RUTGERS UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 10, 2022

Greg Schiano

Postgame Press Conference

Rutgers 66, Wagner 7

GREG SCHIANO: Thanks for coming out. To start with, I want to thank our fans. It was a great, great atmosphere there. I want to thank our students. They were early and they packed that student section. That was awesome. It means a lot to us.

I think our football marketing people, they have done an incredible job with this whole boardwalk they have got going and the Scarlet Walk. You know, we want our players to feel that big-time feel and we want what's best for them. We also want what's best for our fans, and our fans have asked for different things, and I think our administration is answering those calls.

Obviously the one thing they want is wins, and I get that, but along the way you can make the experience, the game day experience so special for them and their families, and when we pulled up today, it was a different feel. And my hat is off to everyone who made that possible.

Today, the players, I think it was a step for us maturity-wise. It's easy in a situation like this to drift and we did for a little split second there, but our leadership pulled it back, and we call it chopping. Got right back on the chop, and that was -- that was important to me and important to architecture staff.

I think my hat is off to our coaches. This isn't an easy week as a coach. This is a very hard week and the guys really good a great job of holding heir guys accountable. Our players did a good job of stepping up. I thought there was a lot of good things.

And try to answer any questions you've got.

Q. Looked like you had a chance to get a longer look at Evan and Gavin. What are your thoughts on each of their play?

GREG SCHIANO: I think they both did some really good things. I think there's some things that we've really got to get better, fast, because time is our enemy right now. This week, I think now we have two tapes to teach from, two game tapes, and we'll do a lot of things with cutups and putting those games together and showing them now, okay, here you do -- like Gavin's interception is not very unlike the one he threw the week before, late, and over the middle, right. Late.

So we'll work on all that stuff. I thought Evan was efficient with the ball. He went to the right places. Gavin was really good in the zone read run game and power read run game. That ball he threw to, I guess it was Chris, that was a rocket shot, and what a great catch.

Then Johnny got one, which I was really happy for him because no matter how far he goes in football playing tight end, he's a quarterback at heart so he enjoys that. I was happy for us -- happy for him, too.

Q. Can you see the pieces here to have a really good defense, when you watch how you've played the first two games?

GREG SCHIANO: We have a chance, Steve. Two things, No. 1, can we play healthy and No. 2 how fast do we grow up. And when I say that, I don't mean physically. I just kind of mean like football understanding, football resiliency. Playing defense is a losing proposition to start with. They get yard one, you haven't done your job.

Today, I thought, again, the focus, we had one little slip where we lost our focus. It's so hard when you play defense. It's all about your eyes, and if your eyes wander at all, you can make a mistake that can cost you. But we are getting better at that for sure.

Q. Playing an FCS opponent, 21 straight losses, how much do you take away from what you saw on the field? When you're watching the film, how much are you taking away from what happened on the field today?

GREG SCHIANO: You know, in college football, we don't get preseason games. So we play in a really, really tough league, and a game like today was great, No. 1, like I said for maturity, to stay focused and No. 2, to get a lot of different people playing time. I don't know, but we had, I don't know how many different people scored touchdowns, I think it was like eight or nine guys scored touchdowns.

I don't care who you are. That's good for your confidence. I've been there, done that. Now the next time you score, it's not going to be the first time. And even that late return by train -- by Rochelle, I thought he was going to -- that would have got called back, anyway, because of the penalty but I thought he was going to get in the end zone.

We have got some really young, talented players that we just have to kind of bring along, so these games I think are good for that.

Q. With this win, you've tied Frank Burns foremost all-time in program history. What does that mean to you on a personal note?

GREG SCHIANO: I said it earlier this week, Coach Burns is truly one of the distinguished gentlemen in our profession. And I had the opportunity to meet him when I came to become the head coach here back in 2000. It was really good, you know, for a number of years, actually. I would look forward to speaking with him, and then his health failed.

I just have the utmost respect for him, and I just -- there's a couple coaches that have been here that really have had a huge impact on my career and he's one of them.

Q. It's only two games, but are you encouraged with how the linebackers have played so far, especially Tyreem and Deion?

GREG SCHIANO: Yeah, I am encouraged. I think they are doing a good job. They are learning as they go because there's so much -- now that, to me, that's one of the hardest positions other than quarterback because you've got to be an expert on the run, but you also have to be a semi-expert on the pass.

So there's a lot to learn and you don't know what it is until you know what it is. So it's hard stuff. We are getting better. We've got to develop more depth. Again, we are fighting for Singleton still and I hope that works out because that would be a huge help and it would be a huge help to him. Again, I just believe that's right and, so we'll just keep developing everybody we can and see where it leaves us.

Q. Following up on the FCS question, is playing a team like Wagner something that you could foresee in this program two, three, four years down the line?

GREG SCHIANO: Yeah, again, we don't get preseason games. So I think it makes sense to have these games, No. 1, more affordable. I don't know if you've seen what the guarantees are for a group of five schools, they are insane, right. So FCSes are more affordable, which to me is just being responsible and we can get a lot out of it.

I think there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. I think it's good for them. They get a great opportunity to get a nice paycheck and to play in a big-time atmosphere like that. I mean, those kids, that had to be great for them, right. And I know their coach is an excellent football coach and I know a lot of guys on their staff. I think it was good for everybody.