The silence was the loudest thing at SHI Stadium on Saturday night.
Rutgers’ annual Black Out game brought out the all-black crowd, but the usual soundtrack never really arrived. A Revolutionary War cannon has long been part of the home-game scene in Piscataway, booming after Scarlet Knights scores. This time, after halftime, it stayed quiet - even when Rutgers finally found the end zone twice in the second half of a 47-15 loss to Indiana.
That empty sound fit the night perfectly for Greg Schiano’s team. Rutgers trailed 23-0 at halftime, and by then the Black Out had already started to look like a mass exit. Fans headed for the gates, and plenty of Indiana supporters - who had taken over one side of the lower bowl - were gone well before the final whistle came at 11:14 p.m.
The result itself was no surprise. Indiana came in ranked sixth and riding a 20-game winning streak, and the Hoosiers backed up that reputation by overpowering Rutgers early. They out-gained the Scarlet Knights 349-118 in the first half alone, even with head coach Curt Cignetti complaining on his local radio broadcast about “leaving points out there” after a missed field goal and extra point.
After the game, Cignetti was asked whether his success over the past three years should give struggling programs like Rutgers hope or just deepen the frustration.
“I think success starts at the top with alignment from the president and athletic director, and it takes a certain financial commitment to be successful,” Cignetti began.
He didn’t stop there.
“I think Greg Schiano, what he’s done at Rutgers, he’s had two great runs,” the Indiana coach continued. “It gets a little tough around this time of year in the Big Ten.
Can it get done? Yeah, it can get done.
Greg’s a great football coach.”
Schiano appreciated none of the optics, but he brushed off the fan departure when asked about it.
“Football is a tough game for tough people. If you’re in this business, people leaving the stadium doesn’t even move the barometer a little bit,” Schiano said when asked if the fans’ exit was demoralizing.
“We didn’t give them a reason to stay. I’m not offended.
We have to play better.”
Rutgers did have one especially costly sequence in the second quarter. Facing fourth-and-one at its own 34 while down 16-0, Schiano kept the offense on the field.
Dylan Lonergan’s quarterback sneak was stopped short of the line, and the Boston College transfer left the game with an undisclosed injury. Indiana scored three plays later.
Schiano remained mostly still on the sideline through the rough stretch, standing with his left index curled over his upper lip.
He said changes could be coming during the bye week, but he also made clear where his confidence remains.
“The fan base, I’m going to have to ask them to have some faith, which is tough,” Schiano said. “We’re 1-4, but we’ve won before.
I didn’t forget how to coach. (We) didn’t forget how to play.
They are our fans, and I hope they hang in there with us.”
For most of them, that faith was already gone by the time the cannon stayed silent and the night turned into another painful reminder of where Rutgers stands.
In Other News...
Rutgers Suddenly Has A QB Concern Fans Can't Ignore
Rutgers had to adjust on the fly Saturday when quarterback Dylan Lonergan left the game against Indiana in the second quarter with an injury, according to head coach Greg Schiano. Before exiting, Lonergan had thrown for 67 yards, and the Scarlet Knights were forced to turn to backup AJ Surace to keep the offense moving.
Surace responded with a steady relief outing, completing 6 of 10 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown, while third-string quarterback Sean Ashenfelder also made a brief appearance. Even with the offense showing it can function beyond the starter, the bigger question now is how long Rutgers may need to lean on that depth if Lonergan is unavailable. [Read more 🡒]
Greg Schiano Faces One Rutgers Decision That Could Define This Season
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Schiano sounded intent on treating the pause as a reset, stressing the need to narrow the focus to what this roster can do effectively right now rather than what it hoped to be in September. Even with the early disappointment, he said he believes Rutgers will win games this season, which is the kind of confidence the locker room needs as the staff sorts through what changes can actually make a difference. [Read more 🡒]
Former Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis Just Added To Program History
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For Rutgers, it was the kind of small but notable pro-football milestone that still matters. Kaliakmanis became the first former Scarlet Knights quarterback to appear in an NFL regular-season game since 2017, and only the seventh Rutgers player to ever throw a touchdown pass in the league, a reminder that even a brief debut can add a new line to program history. [Read more 🡒]