In order to be successful in Division I football, you need to play consistently well – whether you’re talking about over the course of the entire season, or within the context of each individual game.
On Thursday night in Louisville, Ky., the Rutgers University (RU) Scarlet Knights showed exactly what happens when you don’t maintain a high level of play for a full four quarters, squandering an 18-point lead to fall to the host Cardinals, 41-38, and drop to 7-5 on the year.
In what was a rematch of last year’s memorable Rutgers win over then-No. 2 Louisville, the Scarlet Knights came out looking very strong, scoring early and often to build a 28-10 lead midway through the second quarter. RU opened the scoring onslaught with a 36-yard touchdown pass from Mike Teel to Kenny Britt to cap a five-play, 69-yard drive that took just over two minutes. After Louisville responded with a 41- yard field goal by Art Carmody, Rutgers scored once again on its second drive, with Ray Rice finding the end zone from 10 yards out to cap a drive that saw Teel go fourfor five through the air, including a lateral pass to senior right tackle Jeremy Zuttah, of Edison, who carried the ball 13 yards to set up Rice’s 18th touchdown of the year. It marked the first carry of Zuttah’s career.
The Rutgers defense then forced a Cardinal three-and-out, before taking just four plays to go 59 yards, with Rice capping the drive with a 14-yard touchdown to give RU the 21-3 lead. The 21 firstquarter points against Louisville marked the first time Rutgers has scored 21 points in the opening quarter of a Big East game in its 17 years in the league.
Louisville got to within 11 points as quarterback Brian Brohm concluded an eightplay, 69-yard drive with a 6-yard run for a touchdown. However, the Scarlet Knights tacked on another score in the second quarter to make it 28-10 as Rice found the end zone for the third time. Rutgers began its drive with great field position after an 11- yard punt return by freshman Mason Robinson, of Somerville, and from there RU needed just six plays to go 51 yards as Rice topped things off with his 6-yard TD scamper. Rice carried four times for 22 yards, while Robinson added a 17-yard run to help move the ball for the Scarlet Knights. The 20th touchdown of the year for Rice makes him the first RU player with two consecutive seasons with 20 scores, while also moving him into second place in all-time scoring (276 career points).
To their credit, however, the Cardinals simply wouldn’t go away, getting another TD shortly before the half on a 52-yard pass from Brohm to Patrick Carter to make the score 28-17 at the break. Rutgers responded with a 39-yard touchdown pass from Teel to Britt in the third quarter to make it 35-17, but once again the Cardinals scored on their next possession, going 13 plays for 71 yards to again pull within 11 points. Running back Brock Bolen rushed up the middle for a 5-yard touchdown, making the score 35-24.
RU senior kicker Jeremy Ito would tack on a 21-yard field goal to start the fourth quarter, extending the Scarlet Knights lead 38-24, but it was not enough to hold off Brohm and company.
Louisville answered with a rally, scoring back-to-back touchdowns by Bolen and running back Bilal Powell to tie the game at 38-38. Louisville eventually went on to secure the 41-38 victory with a game-winning field goal by Carmody.
While the disappointing loss dropped the Scarlet Knights to 7-5 on the year, there were plenty of milestones reached by RU players in the defeat.
In the third quarter, senior Tiquan Underwood became just the second wide receiver in 138 years of football at RU with more than 1,000 yards receiving, while later in the drive Britt became the third member of the 1,000-yard receiving club with a 16-yard reception. The pair joined former Scarlet Knight wide receiver Tres Moses (2001-05), who caught 81 passes for 1,056 yards in 2004. It also marked the first time in Big East history and only the 26th time in the NCAA that two players on the same team had at least 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. Two teams – Texas Tech and Hawaii – have achieved the feat this year.
Britt also broke the school record for receiving yards in a season, topping Moses’ 2004 total of 1,056. He finished the game with 173 yards on 12 catches. It marked the fourth time this year and fifth time in his 21-game career Britt has eclipsed the century mark in receiving yards.
Rice also continued to pad his tremendous résumé, as his three touchdowns tied him with Syracuse’s Walter Reyes (2001- 04) for third place in Big East history in career rushing touchdowns with 45 for his career. Rice also became the 28th player in NCAA history to rush for more than 4,600 yards in his career, ending the game with 4,646, while his 120-yard game against Louisville marked the seventhstraight game he has rushed for at least 100 yards in a game. It ties the school record he already shares with “JJ” Jennings (Nov. 25, 1972-Nov. 7, 1973).
Teel (21-for-32) moved into second place in Rutgers single-season history for passing yards with 2,844. He passed Ryan Hart’s 2003 total of 2,714 to move into second place after throwing for 265 yards against Louisville. Teel’s two touchdowns also moved him into a tie for third place in school single season history with 17 touchdowns. He also passed Frank Burns (1945-48) and moved into fifth place in school history in career touchdowns with 31 in his career.
While the loss to Louisville certainly stings, Rutgers is fortunate enough to have a shot at redemption next month. For the first time in school history, Rutgers will appear in a bowl game for the third consecutive season as the Scarlet Knights officially accepted a bid to the International Bowl, where they will face Mid-American Conference member Ball State (7-5), Jan. 5, at Rogers Centre in Toronto with live television coverage on ESPN2.
“Rutgers is a great addition to our game,” said International Bowl Executive Director Ken Hoffman. “We’re proud to have such a celebrated school add to the history of the International Bowl. They have a large alumni following and will bring many fans into the city for bowl week.”
“We’re thrilled to accept this invitation to play in the International Bowland. I know our team is excited about the opportunity to play in a bowl game for the third consecutive year,” said Rutgers Athletic Director Robert E. Mulcahy III. “Toronto is a wonderful city and our alumni and fans are sure to have a great time there.”
The International Bowl is the only NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision game played outside of the United States. Tickets are available online at Rutgers- Bowl.com, by calling 1-866-445-GORU and in person at the Rutgers Ticket Office. Tickets are priced at $40. Travel information will be available soon at RutgersBowl.com.