Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano reacts during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Southern California, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in Piscataway, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
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During an on-field ceremony at the end of the first quarter Saturday afternoon, Rutgers honored several members of its team from 2006. Back then, the Scarlet Knights went 11-2, tying the school-record for victories in a season, and finished No. 12 in the final Associated Press poll, the highest year-end ranking in program history. Not much has gone right in the 20 years since, especially since Rutgers joined the Big Ten Conference in 2014.
On Saturday, the Scarlet Knights lost 42-35 to No. 12 USC, falling to 0-3 and extending their losing streak against AP top 25 opponents to 44 games. The Scarlet Knights haven’t defeated a ranked opponent since Nov. 12, 2009 when coach Greg Schiano helped them upset No. 23 South Florida 31-0 at home on a Thursday night.
Since Schiano returned in December 2019, Rutgers is 0-16 against ranked teams, losing by an average of 25.4 points. The seven-point deficit Saturday was tied for the smallest against a ranked opponent during Schiano’s second tenure, while the 35 points were the most Rutgers has scored against a top 25 team during that stretch. Still, it was of little solace.
“I’m very disappointed for our players and our coaches and our fans,” Schiano said. “There are no moral victories. I don’t want to hear about that. That doesn’t apply. I fully expected to win this game.”
Schiano was in the minority. Through Rutgers’ first two games, the Scarlet Knights struggled against weak competition. Rutgers opened with a 37-21 home loss against lowly UMass, the Minutemen’s first victory in 16 games. The Scarlet Knights then lost 28-21 at Boston College, as quarterback AJ Surace threw four interceptions.
On Saturday, though, the Scarlet Knights hung with a USC team that started 2-0 and has several players who should play in the NFL in the next couple of years. Rutgers finished with 460 yards of offense, just four fewer than USC, and had more yards (289) in the second half than the Trojans (212). Antwan Raymond ran for 122 yards on 21 carries, while receiver KJ Duff had seven catches for 86 yards and made a one-handed touchdown catch late in the first quarter.
Rutgers quarterback Dylan Lonergan, who missed the BC game with an injury, returned and completed 18 of 36 passes for 252 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. After throwing an interception on his first attempt, he regrouped and made some clutch plays, as did his team, which converted three of four fourth downs.
Trailing 17-7 and facing a 4th and 21 on its own 16-yard line late in the first half, Rutgers converted a fake punt, with punter Jakob Anderson completing a 40-yard pass to defensive back Jesse Ofurie, who was wide open in the middle of the field. Five plays later, Lonergan threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Elias Coke for 17-14 USC with 1:25 left.
“My decisions tonight are based on who you’re playing, (12th-ranked team) in the country,” Schiano said. “They have one of the more talented rosters. The pro people I talk to…they have top five talent in the country on that team. You have to take some chances.”
Still, Lonergan made some mistakes, as well, including early in the third quarter when Rutgers trailed 20-14 and had a first and goal on the USC 9-yard line. USC safety Prophet Brown stepped in front of Lonergan’s pass, made the interception and returned the ball 99 yards for a touchdown, expand the Trojans’ lead to 27-14. But Rutgers responded with a three-play, 75-yard drive, culminating in Clay Thevenin’s 17-yard touchdown run to cut its deficit to 27-21.
In the fourth quarter, Schiano went for it again on fourth and 1 from the Rutgers 24-yard line. Running back Antwan Raymond received the direct snap, but he couldn’t get the first down. USC quarterback Jordan Maiava then threw a two-yard touchdown pass (his second of the night) for a 42-28 lead with 8.41 left. Lonergan followed up by tossing a 28-yard touchdown on fourth and 10 to cut the Rutgers deficit to 42-35 with 4:24 remaining. But USC ran out the clock, keeping its perfect record intact and setting up a major Big Ten home game next Saturday against No. 21 Oregon.
Rutgers, meanwhile, again fell short against a ranked team, calling into question Schiano’s future with the program. After coaching Rutgers from 2001 through 2011, the best years in program history, Schiano became the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coach, lasting two seasons. He later was an assistant at Ohio State before returning to Rutgers in 2019 to great fanfare.
Still, since Schiano took over for a second time, Rutgers has gone 31-44, including 15-40 in the Big Ten. Rutgers should be a heavy favorite on Friday night against Howard, a Football Championship Subdivision team. But a week later the Scarlet Knights host No. 4 Indiana, the reigning national champion. They also face No. 19 Michigan and No. 14 Penn State, along with five other conference opponents. They can’t overlook any of those teams.
After Rutgers went 7-6 in 2023 and won the Pinstripe Bowl, Schiano signed a contract extension through the 2029 season. He is making $6.75 million this year and is owed $22.5 million over the final three years of his contract, per CBS Sports. Those are numbers that are surely on the mind of athletics director Keli Zinn, who came from LSU and started in July 2025.
The schedule presents opportunities for Schiano to defeat Big Ten opponents and show he’s the right man for the role. Still, the clock is ticking. And despite praising his team Saturday for hanging in with a ranked team, Schiano knows where things stand.
“There’s nobody to blame but me,” Schiano said. “I have to figure out how to do it as the head coach. After 39 years of doing this, I have to figure out how to get us over the hump because we’re not a bad football team. We’re just not quite where we need to be right now.”
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