Rutgers football notebook: Greg Schiano bites tongue about NCAA, future opponents in QB flux, more

Greg Schiano is not ready to comment quite yet, but his frustration with the NCAA is clear.
The Rutgers coach has two players standing in what he’s previously called “NCAA purgatory” this season: wide receiver Naseim Brantley, a transfer from Western Illinois who was expected to play a big role, and true freshman defensive back Bo Mascoe have not been able to play through the first five games of the season as they await decisions from the governing body.
Schiano has not provided much clarity on either situation, choosing to let them play out before commenting further.
“Believe me, I’d love to say a lot,” he said Monday. “But I really try to keep my mouth shut because it can only hurt them and I don’t want to do that. My own personal frustrations, I have to have some self-control and not let that out.”
It is the second consecutive season that Schiano is awaiting a decision for one of his key players. Linebacker Drew Singleton petitioned for another season of eligibility last fall, but the final of his multiple appeals for reinstatement was denied in October.
Rutgers will hope for a different result for Brantley and Mascoe — and at a quicker pace — this time around.
“I would love for those to get resolved, both of them,” Schiano said. “But that’s not been kind of the flow or the vibe this year. Those things haven’t been worked out very much.”
Positive Injury Update
Schiano received better news on defensive lineman Rene Konga, who limped off the field in the fourth quarter of the Scarlet Knights’ win over Wagner on Saturday.
The coach deferred his assessment of Konga’s availability for this Saturday’s meeting with Wisconsin to the report released two hours before kick-off, but said he will “probably be okay.”
“We’ll just kind of stick with (referring to the availability report) so we don’t get too variable.
Future Opponents In Quarterback Flux
As Rutgers has seen its quarterback develop with each passing game this season, a pair of its’ future opponents are in tough spots at the position.
Michigan State, who the Scarlet Knights will host for their Homecoming game in 10 days, heads into its bye week contemplating whether starter Noah Kim will keep the position after some early-season struggles.
In three games against Power Five opponents this season, the former three-star prospect has completed only 51.4 percent of his passes (55-for-107) for 519 yards, one touchdown and six interceptions. Kim has led one touchdown drive in 35 possessions offensive possessions across those three games.
“We’ll watch the film very closely,” interim coach Harlon Barnett said of the outlook at quarterback moving ahead, via MLive. “We’ve got two weeks – that’s a good thing. (Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach) Jay (Johnson) and I and the offensive staff will all talk it through and see if there’s something that needs to be done or not and evaluate it being very, very realistic in evaluation and being very fair at the same time.”
Iowa, who Rutgers will face on the road during the weekend of November 11, may be forced to make a change.
Starting quarterback Cade McNamara, who transferred to the Hawkeyes from Michigan this offseason, is likely to be out for the season after suffering a left knee injury in Iowa’s win over the Spartans on Saturday, according to 247Sports.
McNamara threw for 505 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions on 46-of-90 (51.1%) passing across the first five games of the season.
Asked about McNamara’s spirits after Saturday’s game, Hawkeyes’ head coach Kirk Ferentz said “it’s not good.”
“No player who gets injured is feeling too happy about things,” he said.
Wisconsin Has Scouting Report on Rutgers
Ahead of hosting the Scarlet Knights this weekend for their Homecoming game, the Badgers seem to have a good grasp on what the visitors bring, based on head coach Luke Fickell’s assessment during his press conference on Monday.
“They do a great job of managing the game,” Fickell said of Rutgers, per BadgerBlitz. “Special teams-wise, they’re very honed into what it is they do. They’re gonna challenge you and pressure you in whatever situation, whether its coming after punts, the possibility of fakes, they’re gonna have everything possible on the board. It makes you have to really execute at what you’re doing. They do a great job of controlling the football ... I think they’re very smart in what it is they’re doing. They’re gonna feature their best players — they’re gonna get the ball to the tailback, they’re gonna get the ball in the quarterback’s hands and give him some RPOs and the ability to run the football — and they’re gonna rely a lot more on their defense in some situations.”
Isiah Pacheco’s big night
In his return to his home state on Sunday, former Rutgers running back Isiah Pacheco had a huge night, leading the Kansas City Chiefs in rushing (115 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries) and gaining 43 receiving yards on three catches. His 48-yard score got pop star Taylor Swift on her feet, and his overall performance was the first thing Schiano brought up in his weekly press conference on Monday.
“I want to give a shout-out to my guy, Pop: what a great game he played last night, really cool for him,” Schiano said. “Coming home to the great state of New Jersey and really showing out and being a big part of that win. I was really proud of him and I know everyone in our program was happy and excited for him.”