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Rutgers football coach Kyle Flood was given a vote of confidence today by athletic director Julie Hermann, ending weeks of speculation about his job status for 2014.

(William Perlman/The Star-Ledger)

Rutgers athletic director Julie Hermann put an end to the speculation regarding football coach Kyle Flood's job status today by giving him a vote of confidence through a statement issued by the school.

Hermann, breaking her silence on the rampant rumors and conjecture swirling around Flood the past couple of weeks, cited his ability to deliver Rutgers to bowl games in each of his two years as head coach as one of the reasons he will continue to lead the program when it joins the Big Ten starting next fall.

She also said she endorsed Flood's decision today to fire defensive coordinator Dave Cohen, offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski and quarterbacks coach Rob Spence, moves the schools confirmed in a press release.

Flood is 15-10 in his two seasons.

“Our football program continues to evolve and grow, as evidenced by the changes Coach Flood just announced," Hermann said in a statement. "I support these moves and Kyle’s leadership as we transition into the Big Ten.

“In two seasons, Kyle has led us to our first share of the conference championship and has guided our program to two consecutive bowls, including this season’s highly anticipated New Era Pinstripe Bowl versus Notre Dame.”

The Scarlet Knights (6-6) earned an invitation to play Notre Dame in the Dec. 28 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium following their 31-6 victory over USF on Friday. But the year was marked by a disappointing stretch that saw Rutgers losing five of six -- with several lopsided defeats -- to fall to 5-6 before the season-ending victory.

“After reviewing the season, I felt it was in the best interest of our program to make these staff changes,” said Flood. “I appreciate all of the efforts of these coaches during their time in Piscataway and wish them well in their future endeavors.”

Joe Rossi will serve in the interim as Rutgers’ defensive coordinator for the bowl game while offensive coordinator Ron Prince will add the duties of coaching the quarterbacks in the bowl game.

Cohen, 47, was let go after one season as defensive coordinator. The unit's 3,737 passing yards allowed shattered the old school record by nearly 1,000 yards. The 4,872 total yards allowed are the the third-most in program history.

Wroblewski and Spence were each in their second year on the staff.