COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Chris Ash strode onto the field at Maryland Stadium following a ninth-straight loss, shook the hand of a first-year head coach who is taking his team to a bowl game, and walked off into the most important offseason of his coaching career.
Rutgers had just lost to Maryland on the final Saturday of the season, a 31-13 defeat that served as another humbling reminder of how far the Scarlet Knights need to go to become a respectable Big Ten team, much less one that competes for bowl berths and titles.