rutgers news

[smazza]

Rtugers gameDay

Sunday, September 24, 2006

BY TOM LUICCI

Star-Ledger Staff

Three things we learned

1. Rutgers' passing game is still shaky

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Can the Knights trust QB Mike Teel to come through in a big spot on the road during the next three games? Right now, the answer is no. Teel followed his 6-for-16, three-interception performance against Ohio with another uneven performance (9-for-16 for 133 yards with one TD pass and another interception). Head coach Greg Schiano can rave all he wants about Teel's ability to go to the right checks and "manage" the offense, but at some point a quarterback has to offer the threat of a consistent passing game. Teel hasn't done that yet. The third-year sophomore now has a 4-to-15 touchdown-to-interception ratio for his career.

2. The schedule is as much the reason as anything for the Knights' 4-0 start

North Carolina lost 52-7 yesterday, Illinois lost 24-7 and Ohio lost 31-6. Howard, a 1-AA school, is now 0-3 following its loss to the Knights. Rutgers' first four opponents have beaten exactly one 1-A opponent (Ohio over Northern Illinois). The Knights need to prove their fast start isn't simply a product of an incredibly weak early schedule by making some noise over the next three games -- against South Florida, Navy and Pittsburgh. All are on the road.

3. The defense and special teams will have to deliver their "A" games all season

Rutgers' four scoring drives during a 28-0 halftime lead yesterday covered 135 yards, with a fumble recovery by the punt coverage team and another by the defense enabling Teel and the offense to start at the Howard 17 yard line and the Howard 12. Both drives consisted of only running plays and ended in touchdowns. In addition, a third-quarter interception by Courtney Greene gave the offense the ball on the Bison 20 and led to another score. Through four games, the offense has yet to show the ability to sustain long drives on a consistent basis -- but hasn't been hurt because of the defense and the special teams.

Going up

RB Brian Leonard

It took offensive coordinator Craig Ver Steeg four games to remember he has Leonard on the roster. Thankfully, he finally remembered.

Howard's Arnando Jamison was the latest to try and was subsequently embarrassed when Leonard simply leaped over him on the way to a 23-yard gain in the second quarter.

And then there's ...

With 105 yards and three touchdowns (on 23 carries), Ray Rice topped 100 yards for the sixth straight game -- one shy of J.J. Jennings' school record. Rice now has 604 yards and nine touchdowns on 106 carries this season. ... The combined 30 points allowed by Rutgers through the first four games are the fewest since 1980 (26 allowed in the first four games). ... With another interception yesterday, the Knights have seven through the first four games -- after managing six in 12 games a year ago. Brian Leonard and Clark Harris extended their streaks of games with at least one reception. Leonard has caught a pass in 38 straight games -- two shy of Khori Ivy's Big East record of 40. Harris caught a pass for the 34th straight game. ... Leonard's five-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was his first score of the season and came on Rutgers' 193rd offensive play. He added another score to extend his school record for career touchdowns to 42. .... It took three tries, but backup tailback Kordell Young, a true freshman, scored his first college touchdown on a two-yard run with 2:26 left in the third quarter. Young had scored twice previously on the drive, with both touchdowns nullified by holding penalties. He added another TD with 11:47 to play. ... Backup QB Jabu Lovelace's first college pass was a 10-yard completion to true freshman Tim Brown.

Next week

Who: South Florida

When: Friday

Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa

Time: 8

TV: ESPN2

The Big East opener offers Rutgers' biggest test to date and marks the start of a three-game road stretch with Navy and Pittsburgh to follow. All three are games the Knights are capable of winning -- or losing. A victory would give Rutgers its first 5-0 start since the 11-0 season of 1976.

[smazza]

Rutgers enjoys a laugher ... but Teel isn't smiling

Sunday, September 24, 2006

BY TOM LUICCI

Star-Ledger Staff

So, this is what $300,000 buys these days: The largest margin of victory in Greg Schiano's six years as head coach, the first 4-0 start since 1980 and a whole bunch of angst about quarterback Mike Teel and the passing game.

