NCAA football: Rutgers defeats Temple, 16-14

PHILADELPHIA — A Rutgers quarterback corps already struggling with injury suffered another potentially major blow on Saturday.

On the final play of his second drive in the first quarter of the Scarlet Knights’ 16-14 win over Temple, redshirt freshman quarterback Gavin Wimsatt limped off the field, entered the injury tent and never returned to the game despite walking around the sideline with his helmet on.

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Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said following the win that Wimsatt suffered an injury and “couldn’t go.” He added that it was “too soon to even make a guess” on specifics about the injury, including the severity of it and a potential timeline for Wimsatt’s return.

Wimsatt joins veteran quarterback Noah Vedral, who missed the first three games of the season with an injury sustained during training camp. Schiano has said the program does not have a target date or a timeline for his return, but shed more light on the situation when asked if there was hope Vedral could return for the Scarlet Knights’ Big Ten opener against Iowa next week.

“There is always hope (he returns). I don’t know if that’s realistic yet,” Schiano said. “I think he’s trying. It’s going to be close. It’s going to be close. But I’m not going to ever risk somebody’s long-term future for a day or a week. The doctors make that decision. Whatever they think, that’s what we’ll do.”

Third-year sophomore Evan Simon took the majority of the reps with Wimsatt and Vedral both out. He completed 9 of his 15 pass attempts, gaining 52 yards through the air and leading an offense that struggled immensely against the Owls. Through three games this season, he’s completed 18 of his 26 attempts for 214 yards and two touchdowns.

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Schiano said Simon “did a good job, fought his guts out, found a way to win the game” on Saturday. Based on what he’s seen from him, would Schiano be confident in Simon if he remained the only scholarship quarterback available against the Hawkeyes next Saturday?

“I’m not going to get into hypotheticals about who is going to be healthy and who is not, but I certainly have confidence in Evan, for sure,” Schiano said. “He knows what he’s doing, he’s a good player. He’ll be fine. Hopefully we’ll have more than one guy healthy. But you know, we have some walk-ons that are ready to go as well. You play who you have. That’s one thing I learned a long time ago. Don’t worry about you don’t have; make sure the guys you do have, you’ve done everything you can to prepare them to go out and play.”

Tight end Johnny Langan, a quarterback in his early college career, is also an option for offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson. Langan said he is “excited for whatever (the coaching staff) puts on my plate next week” and that “whatever plays they script, I’ll do to the best of my ability,” but added he is confident in Simon’s ability to lead the offense.

“First off, I think (Simon and Wimsatt are) both very good quarterbacks,” Langan said, “but Evan in particular, he’s a baller. He’s tough, he’s gritty, he’ll get the job done.”

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

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