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They came to play for Rutgers, but more than that, they came to play for Greg Schiano.

Most every player would tell you that. So imagine the emotions in the team meeting room Thursday afternoon when Schiano had to tell his players he was leaving for the Tampa Bay Bucs.

“I could see how much he cared because he was crying and a lot of guys were crying. It was emotional," cornerback Brandon Jones said.

Linebacker Khaseem Greene added: "He had to walk into 100-plus of his sons and tell them the news that we never want to hear. It was hard for coach, but like I said, guys understand. It was really emotional for him and you could tell this is not something where he just ran for the money. We know sincerely that coach wanted to be here and his heart is here. He just had a better opportunity."

How tough was it to hear that Schiano was leaving?

"It’s tough for anybody to lose a great guy like Coach Schiano, but the best thing about it is that we don’t really lose him," Greene said. "He told us that his number is going to be the same. If we ever need him for anything, don’t hesitate to call. Nothing is changing, just coach had an opportunity and he took it. We are all happy for him, as bittersweet as it is, we are happy for him. It is good to have a coach that we have played for in the NFL. For guys who may have a future in the NFL, just networking. Like I said it is a bittersweet thing."

So what did Schiano tell the team?

“He got into how much he loved us and how difficult a decision it was," Jones said. "I know he loves us, you could see it on our faces when he was talking to us. I know it was tough decision for him, but I am sure it was the best decision for his family. Leaving here, he knows what he left is going to last a long time. He did what he needed to do for this program and I love him for that.”

Greene said this team will stay together no matter who takes over for Schiano.

"Once a coach is named, we build those relationships through meetings," Greene said. "Talking to him. Getting to know him. Coach Schiano built something special here and he put some characteristics into us that nobody can take away from us and nobody can change about us. We are still going to be the class of college football and we are still going to play hard, play within the lines of the game. We are still going to be the best academically and that is just something that we pride ourselves on doing. We won’t lose anything there.”

'Tis the season to wish you all a merry holiday!

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• Louisville is taking a business approach to the Belk Bowl. Adjustments have to be made with Michaelee Harris out.
• Can Paul Chryst rebuild faith in Pitt? Paul Zeise breaks down the hire.
• Rutgers cornerback Brandon Jones has played through injury this season.
• Sammy Watkins is one of the many challenges West Virginia will face in the Orange Bowl.

Here are the Big East players of the week, as selected by the conference:

Offense: Jawan Jamison, RB, Rutgers. Jamison rushed for a career-high 200 yards and scored two touchdowns on 34 carries in a 20-3 win against Cincinnati. Jamison became the third freshman running back in school history to rush for 200 yards in a game, and is the first since Ray Rice in the 2005 season.

Defense: Dexter Heyman, LB, Louisville. Heyman had seven tackles, including a sack and 3.5 tackles for loss, along with an interception in leading Louisville to a 34-20 win at UConn. Heyman led a defense that limited the Huskies to just 76 rushing yards, helping the Cardinals to their fourth win in their past five games.

Special teams: Adrian Bushell, CB, Louisville. Bushell returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to send Louisville on its way against UConn.

Weekly Honor Roll

JK Schaffer, LB, Cincinnati. Had 13 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack in a 20-3 loss at Rutgers.

Kashif Moore, WR, UConn. Had seven receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown in a 34-20 loss to Louisville.

Sio Moore, LB, UConn. Had 13 tackles, a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss in a 34-20 loss to Louisville.

Brandon Jones, CB, Rutgers. Had four tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and an interception in a 20-3 win against Cincinnati.

DeDe Lattimore, LB, USF. Had 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in a 6-3 loss to Miami.

How about a few helmet stickers for a job well done:

Adrian Bushell, CB, Louisville. Bushell returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in a 34-20 win over UConn, a victory that allowed the Cardinals to become bowl eligible. Bushell served a one-game suspension last week for violating team rules and rebounded with a huge play, becoming the fourth player in school history to return a kickoff 100 yards.

Jawan Jamison, RB, Rutgers. Jamison had career highs with 34 carries and 200 yards rushing, along with two touchdowns, in a 20-3 win over Cincinnati. He became the third freshman running back in school history to rush for 200 yards in a game, joining Terrell Willis (221 yards, 1993) and Ray Rice (217 yards, 2005). The Scarlet Knights rushed for a season-high 212 yards, the most against a Big East opponent since getting 239 yards rushing at Louisville in 2009.