Rutgers thoroughly dominated undermanned Howard as expected yesterday, rolling to a 56-7 victory on the strength of seven rushing touchdowns before a crowd of 35,558 at Rutgers Stadium.

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It was everything it needed to be for the Knights as they head into a three-game road stretch that starts Friday night with the Big East opener against South Florida.

Okay, everything except one thing: Teel's first big breakout game.

Schiano says he isn't worried about the third-year sophomore. Teel insists his confidence his fine. And his teammates genuinely seem to believe that when it comes to crunch time on the road, Teel will deliver.

He just hasn't come through in a big way yet, turning in another uneven performance against the 1-AA Bison, who happily fell to 0-3 thanks to the $300,000 guarantee that Rutgers will pay the school for the right to count a glorified scrimmage as its fourth game.

"You're going to go through adversity during a season. We trust in Mike," said sophomore tailback Ray Rice, who recorded his sixth straight 100-yard game -- one shy of the school record -- with 105 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. "If we need to win a game by passing, I know Mike is going to come through. No question. I have faith in him. The whole team has faith in him."

At this point, it's not a faith supported by numbers. Teel finished 9-of-16 for 133 yards with one touchdown and another interception. It was his fourth straight passing game of 145 yards or less this year and in seven career starts (and 13 games overall) he has thrown for more than 200 yards just once.

He also has just four touchdown passes to 15 interceptions in his career.

"I haven't done it yet, so I can see why people are concerned," said Teel. "But as for me, personally? I'm not concerned at all. My confidence is fine

Teel pointed to a career-long 45-yard touchdown pass to tight end Clark Harris as a sign of progress after a slow statistical start -- although it really was an 8-yard pass that Harris ran 37 yards with.

"I was a lot happier with the way I played this game than last week (when he was 6-for-18 for 83 yards with three interceptions against Ohio)," Teel said. "We had a couple of deep shots. I missed the one to Shawn Tucker. We'll get that. I got the one to Clark.

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"I think I'm doing all of the little stuff I need to do. I just haven't thrown for 300 yards yet."

Schiano, who is fully supportive of his quarterback, said Teel "got walloped" during an interception he threw just before the half, with Rutgers at the Howard 11.

So far, with a scheduled that has consisted of North Carolina, Illinois and Ohio (who lost by a combined a combined 107-20 yesterday) and a 1-AA school, Teel hasn't been put in a position where he has had to win a game with his arm.

The running game churned out 215 yards against Howard, with Brian Leonard getting his first two touchdowns of the season, and the defense kept producing turnovers and choking off an hopes by the opposition (Howard's only score came on a 70-yard return of a Dimitri Linton fumble with 6:28 to play).

Rutgers' first four touchdown drives totaled 135 yards.

"The passing game isn't a concern for me. It will be there when we need it," said Harris. "If we can run the ball the way we have and win with defense, that's fine. We're 4-0. That's all that matters."

Actually, the passing game will matter at some point soon and probably in one of the upcoming road games.

"You win 56-7, we ran the ball effectively, how much do you have to throw?" said Schiano. "We're working on it in practice. We just have to do it a little more (in games)."

Rutgers did solve its problem of getting Leonard the ball. The fifth-year senior rushed for 62 yards on 10 carries and scored twice -- the first two scores this year for the school's career touchdown leader with 42. He also caught three passes for 27 yards.

"It would have been nice for Mike to break out a little, too," said Leonard. "But I'm not worried about him. I've seen what he can do in practice."

Notes: Tucker, a fifth-year senior, had to be helped off the field with a right ankle injury that appeared serious. Schiano said Tucker had an X-ray taken at Rutgers, then another at the hospital "for a cleaner picture."

