twice cited the blocking at the fullback position as an area that needs improvement, Schiano dismissed a question of whether he's planning personnel changes."I just think we need to stay on top of that,"
Schiano said, offering a lukewarm endorsement for starter Jack Corcoran. "Jack's done a good job the first couple ballgames. Maybe it's just a technique thing, but we need to get it fixed."
