MORGANTOWN – If it’s possible to feel another person’s pain, then no one walked out of the visitor’s locker room in Mountaineer Field without empathy for the Rutgers football team.
Coach Greg Schiano set the tone when in a raspy voice he made a brief opening statement and then, before taking questions from reporters, apologized because, “after 3 ½ hours, I’m not sure I’ll have all my facts straight.”
Of course, it wasn’t the length of time that left Schiano staggered. It was the 41-39 loss at West Virginia in triple overtime that had Schiano and the Scarlet Knights drained and defeated.
The seniors who committed to this program and stood by the commitment even after watching Rutgers lose 80-7 at West Virginia in 2001 were deprived of the Big East title they so desperately sought.
“They certainly have nothing to be ashamed of,” said Schiano. “They played their hearts out.” Sure did.
But instead of a trip to the Orange Bowl as Big East champs, Rutgers will head to the Texas Bowl. Instead of getting the lion’s share of a $17 million payday that is shared with the conference, Rutgers gets a $500,000 payday.
But this wasn’t about the money.