Brandon Jones, CB, Rutgers. Jones had the first sack and forced fumble of his career against Cincinnati, and also had an interception in the end zone to key a strong defensive effort. Rutgers recovered the fumble and converted the turnover into a touchdown.

Every football coach in America talks about the importance of special teams. But only a few coaches in America have special-teams units that are truly special.

Rutgers coach Greg Schiano is one of them.

Throughout his tenure, Rutgers has produced one solid unit after another. This season is no exception. Rutgers has seven blocks in 2011, tied for second nationally. Only Fresno State (10) has more. Since 2002, Rutgers has 54 blocks to tie for second in the nation as well.

The importance of special teams is emphasized to every player at Rutgers from the day they set foot on campus. Not only is it a way for players to get extra playing time, special teams also is a way to make a huge impact in a game. Just ask starting cornerback Brandon Jones.

It was Jones who blocked the go-ahead field goal against Navy late in the fourth quarter, a play that allowed Rutgers to win 21-20.

"It was probably one of the greatest experiences I had playing football in my whole career," Jones said in a phone interview. "I knew the timing of it, and it was a game that was on the line. I knew somebody was going to block it. The fact that I was able to come through for my brothers, it meant a whole lot to me."

Rutgers has had special-teams wizards in the past, guys like Devin McCourty and Joe Lefeged. But Schiano says this year has been more of a group effort. Five different players have blocked a field goal, punt or extra point this season. Jamal Merrell leads the team with three.

"A culture has developed here," Schiano said. "We spend a lot of time on it. It's emphasized, and we really do play a lot of starters on our special teams."

Jones estimates the special-teams units are made of 75 percent starters. One of the big points of emphasis for Rutgers' special teams is speed. So there are some younger players who get an opportunity because they can be difference makers. Rutgers works on punt and field goal blocks during practice every day, so it gets to the point where Rutgers does not just hope for a big play to happen. Players go into the game expecting a big play on special teams to happen.

"We make our luck," said Jones, who is on the punt block, kickoff return and kickoff coverage teams. "The preparation throughout the week is you're going to get a block, we're going to get it done. If everybody does the details and technique correctly, it will happen."

As for the message Schiano sells on playing special teams, Jones said, "Coach puts a big emphasis on it because it's a way you can win a game. Every guy that's on the team wants to play on special teams. It's not a punishment, it's something everybody wants to do because it's another way we can go about winning a football game."

Indeed, when you look at some of the blocks this season, they came at opportune times. Jones saved the day against Navy. Merrell had a blocked extra point and a blocked field goal against Syracuse, a game Rutgers won in overtime. Without those plays, the Scarlet Knights might have lost. Rutgers ended up scoring a touchdown off the blocked field goal, so that was a huge turning point in the game.

The most recent was a blocked punt by Wayne Warren last week against Army, with Rutgers holding a slim 13-12 lead. Jordan Thomas picked up the ball and returned it for a touchdown to swing momentum.

Aside from the blocks, Jeremy Deering has returned a kickoff for a touchdown and Rutgers has scored off a fumbled punt. The Scarlet Knights rank 11th nationally and lead the Big East in kickoff returns (25.5 yards per return). About the only part of the unit that has struggled has been kicker San San Te, who has missed 10 field goals this season.

"Sometimes it's kind of like a golfer in the middle of a round," Schiano said. "You can't fix it, but if you get on the range and you work the kinks out  he knows what the problem is, he's just got to get it grooved out."

Time for a little Big East did you know? Thanks to the school sports information departments and ESPN Stats & Information for the notes featured below.