[smazza]

Rutgers: 3 reasons Knights should be ranked

Monday, September 25, 2006

1. 4-0 is 4-0. Of the 119 Division 1-A teams, only 19 are still unbeaten. Rutgers is one of them. Enough said.

2. The defense is the real deal.

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You win with "D" right? The Knights are No. 4 nationally in scoring defense, No. 5 overall and No. 11 against the run.

3. Ray Rice and Brian Leonard

Rice is one of the best tailbacks in the country. Leonard is THE best fullback in the college ranks.

3 reasons Knights

should not be ranked

1. A soft early schedule

It wasn't supposed to be an easy start, but the four opponents so far are a combined 4-11 with one victory over a 1-A opponent.

2. The offense is one-dimensional

Big-play potential? When? Where? Rutgers is a superior running team that hasn't shown it can win by passing yet.

3. It ruins a lot of good material

What will the "negative" media do without Rutgers as a source of humor? No one cares about Temple

[smazza]

Rutgers: Knights join the ranks of the ranked

Monday, September 25, 2006

BY TOM LUICCI

Star-Ledger Staff

Bert Kosup still remembers then-coach Frank Burns -- in his quiet, understated way -- urging top-20 poll voters to consider Rutgers for the national rankings his senior year as the Knights' unbeaten start stretched to 8-0 and 9-0 and, following a victory at Tulane, to 10-0.

Two days after that 29-20 victory over Tulane -- Nov. 15, 1976 was the date -- Burns no longer had to lobby.

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Rutgers was officially a ranked team, checking in at No. 18 in the coaches' poll and No. 19 in the Associated Press poll (both ratings listed only the top 20 teams then compared to the top 25 now).

"It was a very big deal to the team at the time," said Kosup, who quarterbacked Rutgers to an 11-0 record and a final ranking of No. 17 in both polls that season.

So he knows how the current Rutgers players feel this morning.

Thirty years after last being ranked, Rutgers has cracked both the coaches' and the AP Top 25, checking in at No. 23 in each thanks to a 4-0 start the Knights will carry into Friday night's Big East opener at South Florida.

"I didn't know they were ranked 30 years ago," star running back Brian Leonard said. "I didn't know they'd ever been ranked before."

The first time Rutgers was ranked was the final AP poll of the 1961 season, when the Knights finished 9-0 and No. 15.

The next time wouldn't be until 1976.

And that would be it until yesterday.

"I think it's a big step for the program," said Leonard, a fifth-year senior. "I'm real excited to get our name out there and show people we are going to compete in the top 25.

"I've been through the hard times here. I've been through the 1-11 team (in 2002). I've been through, probably, one of the crappiest teams in Rutgers history history, and now I'm on one of the best teams in Rutgers history."

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The short week -- the Knights will show off their new ranking on ESPN2 on Friday night -- leaves little time to savor the achievement.

"I think it definitely is a benchmark," said head coach Greg Schiano, who guided Rutgers to its first bowl appearance since 1978 last year. "But we're in the middle of a season right now. So, although it's exciting and a good thing for everybody involved, there's no time to even (think), 'Boy, that's neat.' Now it's time to move on and we're in preparation right now for South Florida.

"(But) I'm not going to downplay it. It is significant considering where we started. It shows we're making progress in the right direction."

Rutgers' poll history is as brief as its football tradition is long.

Besides 1961 and the Nov. 15, 1976 polls, Rutgers has appeared in the national rankings just three other times -- all at the tail end of the 1976 season.

The school was ranked No. 16 by the coaches and No. 17 by AP during the Nov. 22, 1976 rankings; No. 15 by the coaches and No. 17 by AP during the Nov. 29, 1976 rankings, and then No. 17 by the coaches and AP in the final rankings for 1976 that came out after the bowls on Jan. 4, 1977.

Schiano, now in his sixth year as the Knights' coach, was 10 the last time Rutgers was ranked.

