In the past two years, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano has resisted overtures from powerhouse programs like Michigan and Miami, signing an extension that will (supposedly) keep him in Jersey until 2016. Based on how things are going so far this year, he won’t need to worry about any those distractions anymore (nor will have to worry about Rutgers offering to extend that contract again).

The Scarlet Knights were blasted 44-12 on Thursday night by North Carolina, a team that hadn’t won a game played outside of its home state in six years. That’s two games, two home losses, for the coach who just two years ago had his program ranked as high as #6 in the nation. And on a night where his team carried the banner for New York-area teams on the anniversary of 9/11, the sell-out crowd was booing senior quarterback Mike Teel before halftime.

Rutgers fans, already notorious for obscenely taunting Navy’s players and fans last season, are, unsurprisingly, also not sparing Schiano from their wrath.

The BERGEN RECORD has the story:

Coach Greg Schiano repeatedly refused to call this early game a “must-win” for his already upset-once team. And so he heard the catcalls too, with one fan calling out, “Think Penn State’s calling you now?” referring to the job the eighth-year coach has long been rumored for. Of course now, at 0-2 – a first since his 2002 1-11 second season – Schiano has much less flattering questions to face.

With Rutgers in the midst of an enormously-controversial and still not-fully funded $102 million expansion, the majority of the 42,502 who came out to Piscataway on this balmy night were gone before the third quarter buzzer.

Almost more damaging than the losses are the difficulties facing the aforementioned stadium expansion. Yes, a school that couldn’t even fill half the joint just three years ago is adding more than 13,000 seats, apparently confident that the program’s upswing isn’t just an aberration. Relying almost entirely on things like seat licenses and private donations, the stadium work has hit, uh, a bit of a snag, says the NEWARK STAR-LEDGER:

A private fundraising effort that is critical to the expansion of Rutgers Stadium has brought in just a fraction of what will be needed to cover a $30 million gap in the project’s financing.

Records released by the university show a $1 million pledge from Gov. Jon Corzine has been one of the few large contributions received since January. Scarlet Knights supporters had donated or pledged only an additional $92,962 as of Sept. 3.

I’m sure that extra $29 million will be rolling in any time now, provided the Scarlet Knights keep playing such solid football.