Martinek's big game not enough for struggling Rutgers

By KEITH SARGEANT • gannett new jersey • September 21, 2008

Schiano's best prepping actually occurred in the aftermath of the Scarlet Knights' stunning setback. That's when Schiano, by then aware that television cameras caught quarterback Mike Teel taking a swing at teammate Glen Lee following his game-deciding interception, apparently told his team what happens in locker rooms at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium stays within "the family."

"I know there was an episode there at the end with Glen Lee and Mike, and I tell our guys all the time it's family business. You keep it inside the family," Schiano said. "But all I will say is everybody in that locker room understands Glen was trying to encourage him to come off the field and I think Mike was just so incredibly down about what just happened that he snapped a little. Guys have forgiven each other and we moved on."

Lee's take? "That was nothing. We're all family," the senior cornerback said, going on to utter "family" 12 times in a 45-second interview with the huddled media. "Nothing happened. We're family. It was just in-house family stuff. Basically just a family-oriented thing, we're a family, we work together as a family, we speak as a family, we act as a family. We're a family. Everything we do, we deal with it as a family, we respond as a family. You know, family-oriented team."

If only Schiano's second-half adjustments were that good. They weren't, as Navy rallied from leads of 14-6 (at halftime) and 21-20 late in the fourth quarter to hand Rutgers one of its most demoralizing losses in Schiano's tenure.

That's saying something, considering where his program started. But consider that never before have the Scarlet Knights been winless after three games in Schiano's eight seasons, and it's the first 0-3 start since Rutgers lost nine straight games in 1999 en route to a 1-11 record.

Go back to 2004, the last time Rutgers lost at Navy, to remember a more emotionally-draining loss. That was the 54-21 defeat in which Rutgers cost itself a bowl berth in Schiano's fourth season.

This one might be worse, considering that loss could be justified as the growing pains of a rebuilding program. "We're 0-3 going into the last weekend of September," Schiano said matter-of-factly. "That's an incredible group of young people in there, and a great coaching staff. If I really believed like, 'Oh boy,' but this group will battle back. We'll be a good football team."

Trailing 21-20 with 7:38 to play, Navy executed a 12-play, 63-yard drive with stunning efficiency, exploiting the middle of Rutgers' undermanned defense ---- tackle Pete Tverdov and end George Johnson both succumbed to injuries ---- with a series of fullback dives.

Eric Kettani gained 42 of his 133 yards on the drive that was capped by Matt Harmon's third field goal of the game, a 24-yarder with 2:06 remaining.

"Fans (and) media most of the time (say) 'It's just an inside, up-the-middle play.' Well obviously there's a hundred different schemes that are utilized to run the play up the middle," Schiano said. "They got on to something, and we kept trying to adjust to it, and we were ineffective at doing that."

But for as stunning as Navy's go-ahead drive was, Teel's interception that sailed between the 51 on linebacker Ross Pospisil's chest was equally surprising. The Scarlet Knights' fifth-year senior, who last season failed to execute both of his two-minute opportunities in losses to Maryland and Cincinnati, said he never saw Pospisil jump the pass attempt that was intended for tight end Kevin Brock.

"To have a chance to win a game and let your team down," Teel said, "it's just frustrating."

Teel started his post-game interview by apologizing for losing his "cool with Glen Lee."

"He was telling me to keep my head up and get off the field -- what I should've been doing -- and I let the circumstances dictate my actions," said Teel, who completed 13 of 20 passes for 131 yards overall. "I didn't handle myself the way a Rutgers football player should handle himself."

But even before the fourth-quarter fireworks Rutgers played like a dysfunctional family, failing capitalize on career performances by redshirt freshmen tailbacks Jourdan Brooks (134 yards and two TDs on 22 carries) and Joe Martinek (61 yards on eight rushes) and never putting the Midshipmen (2-2) away despite out-playing them through the first three quarters.

The worst of Rutgers' many miscues was Tiquan Underwood's fumble late in the first half. On a third-and-6 from the 20 with 20 seconds left, Teel connected with Underwood over the middle, but the senior receiver was stripped by safety Wyatt Middleton. Though the play went up to the booth for an officials review, it stood as a fumble recover by Emmett Merchant.

Rutgers' failure to go up two scores proved costly on Navy's opening third-quarter drive, as the Mids went ahead behind a seven-play, 82-yard drive, doing most of their damage unconventionally through the air.

The game was on, and like they did in previous setbacks to Fresno State and North Carolina, the Scarlet Knights came up woefully short.

"I know that the naysayers will say this and that -- this team will be a good football team," Schiano said. "I'm sure of it. We got a lot of football left to play. This team will respond and we will be back."