Game 9 Recap: Change We Need

Dumpster fire mode engaged. It was a tumultuous week for Rutgers football, and it doesn't look like things will get better for the foreseeable future. A rash of de-commitments, allegations of an assistant coach who bullied a player, and a drubbing to a team when you needed a good showing just proves that the head coach of Rutgers football is in over his head. I don't like beating around the bush, but it's time to present the official stance of this blog:

Kyle Flood needs to go.

As a leader, you work to improve your team in all aspects, especially what is perceived to be a weakness. What are the weaknesses of Rutgers football? A secondary that might as well not even walk onto the field. A quarterback who can't help but turn the ball over on a consistent basis. A lack of urgency to play with the least bit of effort.

There are so many things wrong with the 2013 season of Rutgers football that it's just sad to think about where this program was headed just one year ago. Sure, the B1G is still coming next season. But who here believes that the Scarlet Knights have any legitimate chance for a competitive season when they are struggling against the American Athletic Conference? Kyle Flood had no answer for anything Cincinnati threw at him. He was caught off-guard by the onside kick. Then a fake punt made the special teams look like complete fools. I think the quintessential play for the defense this year was late in the second quarter when safety Lorenzo Waters was covering Shaq Washington during a scramble by Bearcat QB Brendon Kay. Kay launched a jump ball pass to receiver Washington. Waters was actually in position to make a play on the ball. What happens? Waters botches the coverage and lets the ball fall right into the waiting hands of Washington. Touchdown Bearcats, 38-7 with four minutes left to play in the second quarter.

Simply put, the team doesn't have any motivation to play at all, and it's easy to see when receivers are running free in the secondary. Even the vaunted rush defense is no longer present. That former top ten defense gave up 6.5 yards per rush to Hosey Williams and 5.2 yards per rush to Tion Green. So much for making the Cincinnati offense one-dimensional. Even if Cincinnat wanted to just air it out all game, they could have (and pretty much accomplished that feat on Saturday). Kay continued the streak of quarterbacks who looked like Heisman winners playing against a high school secondary.

I haven't even mentioned the horrendous performance of Gary Nova, and I don't have to. He played horribly, again. Big surprise, huh? There is nothing about this team that is better compared to the first game of the season, and that is a clear cut sign of failure leadership. And forget about the story the Star-Ledger is pushing regarding the bullying by Dave Cohen. That's just icing on the cake at this point. With or without that scandal, the Rutgers football program is heading in the wrong direction, and you don't want the wrong guy for your program leading you into the conference of your dreams.

Rutgers will most likely be eligible for a bowl game this year, but you almost don't what that to happen. Because a bowl game would bring a false sense of accomplishment. The coaching staff doesn't deserve to coach in a bowl game, and that's a shame because the players deserve a heck of a lot more than what they're getting now. What's next? A matchup against UCF in Orlando. I weep just thinking about what the outcome will be.

What do you think? Too harsh? Too lenient? Leave a comment below on what you think needs to be done.