When No. 11 Ohio State faces Rutgers on Saturday in Piscataway, N.J., Buckeyes defensive coordinator Greg Schiano will face a program he largely built. Columnist Steve Politi wrote on nj.com Wednesday his idea for how the Scarlet Knights should honor their former head coach.
"That should start with a video tribute that lists some of his accomplishments -- the bowl games he won, the players sent to the NFL, etc. -- with someone like inspirational former player Eric LeGrand thanking him and welcoming him back to New Jersey at the end. Keep it short, keep it simple, and most importantly, keep it before kickoff," Politi wrote.
"Schiano transformed this program from a college football doormat to something worthy of Big Ten membership. This type of game, with the Scarlet Knights hosting Ohio State in primetime, was exactly what Schiano envisioned when he took over in 2001. People, for the most part, snickered.
"But the best way to truly honor him can only happen during the game. You want to make the former head coach feel proud in his return? Make him sweat in his new job as OSU's defensive coordinator. Make him wonder if the Buckeyes' season hangs in the balance against a 28 1/2-point underdog.
"Make it so loud in the stadium he pushed to expand to create a wild atmosphere [and, yes, it helps that Ohio State fans also wear red] that he has to take notice. Make him see a defense that his boss, Urban Meyer, called the 'most improved in the country' attack the quarterback the way he loved.
"Rutgers should give its former head coach the homecoming tribute he deserves before the game. But when it starts? That's when the Scarlet Knights can really honor Greg Schiano, and they can do that by showing flashes of the football team he built here."
Hurricane relief
Houston Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson donated his first game check to three women who work in the NRG Stadium cafeteria and who were especially affected by the flooding from Hurricane Harvey.
"For what you all do for us every day and never complain, I really appreciate you all, so I wanted to give my first game check to y'all to help y'all out in some type of way," Watson told the women in a video shared by the Texans.
Watson, who has a base salary of $465,000, donated a check for $27,353.
He walked into the cafeteria with envelopes wrapped in ribbon and said, "Hopefully, that's good and that can get you back on your feet. And anything else y'all need, I'm always here to help."
Earlier this week, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban loaned the team plane to point guard J.J. Barea to transport food, water and supplies to Barea's native Puerto Rico to aid in the recovery from Hurricane Maria.
"I was really proud of J.J. and how quickly he got involved and how hard he worked to make it all happen," Cuban told ESPN in a text message.
Barea, the NBA's only active player who is a native Puerto Rican, did not have any communication with his parents until Sunday. He quickly made plans for his trip home after communicating with family and figuring out where help was needed most.
Barea and his wife, Puerto Rican actress and model Viviana Ortiz, organized an online fundraiser after Hurricane Maria caused major flooding and knocked out electricity and phone service throughout the island, much of which is expected to be without power for months. The fundraiser has generated more than $140,000.
Sports quiz
Where did J.J. Barea play college basketball?
Answer
Northeastern University in Boston.
Sports on 09/29/2017