PISCATAWAY – Tyreem Powell had waited a while to make a play like this one.
It was the first play from scrimmage in Rutgers football’s eventual 26-23 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday. Hokies wide receiver Jaylin Lane tried to run, the Powell read the play perfectly and tackled him for a one-yard loss.
“It was surreal,” Powell said Monday. “It was crazy to even go through. I wasn’t even thinking in the moment. After the game I thought about it. I was like, ‘Wow, that was the first play of the game.’ I was just in the right spot.”
Powell was right where he has wanted to be, and he was right where the Scarlet Knights defense need him as Rutgers now prepares for Friday’s Big Ten opener against Washington at SHI Stadium (8 p.m., FOX).
Powell’s return to game action after nearly year was a major lift for the entire team, especially with Mohamed Toure out for the season with a torn ACL.
“He played 40-something plays,” coach Greg Schiano said. “He played well. Is it what we saw at the end (of last season) with ‘Reem? No. But he’s going to get there quickly. You can see it. We just need to keep bringing him along slowly. We can’t force it. But he’s such a good force for us out there.”
The last 11 months have been difficult for Powell.
The 6-foot-5, 252-pound Powell suffered a broken wrist in Rutgers’ game at Indiana last season, causing him to miss the final five games of the season. At the time of the injury, Powell had 53 tackles (two for loss) as one of the top linebackers in the Big Ten.
Powell recovered from that, but then the Vineland native suffered a torn Achilles early in winter workouts.
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“It’s even hard to put into words, honestly,” Powell said. “I just know I kept my head down throughout that whole process. First the wrist, I’m like, ‘All right, I’m going to come back, get better, rehab.’ Then (the Achilles) happened during winter workouts after getting heeled from (the wrist). I’m like, ‘Wow, what else can happen?’”
That started a whole new recovery process.
Powell said he leaned on Schiano and his teammates for support. He wasn’t thinking about when exactly he would get back on the field, instead focusing on making a smooth recovery so when he did return, he could play at a high level.
“I wasn’t trying to think about the future, honestly,” Powell said. “I just knew whenever I feel comfortable I want to give my teammates my close to 100 percent so I won’t go out there and cheat them. I wouldn’t say I had a date. It was just whenever I felt comfortable enough.”
Powell missed the first two games against Howard and Akron, then had the bye week for an extra week of recovery.
He was finally ready for Rutgers’ game against Virginia Tech, fittingly the team he was originally committed to before flipping to the Scarlet Knights.
Now Powell is back for Rutgers at a crucial time in the season.
“It was great being out there,” Powell said. “Being back out there with my teammates, my brothers, people you go to work with every day. I was just glad to be out there with those guys.”
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