PISCATAWAY -- Apparently there's some hope that Janarion Grant hasn't played his last game for Rutgers after all.

One day after Grant, the Scarlet Knights' star wide receiver/return specialist, was declared out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury suffered late in the first half of Rutgers' 14-7 loss to Iowa on Saturday, Ash said school officials will "submit the necessary documents to try to petition for'' a medical redshirt.

At first glance, it appears to be a long shot but Ash noted there can be exceptions. The NCAA rules on eligibility state that a player cannot participate in more than 30 percent of the season and Rutgers, at 2-2, is one-third of the way through its 12-game schedule.

"I'm not the NCAA -- other people make those decisions,'' Ash said. "Obviously we'll try to petition for one but I don't know. We'll do it but someone else has to make the decision whether they are going to allow it to happen or not based on all the criteria. It's not up to me, the AD or anybody here at Rutgers.

"We'll submit the necessary documents to try to petition for it, but it's up to somebody else to make that decision. And you know, you see it all the time in college football, some people get it, some people don't. You're never really sure.''

NJ Advance Media reached out to the NCAA for clarification and a spokesman said hardship waivers are reviewed at the conference level.

"The NCAA national office only reviews cases that go to appeal after being denied by the confererence," Christopher Radford, an NCAA communications official, said.

As for the thinking that Grant played in seven halves out of 24 for the season (which is falls under the 30-percent threshold at 29.2 percent), Radford said in an email: "The rule is strictly a game rule (not broken down by quarters, minutes played, etc.)."

Ash was asked specifically about Grant, but Quanzell Lambert figures to be in a similar situation. Like Grant, the Scarlet Knights starting defensive end suffered a season-ending injury in the Iowa game on Saturday.

Unlike Grant, however, Lambert already used a redshirt season as a true freshman after arriving from Timber Creek High in 2012.

It's rare for players to be granted a sixth-year of eligibility. Since the turn of the century, fullback Sam Bergen (2015), defensive back Mason Robinson (2012), linebacker Edmond Laryea (2011) and offensive lineman Brian Duffy (2004) are the only Rutgers players in the select sixth-year group. It's believed most of those players had documented cases of missing two years due to incapacitating injuries.

Receiving a fifth-year of eligibility is much more common, and the NCAA is said to take petitions on a case-by-case basis.

Grant, who suffered the injury after having his ankle stepped on by an Iowa cornerback as he was tackled following a 76-yard reception, accounts for 35.1 percent of Rutgers' all-purpose yards and had six of the team's 13 touchdowns this season, with 138 rushing, 210 receiving, 112 on punt returns and 195 on kick returns.

If Grant does return next season, it would be welcome news to a Rutgers team that is set to graduate three of the five wide receivers currently on its two-deep.

It will also allow the 5-10, 180-pound speedster from Florida the opportunity to overtake Terrell Willis as Rutgers' career leader in all-purpose yardage and also break the NCAA record for career combined kick and punt return touchdowns, as he currently sits in a seven-way tie at No. 1 with eight.

"Just thoughts, prayers, go out to those two players, great human beings, great teammates, have worked extremely hard to be the best that they could be,'' Ash said of Grant and Lambert. "Obviously (they) are going to be sorely missed not only in the field but in the locker room and just around every single day. They come to work with a great attitude and a smile on their face and always a pleasure to be around.''

LISTEN: Episode 3 of NJ.com's Rutgers Football podcast

Rebuilding Rutgers: From The Ashes takes you inside the new football regime. This episode dives into Ash's recruiting efforts his first year on the job.

NJ Advance Media's Ryan Dunleavy contributed to this report.

Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.