Greg Schiano's first year at Rutgers University was a disaster. People now will blindly look back at that 2-9 record and say the Scarlet Knights probably wouldn't have won a single game had he not been there in 2001, but the truth is that Rutgers probably would have been a better team that year had Schiano not been there. Obviously, he was beginning to build the program that we see now, but purely from a win-loss perspective, he probably cost his team more wins that season than he brought them...and all due to one major mistake.
With Schiano came a new coaching staff and a handful of recruits. As is the case in college football, a new coach is forced to play with recruits brought in by another coach. In this case, the man before Schiano was Terry Shea and unfortunately while he was known as an offensive genius, he wasn't known for his recruiting.
One of Rutgers better recruits entering that season was QB Ryan Cubit. How did the Scarlet Knights grab a quarterback as highly regarded as Cubit? They brought in his father, Bill Cubit, to run the offense. Bill was an up and coming offensive mind that had showed a tremendous amount of promise at the University of Missouri the year before. Originally born in Pennsylvania, Cubit took the Rutgers job to move back home and groom his son to be the future QB at Rutgers.
Sounds like a good deal, right? Training camps begin and Ryan, albeit extremely raw, begins to show the skill that had recruiters following him throughout his senior year. He played so well that by the end of camp, he had forced a quarterback controversy with junior Chad Schwenk.
Schwenk had waited for his time to come, backing up Mike McMahon for several years. He was the antithesis of Ryan Cubit. He lacked size and arm strength. He was never going to be a standout QB in the Big East, but he was gutsy, a guy that moved the ball and whom the team followed. Despite Cubit making things interesting, he never should have had a chance to start on a terrible team with Schwenk ready to go.
Schiano viewed things differently. He saw Ryan Cubit as his quarterback of the future. He also knew his first season at Rutgers wasn't going to be pretty, but always the optimist, he thought he could be competitive the following year and he didn't want the 2002 team being manned by an inexperienced QB. He might as well get Cubit time behind center as soon as possible.
A week before their first game of the season, Greg Schiano told the team Ryan Cubit would start their opener. What he didn't realize is that the majority of the team didn't want Cubit to start. While he had played well in camp, he hadn't noticeably outplayed Chad Schwenk. The feeling on the team was that Schwenk had put his time in and deserved to start. He, like the majority of players, was a Terry Shea recruit. Although Shea never had success at Rutgers, he was very well liked. Schiano was still in the process of winning over and gaining the trust of his players, many of whom had not yet warmed to aggressive, in your face style of motivation. Selecting the OC's son to QB over one of their own wasn't the way for Schiano to gain the trust of his team.
To say the move backfired would be an understatement. Schwenk transferred to Lehigh shortly after. The team never played for Ryan Cubit, who struggled mightily as the first true freshman quarterback to play for the university in over 30 years. Ryan Cubit took a beating that season and transferred at the end of the year. Bill Cubit was fired the following season.
Ryan Cubit would end up at Western Michigan University. His father would spend two years at Stanford before again taking a job to coach his son at WMU in 2005. He took over a 1-10 program and went 7-4 and won MAC coach of the year. In 2006, the WMU Broncos went 8-4.
Today, they're playing Cincinatti in the International Bowl. After falling to a 24-0 deficit early in the second quarter, they've climbed back to make it a game by half time. The score is now 24-24 early in the fourth quarter.
Ryan Cubit is playing his final game for the Broncos and as QB of his father's team. It's been a long road for both, personally and professionally, but it would be a great story to have them walk off with a bowl win...especially on a day when Greg Schiano has won yet another coach of the year award.
With Schiano came a new coaching staff and a handful of recruits. As is the case in college football, a new coach is forced to play with recruits brought in by another coach. In this case, the man before Schiano was Terry Shea and unfortunately while he was known as an offensive genius, he wasn't known for his recruiting.
One of Rutgers better recruits entering that season was QB Ryan Cubit. How did the Scarlet Knights grab a quarterback as highly regarded as Cubit? They brought in his father, Bill Cubit, to run the offense. Bill was an up and coming offensive mind that had showed a tremendous amount of promise at the University of Missouri the year before. Originally born in Pennsylvania, Cubit took the Rutgers job to move back home and groom his son to be the future QB at Rutgers.
Sounds like a good deal, right? Training camps begin and Ryan, albeit extremely raw, begins to show the skill that had recruiters following him throughout his senior year. He played so well that by the end of camp, he had forced a quarterback controversy with junior Chad Schwenk.
Schwenk had waited for his time to come, backing up Mike McMahon for several years. He was the antithesis of Ryan Cubit. He lacked size and arm strength. He was never going to be a standout QB in the Big East, but he was gutsy, a guy that moved the ball and whom the team followed. Despite Cubit making things interesting, he never should have had a chance to start on a terrible team with Schwenk ready to go.
Schiano viewed things differently. He saw Ryan Cubit as his quarterback of the future. He also knew his first season at Rutgers wasn't going to be pretty, but always the optimist, he thought he could be competitive the following year and he didn't want the 2002 team being manned by an inexperienced QB. He might as well get Cubit time behind center as soon as possible.
A week before their first game of the season, Greg Schiano told the team Ryan Cubit would start their opener. What he didn't realize is that the majority of the team didn't want Cubit to start. While he had played well in camp, he hadn't noticeably outplayed Chad Schwenk. The feeling on the team was that Schwenk had put his time in and deserved to start. He, like the majority of players, was a Terry Shea recruit. Although Shea never had success at Rutgers, he was very well liked. Schiano was still in the process of winning over and gaining the trust of his players, many of whom had not yet warmed to aggressive, in your face style of motivation. Selecting the OC's son to QB over one of their own wasn't the way for Schiano to gain the trust of his team.
To say the move backfired would be an understatement. Schwenk transferred to Lehigh shortly after. The team never played for Ryan Cubit, who struggled mightily as the first true freshman quarterback to play for the university in over 30 years. Ryan Cubit took a beating that season and transferred at the end of the year. Bill Cubit was fired the following season.
Ryan Cubit would end up at Western Michigan University. His father would spend two years at Stanford before again taking a job to coach his son at WMU in 2005. He took over a 1-10 program and went 7-4 and won MAC coach of the year. In 2006, the WMU Broncos went 8-4.
Today, they're playing Cincinatti in the International Bowl. After falling to a 24-0 deficit early in the second quarter, they've climbed back to make it a game by half time. The score is now 24-24 early in the fourth quarter.
Ryan Cubit is playing his final game for the Broncos and as QB of his father's team. It's been a long road for both, personally and professionally, but it would be a great story to have them walk off with a bowl win...especially on a day when Greg Schiano has won yet another coach of the year award.
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