After losing to Navy 23-21 and starting the 2008 season 0-3 for the first time since 1999 when Rutgers went 1-10, I started thinking about how I have been saying since Greg Schiano got to Rutgers that he is a great recruiter, a very solid motivator, a good fit for RU, but he is very mediocre at game planning and second half adjustments.

So here are a few examples of specific games in which Schiano and his staff could have done something to have a different outcome on the game if adjustments were made.

Oct. 11, 2003 at Mountaineer Field vs. #23 West Virginia.

At that time Rutgers Head Coach Greg Schiano was starting to improve his Rutgers program and build towards competing for a bowl bid.

At the end of the first half in Morgantown Schiano decided to call a timeout with four seconds remaining assuming WVU would punt.

Funny thing, Schiano never put a returner back (fine, put 11 men up to block it: I get it), but WVU lined up two men to the outside and Rutgers never adjusted.

Adjusted; the key word Schiano has yet to truly discover in his tenure on the banks.

Back to the play...WVU QB Rasheed Marshall tossed a quick strike to Chris Henry and he glided 83 yards as the Mountaineers took a close 10-3 game and went into the half up 17-3.

Rutgers went onto lose that game 34-19.

Nov. 8, 2003 @ UConn.

Soon to be member of the Big East UConn finally gets to host Rutgers at their new venue in East Hartford. Rutgers came into the game 4-4 and needed two more wins to go to its first bowl game since the Garden State Bowl in 1978.

Rutgers was clearly the more experienced team and better team. Going into half RU was up 17-7. UConn managed to outscored the Knights 31-14 in the second half, mainly on one head scratching play.

With under two minutes to play UConn was forced to punt to returner Tres Moses. The ball was kicked inside the 20 yard line and Moses decided to not signal for a fair catch. He muffed the ball, UConn recovered, and Cornell Brockington marched in for a one yard scamper to give UConn the 38-31 win a few plays later.

Maybe not even Schiano's fault, but why put Moses in a situation to make him think he needs to catch the ball. All throughout his career Moses had trouble catching punts cleanly. In a situation where Rutgers bowl life was on the line the decision making by Moses and the staff may have cost Rutgers the season.

Not the best example but there are more... 

Fast forward to Sept. 11, 2004.

Rutgers coming off at the time the biggest win in school history, defeating Michigan State 19-14 in front on a national audience on ABC, the Knights had a huge let down as they lost to Div. I-AA New Hampshire 35-24.

If the loss and let down wasn't bad enough how about the actual game play. Rutgers was outscored 21-0 in the second half and torched for 385 yards in the air by redshirt freshman Ricky Santos.

Once again; the team was not prepared and the coaching staff couldn't help the situation.

Rutgers finished the season 4-7.

Let's go to opening day, Sept. 3, 2005 @ Illinois.

Talk about giving life to a dead program. Ron Zook had just taken over the Fighting Illini when RU came to town.

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