Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano addressed the media following a loss to Penn State, expressing disappointment and support for his players. “Tough loss probably undersells it a little bit. I feel really, really bad for the players down there in that locker room. They are hurting,” Schiano said. He emphasized resilience, stating, “It’s not about deserving. It’s about, what are you going to do next? And that’s what I’m faced with; and certainly that’s what a locker room full of players and coaches are faced with; and that’s what the fan base is faced with; and the administration is faced with and all those things. I know what I’m going to do. I’ve got a pretty good idea of what the rest of them are going to do, too.”
When asked about quarterback Athan’s performance after a critical moment in the game, Schiano responded: “I love him. He’s done incredible things here. Incredible. Think about a couple years, our passing game, think about what he’s been able to accomplish, he’s a 3,000-yard passer. And more importantly just to watch him grow as a leader and grow, it’s hard. It’s really hard. Because he’s the ultimate competitor, and he feels like he let people down. But I told him, ‘You didn’t let anybody down. You’re the reason we’re in the game at the fourth quarter.'”
Schiano cited several factors for not closing out the game successfully: “There’s a lot of things… Overall, we didn’t stop the run… they ran for 300 yards.” He acknowledged moments when his team executed well but admitted frustration over defensive struggles throughout the season.
Regarding potential coaching changes on defense Schiano said: “Now is not the time… I’m going to wake up tomorrow morning swinging, fighting because that’s what we do… I have a vision for this program… we’re going to accomplish that vision.”
On specific play-calling decisions late in the game—including a fourth-and-one attempt—Schiano stood by his choices: “Whether the call works or not doesn’t mean it’s a good call… Sometimes there’s tremendous athletic performance that stops it… That was a heck of a football game if you didn’t lose it.”
Schiano reiterated his long-term goals for Rutgers football: “I’ve said it many times, is to bring championships to Rutgers, to bring Big Ten Championships to Rutgers and to bring National Championships to Rutgers… I’ve been saying that since 2000…”
He praised running back Antwan Raymond’s performance: “When you watched him run tonight… he really ran with authority… he was a violent runner.” Schiano also commended his offensive line’s toughness over the season.
Asked if this season felt like wasted effort due to missing bowl eligibility despite competitive games against Iowa and Minnesota as well as Penn State Schiano replied: “No, there’s never a wasted season…. These are people that laid it on the line for an entire year…” He discussed resource challenges compared with other programs but expressed optimism for improvement.
Penn State interim head coach Terry M. Smith described their win as hard-fought but noted issues on defense while highlighting offensive success on the ground: “It was a hard fought victory… The offense was unbelievable tonight… Kaytron running for over two hundred yards.” Smith praised Ethan Grunkemeyer’s progress at quarterback and credited Amare Campbell’s defensive contributions.
Smith reflected on past games when managing late leads did not go well but stated improvements were made this week: “This time we had around four minutes to go and we did not give them the ball back…”
Both teams now look ahead—Penn State preparing for postseason play while Rutgers considers adjustments before next year.
