The Loop

Rutgers runs "Philly Special" to perfection... just kidding the quarterback dropped a wide-open TD

November 17, 2018

We hate to kick people when they are down, even though that's exactly what it looks like when it comes to the Rutgers football program. Yes we pointed out that awful kickoff return against Maryland, and the story about the anonymous Vegas gambler who was making a killing betting against the Scarlet Knights, and yes, we did take note when West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen randomly put them six feet under with one quote. We're trying not to pile on anymore, but RU makes it difficult not to every week.

On Saturday, the Scarlet Knights actually weren't embarrassing themselves at home against Penn State, trailing only 13-0 halfway through the third quarter as 28-point underdogs. Facing a 4th & goal at the two-yard line, they even had a chance to make things interesting, and head coach Chris Ash got aggressive and had his offense go for a touchdown. That's when the Knights ran the famous "Philly Special," the memorable trick play the Philadelphia Eagles ran in last year's Super Bowl win over the Patriots. And they ran it to perfection..... just kidding, their quarterback Giovanni Rescigno dropped a wide-open touchdown:

You just can't make it up. Perfect design and execution minus the whole catching the TD part. This poor program just can't get out of its own way, and that brings me no pleasure as a New Jersey native. Believe it or not, Rutgers was good when I was growing up, and the games were PACKED and really exciting. Now they're 1-10 this year and 11-37 in the last four seasons, and likely looking at their third coach since 2012 unless they keep Ash, which doesn't look promising. What a mess.