"I can't tell you

Kosup, a season ticket-holder who regularly attends games, cringes at the notion that it has taken this long for Rutgers to return to being viewed among the nation's elite.

"I even hate to think that it has been 30 years," he said. "I don't want to believe it has been that long."

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Though Rutgers' schedule has turned out to be suspect -- North Carolina, Illinois, Ohio and 1-AA Howard are a combined 4-11 -- the Knights are one of 19 unbeaten teams left from 119 in the Division 1-A ranks. That's all that matters to the players.

"When the names are scrawled at the bottom of ESPN, I want to see that number next to our name," tight end Clark Harris, another fifth-year senior, said.

Now the Knights will be able to showcase their new ranking right away before a captive Friday night audience.

"Anytime you can be on national TV it's an opportunity for your program to shine," Schiano said. "To shine you have to play well and win. That's our challenge right now: Prepare to play well. Hopefully, our best is good enough to win."

Leonard acknowledged that the ranking does add more pressure, "but pressure is good."

"It means we're doing well," he said. "Expectations have risen. That means we're doing well."

The only thing putting a damper on the news was the loss of starting wide receiver Shawn Tucker, who will be out "a considerable time," Schiano said, after suffering a fractured ankle in the 56-7 victory over Howard on Saturday.

"He has a chance to be back (by the end of the season)," Schiano said. "I think optimistically, the last four, three or two games of the season (are possible), depending on how fast he heals. That's guessing right now. It's all going to depend on how he heals."

[RandyGator]

Thanks for the research and info.

:) :) :) :) :) :) :)

[MikeG]

Rutgers seems almost as pumped up by the media as Notre Dame.

It will be a tough game, but I think USF can beat them again this year. thanks for the info smazza

[smazza]

a rutgers pal send me this fellas

  A A A A A

No Bubbly for Schiano with Bulls on the Menu  

Rutgers Head Football Coach Greg Schiano  By Blake Johnson

Posted Sep 25, 2006

The room was a buzz with two special numbers today; 23 and 1976. Combined they can explain the long road the Rutgers faithful have traveled. 1976 was the last time Rutgers was ranked and 23 being the position the Scarlet Knights cracked into the Top 25 this season.

Yet when Head Coach Greg Schiano came into Monday’s conference you couldn’t see even a small glint of pride in the man’s eyes. Even though he just completed a feat no person thought would be possible six years ago when he took over as head coach, the man has a game Friday and he aims to win.

With a short week to prepare for the Friday night lights at The University of South Florida there is little time to celebrate a stepping stone in Coach Schiano’s goal of building a national championship program. With a couple more TV cameras and fewer open seats at the conference it would seem that the buzz is catching on about Rutgers. With that buzz comes expectations and Schiano is working overtime to get his coaches up to date on his plan for the nationally televised game. With the means to influence recruiting and act as a boon for the alumni and fans, national television is a terrific tool, but “If you take your eye off the preparation, TV may not be the best thing in the world for you.†For Rutgers, that statement rings true as the embarrassment last year started with a stomp on a certain cardinal and ended with a terrible performance.

A Wideout’s Call To Arms

With a chance to prove his team’s development and that they belong among the nation’s top 25 teams by earning a road victory in their Big East opener, Schiano is planning minute by minute this week. This planning, unfortunately, will not involve the senior wide receiver Shawn Tucker. The report is in that he is out for now, with an ankle injury and he will wear a cast for the next few months. However the doctors have said that he may be able to come back for the last few games of the season if he heals properly. There will be no medical redshirt for the sage of the wide receiver corps.

Friday this young band of very talented receivers will see their first action alone. It will be trial by fire as they head up against an athletic defense without their mentor and leader. With the absence of their top receiver, Schiano will have to find out who can step up and go across the middle of the field. All of Rutgers’ top receivers will be in the mix for Friday with an opportunity for top recruits Shamar Graves and Kenny Britt to showcase their new talent. While Dennis Campbell and James Townsend will see more time, expect to see Tim Brown get a few more chances to showcase his speed.