• Cincinnati’s defense has not allowed an offensive touchdown in nine quarters and its three most recent opponents are averaging 14 yards rushing a game.
• Cincinnati punter Pat O'Donnell has proven once again why he is the best in the Big East. Eleven of his punts have been downed inside the 20-yard line this season and six have gone for 50 yards or more.
• Bearcats senior offensive lineman Alex Hoffman leads the offense with 31 career starts. What makes that note unique is that Hoffman, now the starter at left tackle, is at his third different starting position and fourth spot overall in three years.
• Louisville and Rutgers are playing on a weekday for the seventh consecutive season. The Cardinals and Scarlet Knights met on a Friday in 2005, a Thursday in 2006-08 and a Friday in 2009, 2010 and again tonight.
• The Cardinals have scored just seven points at home in the second half this season — and haven’t scored at all in the third quarter.
• West Virginia ranks second nationally with 34 completions of 20 or more yards. Only Houston has more (40).
• Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith leads the Big East with 16 passing touchdowns, nine of which have come off play action. Smith has at least one touchdown on a play-action pass in four games this season after only having three such games in 2010.
• Smith's completion percentage is 67.8 over the past two seasons, but drops by more than 23 percent when passing outside the pocket. In West Virginia's five losses over the past two seasons, Smith's completion percentage outside the pocket was 37.9 percent.
• At halftime of its game against West Virginia, host Syracuse will celebrate the 50th anniversary of running back Ernie Davis winning the Heisman Trophy. Davis made history in 1961 when he became the first African-American to receive the award. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Davis played for the Orange from 1959-61. He was a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns, but died of leukemia before ever playing a down in the NFL.
• Syracuse has not beaten West Virginia at home since 2001.
• Syracuse and West Virginia have played 58 times, making the Mountaineers one of the Orange’s oldest and most frequent rivals. In its history, Syracuse has only faced four teams (Penn State, Colgate, Pittsburgh and Boston College) more than the Mountaineers.
• Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib is on pace for 248 completions, 384 attempts and 2,588 yards. All three numbers would be school records. He is on pace to tie the school season record for passing touchdowns (22) and finish second in completion percentage and passing yards per game.
• For just the fourth time since 1980, Rutgers is 5-1 or better after six games to start the year.
• The Scarlet Knights ranked last in the nation with 61 sacks allowed last year, averaging a little over five per game. In 2011, Rutgers is tied for 59th in the NCAA, allowing 2.0 sacks a game (12 sacks total).
• The Rutgers defense has held three opponents to under 300 yards of total offense in 2011, going 3-0 in those contests. Under coach Greg Schiano, the Scarlet Knights are 38-4 (.904) when limiting the opposition to less than 300 yards of total offense.
• Since 2002, Rutgers is third nationally with 51 blocked kicks, including four this season. In the 21-20 victory over Navy, junior cornerback Brandon Jones blocked Navy’s attempted go-ahead field goal attempt with 4:43 remaining to preserve the one-point victory.
• USF tied the school record for sacks with seven against Connecticut. The Bulls had six different players record a sack in that game with two coming from defensive tackles, two from linebackers, one from a defensive end and one from a safety.
• Sophomore WR Sterling Griffin is on pace to challenge both the single-season reception (62) and yardage (706) totals at USF. In six games, Griffin has 32 receptions for 420 yards. The 32 receptions are the second-most through six games in school history, behind only Hugh Smith, who had 34 receptions in six games during the 2002 season. Griffins' 420 yards are the most by a USF receiver at this point in the season.

Here are the Big East players of the week, as selected by the conference:

Offense: Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati. Pead rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown in a 25-16 win against Louisville. Pead keyed Cincinnati’s comeback from a 16-7 halftime deficit with a 50-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that gave the Bearcats the lead for good.

Defense: Byron Jones, CB, UConn. Jones made the difference on the defensive side with a 10-yard fumble recovery in the fourth quarter to lift the Huskies to a 16-10 win against USF. Jones also had seven tackles.

Special teams: Brandon Jones, CB, Rutgers. Jones helped seal a 21-20 win against Navy when he blocked a 34-yard field goal attempt with 4:43 left in the fourth quarter that would have given the Midshipmen the lead. It was the first blocked kick of the season for Jones and the fourth for Rutgers.

Weekly Honor Roll

Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati. Had a career-high 11 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and two quarterback hurries in a 25-16 win against Louisville.

Lyle McCombs, RB, UConn. Rushed for 130 yards on 32 carries in a 16-10 win against USF.

Khaseem Greene, LB, Rutgers. Had a career-high 14 tackles in a 21-20 win against Navy.

Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers. Had 10 receptions for 100 yards in a 21-20 win against Navy. Moved into sixth place on the school’s career receptions chart (150).

