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The longest hit by a freshman in the history of Rutgers lasted 80 yards.
He also came with a message.
"Whenever I have the opportunity, I try to take advantage," said Isaih Pacheco after the Scarlet Knights' 42-7 Michigan defeat, number 4, Saturday at HighPoint.com Piscataway Stadium.
"We have nothing to lose, we just have to keep fighting, keep going, and we'll go somewhere."
On Saturday night, the big game allowed Rutgers to enjoy a brief moment of euphoria and avoid being ruled out by the country's best defense. But the Scarlet Knights wanted to have a broader view of the long term after the match, with Pacheco as an individual and the entire team.
"When Isaih hit this race, we were all excited," quarterback Artur Sitkowski said. "It shows that we can do it, we can do everything we think about."
We will start with Pacheco: its capacity is that announced. When he signed up in January, he felt like he was a dynamic playmaker. There were even rumors that he could be Rutgers' best running back since Ray Rice. Who knows he will live up to this prestigious designation, but it looks good that he will have 10 chances in his career.
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Rutgers' use of Pacheco has sometimes been curious this season, and he is expected to experience growing pains as he learns his new job after playing the quarterback job at high school. But Pacheco has now led Rutgers into the stakes in three of the last four games, and he plans to have a heavy workload in the last two games before becoming the star player in 2019 and beyond.
His skill and presence also give the Scarlet Knights the hope of an offensive that will end once again in the national basement, but at least showed promise flashes with a youthful formation that lets hope that better days might finally be coming.
"I had felt like I was there before – it was a game we could do for any team," said Pacheco. "We just have to play together and keep working hard, keep moving forward."
Pacheco and halfback Raheem Blackshear offer Sitkowski a pair of playmakers to grow up with, and Pacheco's talent to get things out of his usual role – see his return punt prowess and his second pass of the season Saturday – is welcomed by a Rutgers A team that desperately needs to find ways to generate more production on the sidelines and stop counting on a difficult offense for everything.
"I thought it was exceptional," said head coach Chris Ash about Pacheco's performance. "I think you have glimpsed all season, and facing an opponent and that kind of defense are just warning signs."
James Kratch can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.
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