JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Johnny Langan wanted to be here. That was as clear as the teal seats at TIAA Bank Field on Friday. He wanted to play in the Gator Bowl, and with the undermanned Scarlet Knights taking Wake Forest’s best punch and throwing one right back in the first quarter, he made sure the ESPN audience knew it.
Langan, the team’s human Swiss army knife, caught a short pass and appeared to be tackled behind the line of scrimmage. But then he wasn’t. Somehow, he was still going, charging through the Wake Forest defense to the delight of the few thousand Rutgers fans in the stadium.
Alas, replay reversed the wonderful effort from the player they call “Johnny Football,” because his elbow had just barely grazed the ground. Still, that’s what I’ll remember from this unexpected bowl trip. The Scarlet Knights weren’t always good and they certainly weren’t better than a Wake Forest team that won its 11th game, 38-10, in the final hours of 2021.
But Rutgers, despite a litany of well-chronicled disadvantages, represented itself well in Jacksonville. The Scarlet Knights were creative, resourceful and (most importantly) got a ton of young players valuable experience. I was highly skeptical, to put it mildly, of the decision to accept this bid on short notice after a 5-7 season. Rutgers made it a worthwhile trip.
It was fitting that Langan would be the Rutgers player with the highlights. He was among the most enthusiastic proponents of taking the bid, according to head coach Greg Schiano, peppering his coaches and teammates with gator emojis in the hours after Texas A&M pulled out because of COVID-19 and this game became possible.
Langan was one of five players to attempt a pass in the first half, a sign that the Scarlet Knights were going to throw open the playbook. His biggest impact, however, came with his hard-driving legs and never-go-down mentality. He led the team with six catches for 58 yards and had six carries for 20 yards, and was on the receiving end of a memorable trick play (more on that in a minute) that was one of the game’s best highlights.
But that second-effort run that was called back is the play that’ll stick with me. So many top players — including, it should be noted, several from Rutgers — pass on playing in these bowls games to protect themselves from injuries that could derail their professional aspirations. That’s understandable, too.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t the reward for players like Langan, who have toiled through some difficult days as a college football player. He wanted his day in the sun, and in the Gator Bowl, he and the Scarlet Knights made the most of it.
Here are five observations from the Gator Bowl:
1. QB PLATOON OF THE FUTURE?
The press box spotter at the Gator Bowl was downright flummoxed. “Wait. ANOTHER new quarterback for Rutgers?” Rutgers had four players take a snap from behind center in the first half, and all four of them even threw a pass. Three of them played on the impressive 12-play, 75-yard drive in the first quarter that gave notice that the Scarlet Knights would not go meekly.
Was it also a glimpse into the future? Rutgers no doubts wants one quarterback to establish himself as the team’s starter. But with Vedral returning for another season, and given that Gavin Wimsatt will still be just 18 when the 2022 season begins, it stands to reason that we’re going to see more than one quarterback next season.
Overall, quarterback play was a mixed bag. The plan clearly was to use Wimsatt’s strong arm to test the defense, but he misfired on both of his throws in the first half. Vedral played much better than he had in November, but his interception in the Wake Forest end zone with a chance to tie the game before halftime was a killer mistake.
The obvious takeaway: Rutgers needs much more from this position — especially passing — next season and beyond.
2. RAZZLE DAZZLE? BRING IT
You knew Rutgers didn’t come all this way to Jacksonville to play not to lose, and sure enough, offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson flipped to the back of his playbook in the second quarter and dialed up a doozy of a trick play.
Rutgers lined up four players wide to Vedral’s left in a diamond formation, with Vedral throwing a backward pass to receiver Isaiah Washington. It looked like a running play, but Washington — who flashed a nice arm during practice — threw back across the field to Langan, who rumbled 29 yards down the sideline to set up a field goal.
Remember: Bowl games aren’t just about who wins and loses. It’s about creating buzz, on social media and the highlight shows, and the Scarlet Knights have provided the perfect razzle-dazzle clip that was making the rounds on Twitter before the national semifinals.
3. DEFENSE: A TALE OF MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
It’s impossible to say how this game might have changed had cornerback Kessawn Abraham picked off a Sam Hartman pass in the first quarter. Abraham, without a Wake player within 20 yards, fell to the ground as he was trying to make the interception and the ball slipped out of his hands. Wake scored its second touchdown a few plays later.
That was story for Rutgers on defense, which was playing without recently departed defensive coordinator Robb Smith. The Scarlet Knights needed to win the turnover battle to have a chance in this game, and several times, they were close to a momentum-changing defensive play and couldn’t make it.
Case in point: Rutgers defensive back Desmond Igbinosun sacked Hartman and forced a fumble midway through the third quarter. Wake Forest recovered, but still, the Demon Deacons faced a third and 26. On the next play, Hartman threw short to receiver Ke’Shawn Williams, who weaved his way through a sea of red to pick up the first down. Wake kicked a field goal on the drive to extend its lead to 13.
4. ONE MILD SECOND GUESS
Wimsatt started the second half and made his best throw of the game on third and four, hitting Washington for 10 yards and a first down in Wake territory. At this point, it was unlikely that Rutgers was going to pull the upset, but it was a great opportunity to let Wimsatt see if he could put a scare into the Demon Deacons and keep people watching.
And then Rutgers pulled Wimsatt and sent in Vedral.
Why? Sure, Wimsatt had his shaky moments, but it appeared he had found his rhythm. The point of the game was to look toward the future. Let Wimsatt (with heavy use of the Langan package) see if he could make this interesting just as plenty of fans were turning on their TVs in anticipation of the national semifinals.
Rutgers didn’t score on the possession after Vedral’s fourth-down pass was batted down. On the next possession, Wimsatt was back in the game and busted loose for a 32-yard run. He finished the game completing seven of 15 passes for 30 yards.
5. THE ATMOSPHERE WAS LACKING
A few other observations from around Rutgers’ unexpected trip to the Gator Bowl:
a. Say this for the few, the proud, the loud Rutgers fans at TIAA Bank Field on Friday: They pretty much matched Wake Forest’s cheering section despite the nine-day notice and expensive flights to Jacksonville, a sign of just how desperate this Rutgers fanbase is for success. That said, the stadium was practically empty as the fine folks down here didn’t exactly embrace the matchup.
b. Former Rutgers coach Chris Ash, who is now a defensive backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, attended the game and watched from a stadium tunnel. “I’m really excited for everybody involved,” Ash told NJ Advance Media before the game. Ash, who was 8-32 overall and 3-26 in Big Ten in Piscataway, had recruited many of the players in the game.
c. Gleeson made it clear, from the moment he was hired, that he wanted his offense to play an uptempo style. That philosophy was tossed into the trash can, wisely, against the high-powered Demon Deacons as the Scarlet Knights milked the clock at every opportunity.
d. Rust is one thing. Six offsides penalties, many for simply lining up in the neutral zone, is something else entirely.
e. Adam Korsak traveled a long way for two punts (but, of course, pinned Wake Forest inside the 5-yard line on one of them).
f. Rutgers was the first Big Ten team to lose a bowl game. The league had been 5-0 in the early going, a sign of its overall strength this season.
MORE FROM STEVE POLITI:
How an ex-Rutgers athlete ended up charged with murder in Tijuana
The search for Luther Wright, once N.J.’s greatest hoops talent
‘It felt like somebody died.’ How COVID sacked a great Rutgers season
I ate nothing but pimento cheese sandwiches for 24 hours at the Masters
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Steve Politi may be reached at [email protected].
