In 2002, Rutgers football went 1-11, cementing its status as one of the laughingstocks of college football. But for three quarters that season, on one November afternoon, the Knights led Miami (Fla.), then the No. 1 team in the nation, 17-14. Nobody knew it then. Nobody thought anything of it. But it was all a sign of things to come.

That time came – Rutgers is ranked No. 23 this week, the first time RU is ranked since 1976. It’s been a long time since that disastrous 2002 season with only the three quarters of hope.

Back then, Brian Leonard was a redshirt freshman, Ray Rice a high school sophomore. Clark Harris was a high school senior and Mike Teel was busy quarterbacking Don Bosco Prep to a New Jersey Parochial Group IV state title.

Back then, Rutgers went 3-20 in the first two years of a new coaching staff. Back then, Rutgers lost 25 straight Big East conference games. Syracuse fans don’t even know the half of it.

Fast forward three years. It’s 2005 and the Scarlet Knights gained national notice. The former clown princes of college football went 7-5, securing RU’s first winning season since 1992, but more importantly, the Knights received a bowl invitation, only the second in program history.

The Knights made it to Arizona for the Insight Bowl, RU’s first bowl game since 1978, when it lost to Arizona State, 34-18, in the Garden State Bowl. History has a way of repeating itself – the Knights again fell to Arizona State, 45-40. But it was just another step in the right direction.

‘Getting to the first bowl was big just because it’s been so long,’ sixth-year head coach Greg Schiano said. ‘Even the bowl wasn’t always paramount to us. Ultimately when we came here, our goal was to be the best. Some would laugh and say that’s far fetched when we took over, and I think that’s still what drives anybody that’s in this thing and trying to be the best.’

Fast forward again. It’s now present day. Leonard is no longer a redshirt, but a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate. Rice is among the NCAA leaders in rushing and a Maxwell Award candidate. Harris is on the John Mackey Award watch list and Teel is the starting quarterback.

The Knights are 4-0, outscoring opponents by 26 points per game. It includes a 33-0 blowout against Illinois. As good as the Knights have been, Schiano said his players have remained grounded.

‘I think our guys are kind of low key on that stuff, just trying to chop away at their work,’ Schiano said. ‘I think they’re excited about the fact that they are ranked, but I don’t think it’s one of those things that’s engulfing them or anything like that.’

Rice is among the reasons for the Rutgers resurgence. The sophomore is fourth in the nation in rushing yards and tied for second with nine touchdowns. He leads the Big East in both categories.

Rice’s backfield buddy is fullback Brian Leonard. Not only is Leonard a dual threat in rushing and receiving, he’s also a symbol of the turnaround the program’s made.

‘I think Brian very much stands for what we want our kids to be about,’ Schiano said. ‘He’s a great student. He’s a real fine young man … he’s the kind of guy you hope your kids can grow up to be like. He’s grown up with us as we’ve all grown up here at Rutgers. He’s been through the 1-11 seasons and fought through it all and stayed the course.’

Some critics, though, still don’t necessarily believe Rutgers has made the ‘leap.’ They may point to RU’s schedule, consisting of I-AA Howard, along with two power conference teams sporting a combined record of 2-6. Schiano, though, casts all that aside.

‘You get your schedule and you line up and play it,’ Schiano said. ‘What a team is one week it may not be what the team is next week. That’s why you see crazy things happen in college football, pro football and all levels. I think so far we’ve done what we’ve had to do and that’s win four games.’

Rutgers will get its first big chance to defend its newfound recognition this weekend at South Florida. It will be the first game of Rutgers’ Big East schedule, a critical game in quieting naysayers.

‘If you keep winning the buzz will keep going,’ Schiano said. ‘If you don’t then the buzz goes away. It’s not real complicated.’

Game of the Week

Miami (Ohio) at Cincinnati, Saturday, 3 p.m.

This match-up is one of the oldest rivalries in college football. For the 111th time, the two squads will square off for the Victory Bell trophy. The contest began when Miami first formed a football program in 1888 and marked the first college football game played in Ohio. Miami has the recent upper hand, taking four of the last five games.

Around the Conference

The Big East has three teams ranked in all three polls this week. The last time the conference had more than two ranked teams in one poll was the November 23, 2003 AP poll. …Connecticut coach Randy Edsall is considering a quarterback change if DJ Hernandez’s passing does not improve. …Even without Brian Brohm and Michael Bush, Louisville still leads the nation in both scoring and yards per game. …South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe leads the Bulls in rushing. He’s fifth in the Big East.

Published on September 25, 2006 at 12:00 pm