Ryne Giddins, DE, USF. Had career highs of 11 tackles, two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss with a forced fumble and a pass breakup in a 16-10 loss at UConn.

We round out the defensive team position rankings with the cornerbacks. There are some teams with plenty of experience. Others are in desperate need of improvement. Where do they stack up?

1. Connecticut. Both starters return in Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Dwayne Gratz, and the Huskies should continue to make the improvements they made in the second half of the season. The two combined for six of the team's 20 interceptions. Wreh-Wilson should be a preseason All-Big East selection and is one of the best in the league.

2. West Virginia. Keith Tandy returns after making first-team All Big East last season, though the Mountaineers have to replace Brandon Hogan, a second-team selection. They do have an experienced player in Pat Miller set to take over, with Brodrick Jenkins and Brantwon Bowser providing depth as well.

3. USF. The Bulls have to make up for the loss of Mistral Raymond, but have plenty of experienced players back in Kayvon Webster, Ricardo Dixon, George Baker and returning starter Quenton Washington. West Virginia gets the nod ahead of USF because of Tandy.

4. Syracuse. Both starters are gone in Mike Holmes and Da'Mond Merkerson. Kevyn Scott and Keon Lyn are penciled in to start. Scott has experience, while Lyn has plenty of potential. The problem is depth. Walk-on Joe Nassib is listed as a backup. Early enrollee Jaston George needs to show big improvement in the fall.

5. Pittsburgh. Coach Todd Graham has talked up K'Waun Williams and fifth-year senior Buddy Jackson after both had good springs. Antwuan Reed missed spring with injury but should be fine for the season, giving the Panthers three players with the potential to have a good year. The problem is that Williams is inexperienced and Jackson has failed to live up to expectations. Reed was inconsistent last season, too.

6. Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights lose their best cover cornerback in Brandon Bing, and David Rowe moved to safety. Both starting jobs are up for grabs. On the post-spring depth chart, Logan Ryan and Marcus Cooper were battling for one spot and Brandon Jones and Mason Robinson for another. Robinson moved over from receiver. Jordan Thomas also is in the mix after moving from running back.

7. Cincinnati. The Bearcats were pretty dismal in the secondary last season. They return everybody, and Dominique Battle should be back from a knee injury that cost him most of the season. Still, they need to tackle better and become more aggressive to help this unit improve.

8. Louisville. The Cardinals have major problems at cornerback. They lose starters Johnny Patrick and Bobby Burns, and Darius Ashley is suspended indefinitely following his second DUI arrest. Jordan Paschal, Anthony Conner and Preston Pace are in the mix. Freshman receiver Charles Gaines was moved here in the spring to provide some relief. But this is a major area of concern.

Previous rankings

• Offensive line
• Receiver
• Running back
• Tight end
• Quarterback
• Defensive line
• Linebacker
• Safety

Rutgers has released its post-spring depth chart, and the two-deep reveals some serious competition at some key spots this summer.

Greg Schiano has three players -- Jeremy Deering, De'Antwan Williams and Jawan Jamison -- listed as tied for the first-string running back job. And that doesn't even count incoming freshman Savon Huggins, a much-hyped recruit.

There's also a tie at tight end, where sophomore Paul Carrezola has moved into a dead heat with incumbent starter D.C. Jefferson. Both cornerback spots also have co-starter situations, with Logan Ryan and Marcus Cooper battling on one side and Brandon Jones and Mason Robinson doing so on the other.

David Osei is now the starting center after Dallas Hendrickson's season-ending knee injury. The rest of the offensive line has Andre Civil at left tackle, Desmond Stapleton at right tackle and Antwan Lowery and Desmond Wynn at the guard spots. Caleb Ruch is listed as the backup at both center and right guard.

True freshman Djwany Mera has worked his way up to second string on the defensive line.

Just about wherever Devin McCourty went last year, David Rowe made sure to follow.

Rowe wanted to soak up all the knowledge he could from Rutgers' star cornerback and future first-round NFL draft pick.

"He taught me all the little things," Rowe said. "Not big things like scheme, but just how to win those one-on-one battles and how receivers want to leverage you. It was all about the mentality of football."

Rowe also was McCourty's roommate the night before games and would lean on the veteran to help calm his nerves, especially before Rowe made his first career start against Florida International.

