(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second in a six-part entry series each day in which Rutgers players reflect on their first season in the Big Ten. 

Each post will cover a different topic of the season. Today, six review the toughest stretch of the season. See Part 1 here.

OK, this was an easy one. 

The run of College Football Playoff candidate Ohio State, plus Doak Walker award finalists from Nebraska and Wisconsin offered Rutgers the toughest schedule in the Big Ten.

Rutgers was outscored, 135-41, in those games. Its players look back on the strech.

Gary Nova: "Playing three game teams. The most disappointing thing about that is we didn't play to our capability. Those teams did a great job, but looking at it we hurt ourselves a lot more than they hurt us. That's tough to watch."

Kaleb Johnson: "We played against some quality opponents. It kind of woke us up a little bit and showed us how hard this conference really is. Going forward, I feel like this program will be able to succeed in those games."

Darius Hamilton: "The running back stretch. That was a tough stretch, just being a team that prides itself on stopping the run. The outcome of that, that was a tough stretch."

Michael Burton: "We played Michigan and had a bye week and played those teams in a row. They were very good football teams, but at the end of the day that's what you want. You want to go against the best teams week in and week out."

Kevin Snyder: "That's a brutal stretch right there. Those are some good teams."

Leonte Carroo: "We started off with Ohio State and then we played the two top running backs back-to-back. That was pretty hard in itself."