It’s been a week fraught with some off-field adversity for Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Greg Schiano.
The Buckeye assistant was involved in a car accident last Thursday morning in which his vehicle struck a bicyclist. According to the police report, the primary cause of the crash was centered around Schiano running a red light at the intersection of Lane Avenue and Fred Taylor Drive a few blocks west of Ohio Stadium. The 26-year-old male victim was treated for injuries at a local hospital and released.
As a result of the incident, Schiano was cited for failure to obey a traffic control device on Wednesday, a minor misdemeanor. He is set to be arraigned on October 5th and faces combined fines of $152 according to court records.
Greg Schiano’s Tumultuous Week Ahead of Rutgers Reunion
It’s an unfortunate occurrence for Schiano ahead of the Buckeyes Big Ten opener against Rutgers. Saturday’s game marks the first meeting between him and the team he once led out of the proverbial college football wilderness. As head coach of the Scarlet Knights from 2001-11, he turned a traditionally moribund program into a perennial contender in the old Big East.
Schiano’s Rutgers Project
What Schiano endured during his first few years at Rutgers is something Buckeye fans aren’t used to and hope they never have to experience. For a program that’s used to winning year in and year out, a multi-year rebuilding process that includes multiple losing seasons in a row is a downright foreign concept. But for Schiano, it’s how he built his brand so to speak as a competent coaching mind.
His tenure at Rutgers is a case study in patience when it comes to building a program. Schiano went 12-34 during his first four seasons in Piscataway. Athletic directors have fired coaches for having better than a .261 winning percentage over such a time period.
But Robert Mulcahy (the Rutgers director of athletics at the time) stayed the course with Schiano and it paid off. The Scarlet Knights went 7-5 in his fifth season at the helm (2005), earning the program its first bowl appearance since 1978. That would invariably pale in comparison to what was coming the following year.
2006 is arguably the greatest season in the history of the Rutgers football program. At one point, the team was undefeated, ranked seventh in the AP poll and firmly in the national championship discussion. Though they’d suffer two late losses, the Scarlet Knights won their first ever bowl game (a 37-10 win over Kansas State in the Insight Bowl) while finishing 11-2 and ranked 12th in the final AP poll.
Schiano certainly left Rutgers in better shape than when he first arrived. During his final seven seasons coaching the Scarlet Knights, he suffered a losing season just once. Not surprisingly given his current position at Ohio State, the foundation of that success came on the defensive side of the football.
That should become readily apparent upon initial perusal of the following chart. It shows Rutgers national ranks in the four major defensive categories (rush defense, pass defense, total defense and scoring defense) from 2005-11. And guessing which one of these seasons was a 4-8 campaign should be fairly simple.
The Bumpy Road From Scarlet Knights to Scarlet and Gray
Schiano left Rutgers after the 2011 season, accepting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coaching job. His first year started well, with the Bucs at 6-4 and in the thick of the playoff race after week 11. However, they would lose five of their last six to finish at 7-9.
Pretty much nothing went right the following season. Reports of a rift between Schiano and starting quarterback Josh Freeman dominated the preseason. After the team started 0-3, Freeman was benched in favor of rookie Mike Glennon. The team would lose five in a row after that and end up finishing 4-12. The Bucs fired Schiano at season’s end.
It’s just one of many cautionary tales regarding college coaches who’ve made the jump to the pros and struggled to realize success. Schiano certainly wasn’t the first. Alabama head man Nick Saban is perhaps the most prominent example that comes to mind after his failed stint with the Miami Dolphins.
Schiano spent the last two years out of coaching. But when OSU defensive coordinator Chris Ash took his old gig, an opportunity arose. Urban Meyer was well-aware of Schiano’s track record of success on defense. And with so few returning starters on that side of the ball, having an experienced mind coach them up could only aid in their development.
Schiano’s Silver Bullets Locked and Loaded
Question marks were almost certain to abound on defense considering the Buckeyes had just three returning starters. But after three games, to say they’ve been answered convincingly would be an immense understatement. Ohio State’s young guns on defense have demonstrated they will undoubtedly be an irresistible force in conference play.
This has been especially true in the secondary. It isn’t much of a surprise that’s the case considering Schiano’s extensive experience coaching defensive backs before he took the Rutgers job. His work with Ed Reed while a defensive coordinator at Miami made him a first round pick in 2002. And Reed carved out an NFL career that should eventually land him in Canton.
Plenty of key statistics indicate Schiano is doing a fantastic job imparting his know-how to this youthful group. The Buckeyes lead the nation in turnover margin (+9) and interception returns for touchdowns (four). They’re also top five nationally in total interceptions (nine) and passes defended per game (8.0).
Perhaps no two players are more indicative of the ball-hawking nature of this secondary than Malik Hooker and Marshon Lattimore. The two scintillating sophomores have three picks apiece and have returned one each the other way for six. Under Schiano’s tutelage they could be well on their way towards maintaining that tradition of OSU defensive backs playing at the next level. A grand total of 19 Buckeye cornerbacks/safeties have been taken in the NFL Draft since 2000.
Moving on From a Mistake
In the lead-up to and during Saturday’s game, references will be made to last Thursday’s incident. Against the program he helped turn around and the man who occupied both his current and former post, Schiano’s focus for three hours will have to be on the field. But there will be ramifications afterwards. It’s just the nature of these kind of things.
Ultimately, mistakes are part of life and Schiano, like many of us when faced with adversity such as this, will have to move on. At the same time, he’ll have to live with whatever consequences come about from causing bodily injury as a result of a traffic violation. Nevertheless, that should never take away from what he accomplished at Rutgers and what he continues to bring about in Columbus.