"He said all the right things to calm me down," Rowe said. "He'd say, 'Just go out there and have fun. Love what you're doing.'"

Flash forward to this season, and now it is Rowe who's the experienced Scarlet Knights cornerback. He's the one ready to give advice to younger players -- and Rutgers hopes, to play as well as McCourty did.

The junior recently was named as the team's best draft-eligible pro prospect by Mel Kiper. At 6-foot and 196 pounds, he's got excellent size for a corner and showed good coverage skills last season after moving into that starting role early. He had been a nickelback before that.

"That was a big step for me going, from nickel to outside, basically on an island," he said. "Each game throughout the year, I got better and more comfortable."

Rowe said he felt like he belonged when he grabbed his first career interception against Texas Southern and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown. He also had a pick against UConn.

The Rutgers secondary is young but talented, with redshirt freshman Logan Ryan battling Brandon Bing for the starting job at the other corner spot. Promising youngsters such as Darrell Givens, Brandon Jones and Lorenzo Waters make sure the defensive backfield is in good hands for the future.

"I think the secondary can expect a lot of big things this year," Rowe said. "We know the defense and what the offense wants to do to us. I think we can play with a lot of teams in the country."

And if any of the younger players need advice or a word of reassurance, Rowe is happy to pay back the favor.

This Part II of my interview with Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. You can read Part I here.

On the defensive line, you lost a couple of guys but it seems like one of your most experienced units overall. How do you feel about that group?


GS: I like the group of guys we have there. I think there is experience and there's a lot of young guys we've redshirted, which is something we've never been able to do with our defensive line position, and that's going to be critical for depth. We have Scott Vallone and Charlie Noonan and Eric LeGrand, and those three guys as a group are probably the best we've had on the inside since we've been here.

And then you look at the outside, and there's [Alex] Silvestro and [Jonathan] Freeny and [Justin] Francis. We're going to be able to roll some guys and we've got good young guys that we redshirted. And when you start with defense, it starts with your front. So if these guys can perform the way that I believe they will, it's going to give us a chance.

So you think defensive line is where we might see some young guys make an impact this spring and fall?


GS: We roll eight guys and sometimes 10 guys through the front. So a lot of different guys will be out there in any given game. So hopefully some of those guys I talked about that we redshirted, you look for those guys and say can they come in and give you 15, 18, 20 plays a game? What a big help that is, when you get to the fourth quarter and you have to rush the passer. If your best and most experienced guys are 18-to-20 plays fresher, that's going to lead to some good things.

At linebacker, Ryan D'Imperio and Damao Munoz are gone, but you still have some experience and Steve Beauharnais, who really came on late as a true freshman. How good can he be?


GS: I think it's a good mix because we have experience with [Antonio] Lowery and Manny [Abreu] and then we have Steven, who the last half of the year got more action. And Steven is really a talented football player. And I think Ka'Lial Glaud is a guy you're really going to see figure into the mix. He played on all our special teams last year, he was a highly-recruited kid and he has the leadership, toughness and all those things a linebacker needs. So I think it's going to be a good mix there, and again, it's easier to play when you're playing behind a good front.

You lost Devin McCourty at cornerback. How do you replace a guy that valuable, and do you need some younger guys to step up at that position?


GS: We have some experienced guys in David Rowe and Brandon Bing who played a lot of football for us. David started from Week 3 on. He had played a lot for us as a nickelback his freshman year and then started nine games his sophomore year, so he brings a lot of experience. Brandon played a lot, mostly in third-down situations in sub packages. And then we have a bunch of young kids that we redshirted -- [Darrell] Givens, [Brandon] Jones, [Logan] Ryan, [Abdul] Smith -- those guys were all very good prospects coming out of high school, and now is their chance.

The thing I like is, we have two experienced guys in front of them. So if they don't come on quickly enough, hopefully the experienced guys give you a little buffer. Brandon Jones played the latter part of the year and played well -- he had an interception in the South Florida game -- and did some good things at the nickelback spot. So I think we've done a good job recruiting that position and we've been able to create some depth. It's always nice when you can roll guys in there gradually rather than be forced to play them.

But you're right. You don't replace Devin. He did so many things. There was one game where I think he played 110 plays, special teams and defense. That's two players.

