It isn’t very often that the Scarlet Knights get a chance to play a Big Ten team. It’s been years since the R.U.-Penn State rivalry ended when the Nittany Lions entered the Big Ten, and, other than a few lucky breaks in games against Michigan State, Rutgers is pretty much a non-entity in Big Ten non-conference play. Yesterday, however, the Scarlet Knights got a chance to go up against the Illini of Illinois, and pulled off a 33-0 victory:
PISCATAWAY — The Rutgers football team had just spent the afternoon dominating Illinois in every phase of the game, cruising to a thoroughly decisive 33-0 victory at packed Rutgers Stadium.
But all Eric Foster could reflect on was the past. How when he arrived here four years ago, Rutgers might have lost this game; how last year, the Scarlet Knights did lose this game.
“This shows how far we’ve come as a team,” the junior defensive tackle said. “In the past, we probably would have let this game slip away, but this year it’s not going to happen.”
Foster and the rest of his defensive mates didn’t let it happen.
“The defense executed exactly the way they were asked,” said Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, whose team pitched a shutout against an Illinois offense that came in ranked third in the country after Week 1.
Sure, that’s misleading a bit. The Illini, after all, did their damage against a Division I-AA school, racking up 519 yards and 47 points against Eastern Illinois.
But it still says something that Rutgers didn’t allow Illinois past midfield all game. The closest the Illini got was its own 48.
“Obviously, we stunk it up,” Illinois coach Ron Zook said. “That (Rutgers) football team is good, but they’re not 33 points better than us. It’s embarrassing.”
The Knights did their best to downplay last year’s 33-30 loss at Illinois.
“This whole week,” Schiano reiterated Saturday, “was nothing about last year.”
But Foster relented.
“I’m not going to lie,” he said. “When I saw Illinois on the schedule, I was like, ‘OK, we have another shot at them.’ That loss left a sour taste in my mouth. It felt so good playing them again. … ‘You got us last year. Try getting us this year.’ “
Good for them. Next week, the Knights go up against the Bobcats of Ohio University.
