Rutgers’ offense is lifeless once again in loss to Nebraska despite Noah Vedral’s return

The fairytale was there to be written for Rutgers.

Veteran quarterback Noah Vedral was back behind center, the injury that kept him out for most of the season healed to the point where he could play. The Nebraska native and former Husker led his Scarlet Knights into a must-win game against his home state school, and after watching Rutgers’ offense sputter in his absence, Vedral had a chance to slot in and fix it himself.

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And for the first few minutes of the Scarlet Knights’ 14-13 loss to Nebraska, it looked like the Wahoo native would do just that. But as the game went on and the stalled drives mounted, it was clear Vedral was not a solution but another piece of a mounting problem in Piscataway.

Even with its veteran quarterback finally available, Rutgers’ dreadful offense remained lifeless. The Scarlet Knights (3-3, 0-3), which entered the game ranked 122nd in passing offense (137.3 yards), 121st in total offense (269 yards) and 120th in scoring offense (14.5 points) in games against FBS opposition, struggled to do much better.

Rutgers failed to score more than 22 points for the fifth time in as many games against FBS opponents, failed to throw a passing touchdown for the third time in those games and, via back-up quarterback Evan Simon, threw another pair of back-breaking interceptions. The final count: 348 total yards — 233 passing, 115 rushing — one touchdown, two field goals, three turnovers.

The signal-callers did not receive much help from their offensive line, which allowed three sacks and six tackles-for-loss, and were further killed by the mounting penalty problem; Rutgers committed nine penalties that resulted in 97 yards. But they did let another solid defensive performance, one where Rutgers forced two turnovers and held Nebraska (3-3, 2-1) to 305 total yards and 4-of-14 on third downs, go to waste.

The loss was the Scarlet Knights’ 21st consecutive home defeat in Big Ten play, extending the conference record it held entering the season. They have now lost three consecutive Big Ten games after going a perfect 3-0 in non-conference play.

Vedral finished with 127 yards on 5-of-15 passing, no interceptions and no passing touchdowns. He ran for 34 yards and a touchdown on six non-sack carries.

His highs surpassed his predecessors. His first three completions of the game amounting to a combined 110 yards, he threw more passes of 30+ yards (three) in six drives than the Scarlet Knights mustered the previous 43 drives against FBS opposition this season, and he opened the scoring with a 21-yard rushing touchdown that featured a nifty move to get into the end zone.

Vedral completed his first two throws of the game, a 33-yard pass to Shameen Jones on the game’s opening drive and a 34-yard completion to Aron Cruickshank on Rutgers’ second drive. The pair of passes to the senior wide receivers combined for more yards (67) than the Scarlet Knights threw against Temple (59) and nearly as much as they did against No. 3 Ohio State (80).

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But Vedral’s lows dragged down that production.

After completing his first two passes, he missed his next five throws. The result was three stalled drives and a fourth that started at the Nebraska 9-yard line and ended in a field goal instead of a touchdown.

He was sporadically replaced by Simon from there. It is unclear if the decision was due to Vedral’s injury or if it was a matter of production, but what is clear is that Simon replicated Vedral’s trajectory of a strong start with a sharp decline.

After completing five of his first eight passes for 81 yards, Simon melted down. He threw three back-breaking second-half interceptions, the ugliest part of a night where he passed for 100 yards on 6-of-15 passing. Nebraska took the lead for good following his second interception, scoring a 27-yard touchdown pass on the following play, and locked up the victory with the third pick that came with 46 seconds remaining.

The Scarlet Knights would get the ball two more times with a chance to retake the lead. They punted the ball away on the first drive after gaining just 12 yards. On the second drive, which started with a minute left to play at its own 19-yard line and with Simon behind center, Rutgers fittingly threw its last chance at a comeback away.

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Brian Fonseca may be reached at bfonseca@njadvancemedia.com.

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