Joe Lefeged is one of your few seniors back there at safety. Is he a guy you're counting on for leadership?


GS: Without a doubt. Joe has been a playmaker since the day he walked on campus. He's an impact guy and he's incredibly talented. He's grown up as a leader, and he's a guy we look to lead that secondary. And I really like the young guys. Khaseem Greene and Deron Harmon, those guys all played last year, and Pat Kivlehan.

So I think defensively, we've got a chance. We were a top 20 defense in most categories a year ago, and we've got a lot of the same guys back. We've been running this defense now for five years, which is a long time. So these guys have heard it over and over again, and I think we're starting to get to where systematically and programmatically, the defense is beginning to create some tradition. That's important when you try to build something.

How about the coaching staff? You replaced three guys, though a couple of them have been with you before. How is the chemistry there so far?


GS: I think this is the best coaching staff I've had here in the nine years I've been at Rutgers. Randy Melvin and Phil Galiano were here before as coaches, so they know exactly what we do here. As always, things evolve so they've got to get caught up on some things. But more importantly, I know them as people and as coaches, so that helps. P.J. Fleck, who's going to coach the wide receivers, I've been very pleased with him in the short time he's been here. I think he's an excellent football coach and a neat guy to be around because he has a lot of energy. Robb Smith did a very good job last year running the special teams for the first time, and we showed marked improvement. I like the staff. In Year 10, it's nice when you like the staff and feel comfortable with it.

With such a young team, do you change the way you run spring practice? Or do you run it the same way you would with a more veteran team?


GS: We're going to do a couple different things, not because they're young but because when you've been some place 10 years -- this is our 10th spring -- you've got to shake some things up a little bit just to keep it fresh. And I think this team needs some different things. The neat thing about college football is every team has its own identity each year, and we're still trying to figure out ours. I think one thing is, we've got to do some hard-nosed, tough things this spring and get tougher. We've worked on it all offseason in our winter program, and I think we need to continue it in the spring. We're going to do a lot of different things, but one thing we're never going to get away from is being a hard-nosed Northeast football team.

Does that mean more hitting in practice, or just other kinds of drills?

GS: Maybe a little more hitting. We scrimmage a lot already, and when we scrimmage they bring you lunch so it's a pretty good day. Maybe little more individual stuff, knocking each other around a little bit. We'll be putting them in positions that really challenge them a little more than maybe when you have an experienced team.

You found some success last year using the Wildcat with Mohamed Sanu. Is that something we can expect to see a lot of again this year?


GS: It will definitely be a component of the offense, no doubt about it. You have to make sure you don't overdo anything. I think it's been a big weapon of a lot of people in college and pro football and I don't see that changing. The thing about the Wildcat is it changes the numbers offensively. You only have 11 guys and all of a sudden you have a guy who takes the snap and is an eligible runner. It's the reason people ran option football and do the zone read stuff, and the Wildcat is no different. It's an opportunity to tilt the numbers in the offense's favor.

It will be a part of our offense; it'll never be 50 percent or more, that kind of a deal. But I think we're blessed with a guy who can do it and do it very well in Mohamed, and the thing that makes him a little different is, he legitimately can throw the ball. He did that a few times but I think we'll do that a lot more. When you can throw the ball, that changes the dynamic of it in a big way.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said on Saturday that he might switch some defensive players over to receiver to bolster the numbers at that depleted position. That's what happened on Tuesday, when defensive backs Mohamed Sanu and Brandon Jones worked with the offense at wideout.

The Scarlet Knights have found few answers at the position all spring. Eddie Poole and Marcus Cooper both got hurt, and other players have failed to impress in their bids to replace Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood.

Sanu is a true freshman who enrolled in January and has been playing safety and on special teams. Jones is a redshirt freshman cornerback. Whether this was just a one-day experiment or a more long-term move wasn't decided on Tuesday.

"I just wanted to see if someone could do something that caught your eye," Schiano told The (Newark) Star-Ledger. "So I'll watch the tape. Sanu is a big guy. He caught some of those and he can puncture the defense. So that's favorable. I don't even know if it is fair with Brandon. Brandon's knee is bothering him. He has that sleeve. It's gimping him a little bit.

"The staff will watch it, I'll watch it, and we'll make a conclusion for Thursday."