As Rutgers has shown obvious improvement on the field this season, a big reason why has been how they have started games. They are currently outscoring opponents 54-24 in the first quarter and have scored touchdowns on three of six opening drives this season. The preparation and game planning from Greg Schiano and his coaching staff has been a major upgrade compared to the Chris Ash era. Their play at the start of games has made this point obvious.
While there has been some criticism on Schiano’s adjustments in the second half of games, aside from the win over Purdue when the staff was brilliant on both sides of the ball, the numbers don’t bear a major deficit.