WVU looks for 10th in a row against Rutgers
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) – Rich Rodriguez isn’t interested in West Virginia’s recent domination against Rutgers, even if the numbers are staggering. The No. 15 Mountaineers (6-1, 2-0 Big East) have won the last nine games against the Scarlet Knights (4-3, 1-2) by an average of 35.2 points. The combined scores in the last three games were 154-26.
Doesn’t matter, Rodriguez says. Just look at last year.
Despite losing 34-19, Rutgers was competitive for a change. The Mountaineers were clinging to a 10-3 lead late in the first half when the game turned on a Scarlet Knights’ mistake.
Faced with a fourth-and-13 from his own 17 with four seconds to go, West Virginia quarterback Rasheed Marshall noticed Rutgers had its punt team on the field. He threw a pass up for grabs and Chris Henry turned it into a game-breaking, 83-yard TD catch and run.
“They played us very tough last year and we were in a battle with them all the way to the end at our place,” Rodriguez said. “Our guys will have their full focus on Rutgers and hopefully we’ll have a good week and be ready to go.”
Besides the long losing streak, Rutgers also knows this is a game it needs to win to get back into the conference’s bowl picture.
This was supposed to be the year the Scarlet Knights made a run at their second postseason berth. Their hopes took a big hit last weekend in an embarrassing 41-17 loss at Pittsburgh.
“We’re playing at their place and with them playing a ranked team, I’m sure they are going to be fired up and I’m sure we’re going to get their best effort,” Rodriguez said.
Rutgers has only posted two wins over ranked teams in its history. Both came in 1988, with upsets of Michigan State and Penn State. Like West Virginia, both were ranked No. 15 at the time.
Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, who took over the Scarlet Knights program at the same time that Rodriguez got the West Virginia job, believes his team has made major strides.
“I think we have every opportunity to win this game against West Virginia,” Schiano said. “I’m not hoping we have an opportunity to win it, I believe we have an opportunity. We have to play well. We need to go out and play well to beat a good West Virginia team. I don’t think we’re going to be able to go out and play a game where I’m going to sit up here after the game and say we didn’t play our best but it was great to find a way to win. I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
Rutgers quarterback Ryan Hart can’t afford to have a game like last week against Pittsburgh. He turned the ball over five times, threw four interceptions and lost a fumble. Four first-half turnovers led to a 38-3 deficit.
Hart passed for 188 yards against West Virginia last year, but he also threw two interceptions.
“He’s a borderline perfectionist,” Schiano said of Hart. “I have to relieve him of that a little bit because he starts to press. He’s a grinder. I think he’s had a little bit of a bad run. He had a great run for two games and a little bit of a bad run.”
Kickoff is scheduled for noon.