Tiquan Underwood has been the hard worker of the bunch and has been an avid student under Tucker’s tutelage having already made some important catches this season. Now there will be a chance to see if he can perform under the pressure that comes with his being anointed as lead receiver. “They are very talented young guys that can make some things happen,†said Schiano. The coach expects to see some mistakes as this group gets more game-time experience but he certainly has seen what they can do in practice when they get the ball. Needless to say the sideline streaking passes require only a little fine tuning before Rutgers deep-ball potential becomes a reality.

QB Position Set In Stone

Despite having a mediocre game against Howard, Coach Schiano and the team have complete confidence in sophomore quarterback Mike Teel. “Mike’s played in high pressure situations in high school,†said Schiano. He has managed to stay loose despite the adversity he has faced and has an even keel that the coaching staff appreciates and makes them think that Teel can still lead this team to victory.

As far as being able to move the offense, despite the obvious heavy dose of running Rutgers likes to dish out, defenses have not been able to prevent the Knights from scoring.

“We’re seeing a lot of eight men in the box… you could put 9 in there†joked Schiano.

But this speedy defense out of South Florida is no laughing matter. The players know that this will be a whole new level of play as they enter conference play and plan on delivering down the field to open things up for Ray Rice and Brian Leonard.

When the questions regarding Teel’s efforts continued to come, Coach Schiano burned his eyes into the reporters and fired ... “We are gonna hit some of those shots and then all of a sudden there is not going to be any more conversation.†He understands that those deep-ball passes are what makes everybody oooh and ahhh, but the young receivers are getting better at beating the coverage. It takes time and pretty soon those passes are going to start becoming completions.

So folks, don’t turn on your TV Friday and have money on Jabulani Lovelace starting the second quarter. Teel is here to stay and the he will be given every opportunity to evolve and allowed to get a handle on this offense and lead the Scarlet Knights.

Defensive Test

As a defensive coordinator, Schiano has been up late working on the film to get ready for a team that came into Rutgers Stadium last year and capitalized on several mistakes by the Scarlet Knights. This was a huge let down for the Knights last year as their comeback fell just short. Schiano has no intention of repeating history and feels that the team that shows up the most prepared for this game is going to win.

He focused on their offense which boasts a quarterback that is a legitimate threat against the Knight’s secondary. The speed that they have, given the wealth of talent in Florida, will be a challenge the RU defense has yet to see this year. Particularly the South Florida offensive line is the tough nut to crack, “they have certainly adjusted to their strengths. Their interior offensive line was as good as any we played against last year.†Schiano went on to say, “They are an athletic big front and they get on you and stay on you. That’s not such a good match-up for us because we are an athletic, but smaller front. These guys are big and athletic … we are going to have to be on point.â€Â

If the Knight’s defensive line is not able to penetrate the line then it could mean plenty of time for upstart freshman quarterback Matt Grothe. He is completing almost 60% of his passes and thrown for close to 850 yards so far. If the Knights are to maintain their reputation for having a staunch defense this season they will need to keep a solid rotation of defensive backs. The Bulls feature a freshman wideout who has been burning up the sidelines by the name of Ean Randolph (#8). He has the ability to make people miss once he has a handle on the ball.

Fortunately for the Knights, Jason McCourty, who started against Howard and made some progress in regaining his speed. That speed makes him such a threat at the cornerback position and could be a critical difference in the contest versus the Bulls. He should be back to full speed by the end of the week, in time for the showdown with South Florida.

I trust every Scarlet Knight fan will be glued to their TV or huddling in a bar with friends as they watch their team take the field to this call:

“Welcome everyone to Tampa Bay, Florida on a warm night here at Raymond James Stadium. Tonight the 23rd ranked Rutgers Scarlet Knights look to take on the South Florida Bulls on Friday Night Football

[smazza]

the funny thing is the more pumped rutgers gets i think the more likely they will crash and burn

just a friggin feeling

[South_Florida_Flip]

the funny thing is the more pumped rutgers gets i think the more likely they will crash and burn

just a friggin feeling

Let's hope you're right. I'm sure the team will have no trouble getting ready for this game.

