A horse roamed the sideline. Great players of the 2000s gathered at midfield for an honorary coin toss.

The only thing missing Saturday before Rutgers hosted Ohio State — the only thing that could’ve caused half-empty SHI Stadium to truly erupt for the first time in years — was Greg Schiano riding in to save the day.

Schiano’s return to coach the program he once made nationally relevant is close to happening — possibly by midweek — The Post learned in conversations with Rutgers insiders. But the longer the wait, the more nervous tension bubbles within a fan base conditioned to expect the worst.

Worse than realizing a 19th straight Big Ten defeat — a 56-21 loss as 52¹/₂-point underdogs to No. 2 Ohio State — qualifies as a moral victory?

Much worse. Because … who else? No one can offer a viable name.

Rutgers needs Schiano because the next option is Plan Z. Because he boosts recruiting and credibility. Because ironic confetti rained from the upper deck when the Scarlet Knights scored an unexpected touchdown after falling behind 21-0.

“Greg is the only person who could maybe do it,” one person familiar with Rutgers’ inner workings told The Post, “because he already knows all the obstacles you face here.”

And don’t forget this: Schiano needs Rutgers almost as badly as he did when he was hired as a nobody in 2001 and brought six bowl trips before leaving for the NFL in 2011. He hasn’t made it to a game day in his last two “jobs” — head coach at the University of Tennessee and defensive coordinator for the Patriots.

For the 53-year-old New Jersey native, where else?

The first of the few thousand loyalists who entered the stadium turned around with 11:24 remaining … in the first quarter.

They picked up their tailgate conversations: What’s the hold-up? Is it possible Schiano is flexing his muscle with one of his monarchical gag orders? If he comes, how quickly can Rutgers compete again?

“The biggest challenge for him is to do what he did last time — and it’s a little different than it was because of who you are playing. But if anyone is going to do it, he is going to have the plan to do it,” said Mike Teel, a former Rutgers great who later coached powerhouse Don Bosco High School.

“There is no talk about Rutgers football now. When I was here, you couldn’t walk 10 steps without someone saying, ‘Mike Teel, the quarterback.’ I’ve talked to four dozen people just today saying I’ll buy more season tickets if Coach Schiano comes back.”

And yet …

The Pickled Knights — a tailgating pack with premium real estate, whose original five members combine for about 100 years of season tickets — say security asked them to remove a banner at the previous home game urging athletic director Pat Hobbs to “bring Schiano home now.” Rutgers, which employs game day security through a third party, denied this happened through a school official.

The pro-Schiano advertisement was missing Saturday, not because of fear — they were ready to wage a censorship fight — but because of swaying flag poles in the 15 mph winds.

“It has to be him,” said Kevin Malast, a former Rutgers linebacker now at Malka Sports agency. “Or someone as close to him as you can possibly get.”

It is the worst-kept secret in Piscataway that Hobbs, who has fundraised like no one else ever to hold the position, did not want Schiano after firing his first hand-picked coach, Chris Ash.

But Hobbs, Rutgers Board of Governors powerbroker Greg Brown and Schiano met two weeks ago and Schiano asked for, in writing, a facilities upgrade including a fieldhouse and indoor practice field, as first reported by NJ Advance Media and confirmed by The Post. Think at least in the neighborhood of Illinois’ new $80 million headquarters.

No surprise. Schiano showed drawings of his vision to recruits 15 years ago.

This time, Rutgers has no choice but to give Hobbs and Brown full backing. This time, Schiano is not fending off job-seekers.

“I’ve seen it,” former Rutgers and Jets pass-rusher Jamaal Westerman recalled. “The vision has always been there.”

As the game got further out of reach and Rutgers aired highlights from memorable wins in 2006 and 2009 and played ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ ” during breaks in play, it raised a phantom to the ghost town.

For Rutgers, who else? For Schiano, where else?