Rutgers football concluded its spring season with the Scarlet-White scrimmage on Thursday night – a game that featured one of the best touchdowns in the team’s history.

The clock may have expired during the game, but there was time for just one more play.

“To have that last play and to have all the players jump all over, it was really special to me,” says head coach Greg Schiano. “Those guys, everybody on that play really spent a ton of time working on our players, helping our players, arranging for our players to be cared for.”

It was the perfect way to honor the health care heroes at RWJ Barnabas Health that ensured student-athlete safety during the pandemic and took care of the team through several COVID-19 pauses.

“It really was unparalleled, I think. I know in my career – in my 33 years – unparalleled as far as the amount of strain and stress it put on everybody involved and those people probably the most. Testing every day, dealing with the guys that were positive,” Schiano says.

Thanks to a collective effort, Rutgers was one of two Big 10 teams to play all nine scheduled games in 2020.

“A big heartfelt thank you to them and I know we’re not done yet. We’re not out of the woods. But I was really, really appreciative,” Schiano says.

The Scarlet-White game caps a spring season consisting of 15 practices. Schiano says that he was happy without his players competed.

“I like our team. I think they work really hard. I thought that they approached this thing like a mature group of guys. We have some good leaders that run the team and that’s important,” Schiano says.

The team opens its 2021 season on Sept. 4 against Temple.