[smazza]

30 YEARS SINCE LAST TOP 25 RANKING

Good times for Rutgers  Knights ranked No. 23

Home News Tribune Online 09/25/06

By PAUL FRANKLIN

STAFF WRITER

paulf@thnt.com

PISCATAWAY  Four years ago Rutgers finished its season 1-11 as one of the worst teams in America.

Today they are ranked above the likes of Miami, Alabama and Penn State.

The Associated Press poll and the USA Today Coaches' poll were released yesterday, and the Scarlet Knights are No. 23 in both.

"I have been through the hard times here, the 1-11 season," fifth-year senior Brian Leonard said yesterday. "I've been through probably the most crappiest Rutgers team in history to now one of the best teams in Rutgers history."

Rutgers hasn't been ranked in 30 years, finishing No. 17 in the undefeated season of 1976.

With Boston College losing to North Carolina State and Arizona State dropping out by losing to Southern Cal, Rutgers and Texas Tech moved into the Top 25 this week.

While Leonard was fired up about the ranking, coach Greg Schiano took the low road, as expected, noting, "It's definitely a benchmark, but we're in the middle of a season right now, so, although it's exciting and it's a good thing for the program and for everybody involved, there's no time to even enjoy other than say, "hey, that's neat.'

"Now it's time to move on. We're in preparation for South Florida right now. I'm not going to downplay it; it is significant from where we started," he allowed, "but it just shows we're making progress in the right direction."

They will be going to Tampa this week to face South Florida, the opening of their Big East Conference season. The game is Friday night, and the Scarlet Knights have a national TV audience all to themselves.

"Anytime you're on national television it's an opportunity for your program to shine," Schiano said. "But to shine you have to play well and win. So, that's our challenge right now."

When Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech left the Big East Conference a couple of years ago to compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big East took several shots as being significantly weakened.

While Tech is 4-0 after rallying to beat Big East member Cincinnati Saturday, Miami has already lost twice, including a 31-7 rout by new Big East member Louisville. Boston College was upset by North Carolina, 17-15, on Saturday and its three wins have been by seven points, one point and in double overtime.

"Those guys leaving, they do their thing and we do our thing. I knew this conference was going to be good all along," Leonard said, "even after they left. I'm just proud of the conference, and it turned out better than people thought."

As for the growth of the program since he signed on five years ago, Leonard admitted he wasn't sure where things were going with losing seasons became the norm.

"This is the season I dreamed of," he said. "It's really early in the season, still, but this is the start of my dream. The 1-11 season, that was a tough season and I didn't know what to think after that season. But I trusted and believed in coach Schiano. I trusted him and now we're here."

Although Leonard isn't surprised by his team's accomplishments so far, he was surprised at Rutgers being ranked so high.

"I didn't expect to be 23," he said. "I was expecting to be right on the rims, maybe 26, 25; I didn't know if we were going to be there or not. I'm pretty excited, but you really can't think about it like some teams do when they're like, "Oh, we're in the top 25 and we're going out to kick everyone's butt.' We just have to keep focused and keep doing what we're doing."

What they are doing this week is getting more respect than unbeaten and unranked teams including Purdue, Missouri and Wake Forest, as well as teams from noted programs like Arizona State, Georgia Tech, UCLA, Wisconsin and Boston College.

Putting a damper on the day was the news that fifth-year wide receiver and co-captain Shawn Tucker fractured an ankle in the Howard game and, according to Schiano, "will be out a significant amount of time. He has a chance to be back, I think optimistically, hopefully the last four, three or two games of the season, but that's all guess work."