Adam Hunger/Associated Press
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — When Isaih Pacheco, a sophomore running back at Rutgers, burst past the line of scrimmage, slipped an Ohio State linebacker’s grasp and raced to the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown, it set off a New Year’s Eve-like celebration.
An air horn blew, confetti rained and a cannon shot boomed.
The Rutgers crowd, as outnumbered by visiting fans as its team was outmanned, erupted with a roar. And Matt Alaimo, a sophomore tight end, was so enthusiastic that he knocked Pacheco on his behind in the end zone with a flying chest bump.