rutgers report

[cubuffsdoug]

Holy ****! Talk about double posting.

We would sell out every game too if we only had 44,000 seats in our stadium.

newsflash USF was only averaging 31K until last year.

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/colleges/article766097.ece

[MikeG]

Holy ****! Talk about double posting.

We would sell out every game too if we only had 44,000 seats in our stadium.

newsflash USF was only averaging 31K until last year.

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/colleges/article766097.ece

and now we average more-- so what?

when we averaged 31k-- we had 20000 season tickets and half the students coming.

like we need some clown showing us an article to know that

[smazza]

Rutgers' Charlie Noonan making a strong return at nose tackle

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

BY TOM LUICCI

Star-Ledger Staff

Charlie Noonan knows there aren't a lot of people -- either those inside football or outside -- who view the nose tackle position he plays as being fun. It's tough, physical and not very glamorous.

But then, they haven't been through two major knee surgeries the way Noonan has.

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"When something is taken away, you have a different feeling about it," Noonan said after Rutgers' morning practice session yesterday. "You definitely appreciate it more. It's awesome being out there again. I've always enjoyed playing, but never as much as I do now. I love it."

Noonan, a third-year sophomore, has seemed to become an afterthought in any conversation about the Knights defensive line. Even he says, "I'm under the radar, I guess."

Then there are days such as yesterday. Starting nose tackle Pete Tverdov was not at practice due to "a personal situation," head coach Greg Schiano said, leaving Noonan to take all of the snaps at the position with the first- and second-team defense.

"It was a lot of reps," the 6-2, 265-pounder said, "but I was glad to get them."

With Rutgers still searching for the right tackle combinations (Schiano uses a variety of defensive linemen during games), Noonan has emerged this summer as a reliable reserve after sitting out spring practice. At that time he was still recovering from knee surgery after suffering an injury against Pittsburgh on Nov. 17.

Coming out of St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia, Noonan first tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during an all-star game. That forced him to redshirt as a true freshman in 2006 so he could rehab.

"I feel good now," said Noonan, who was starting to see time on the defensive line until the knee injury. "I think I'm back to where I was before the Pitt game.

"The second time you do this, I'm not going to say it's easy to come back, but it's easier. You know what to expect and how much you can push yourself. But I don't think about it anymore. I'm just out there playing and having a good time. I'm happy for every day I'm out there now."

[smazza]

Rutgers football: No shortage of speed on this team

by Tom Luicci/The Star-Ledger

Tuesday August 12, 2008, 7:31 PM

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-Ledger

Rutgers wide receiver Tim Brown during a team practice last week at Rutgers Stadium. NOTEBOOK

Tim Brown didn't have to go the traditional track and field route to have his blazing speed quantified in high school. He simply showed up at a football camp in his home state of Florida where Greg Schiano happened to be evaluating talent.

The result is the stuff of legends.

"In all my years, he's the fastest guy I've timed by hand (in the 40) -- 4.25," the Rutgers head coach said.

As fast as the diminutive Brown is -- the junior wide receiver said he may have slowed a tad because of the weight he has put on in college, though he hasn't lost his quickness -- he may not be the Knights' fastest player.

That could be senior wide receiver Tiquan Underwood, clocked in 4.39 for the 40 in the spring. Or sophomore running back Mason Robinson, who won the 100 meters in the New Jersey high school Meet of Champions in 2007 with a time of 10.51 -- the seventh fastest in state history.

Or cornerback Brandon Bing, a Pennsylvania sprint star who finished fifth nationally in the indoor 200 meters as a high school senior. He said he was clocked in 4.4-flat in the 40 in the spring -- though he claims to be faster than that.

"The fastest guy on this team? I don't know. There are some pretty fast guys," said Bing, a sophomore.

The second tier would probably include wide receiver Kenny Britt and cornerback twins Devin and Jason McCourty, according to a player consensus. Running back Kordell Young would have been in that group before his knee surgery.

"We've never had a competition (to see who the fastest player is), so I can't say if I'm the fastest guy," said Robinson, battling Young for the starting tailback job. "You look around this team and you see a lot of fast guys, a lot of speedsters.

"I mean, I don't think I'd get left by anybody. I'm not saying that. But if a bunch of us were to race, it would be real close. Nobody would smoke me -- if I even got beat."

Brown says he isn't even curious to see which player would claim the title that former wide receiver James Townsend insisted he held last year.

"I don't worry about how fast I am," Brown said. "I worry about playing football. I love the game. I just want to play.

"If someone wants to be the fastest guy, that's on them."

Schiano said the current roster is the fastest team he has had at Rutgers since arriving eight years ago.

Asked if it was comparable to the speed that Miami had when he was an assistant there, he said, "It is."

"As far as top end speed, it is," he added. "As far as the total team speed, not yet."

Robinson said he isn't sure what his 40 time would be if he were to be clocked now. He said time never mattered to him.

"Some guys race for time. I raced to win. There's a difference," the former Somerville High School star said.

Just as there is a difference between natural speed and football speed.

"To me, your 40 time is a big deal as far as training and finding out if you've improved, and it matters in the NFL Combine," said Bing. "But as far as on the field? You can have the fastest 40 time on the team and not get on the field. It's different putting pads on and getting on the field."

Schiano said the natural speed of his fastest players "definitely" translated into football speed as well.

Rutgers will hold its first intrasquad scrimmage Wednesday morning, with Schiano saying it would be around 100 plays -- though it could be 20 more or 10 fewer.

Of the players on the two-deep depth chart, wide receiver Dennis Campbell (hamstring) is the only one who might sit out.

Schiano says he knows exactly what he is looking for Wednesday morning.

"We have so much offense and defense in now, I know we'll make mistakes. I'm not naive to that after seven practices," he said. "I'll look at how hard we play. I'm looking for the mechanics of the game operation."

Starting NT Pete Tverdov, who missed practice on Monday due to personal reasons, was back Tuesday.

See more in Newspaper article

[smazza]

Rutgers football's team speed at its best

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

BY TOM LUICCI

Star-Ledger Staff

Tim Brown didn't have to go the traditional track and field route to have his blazing speed quantified in high school. He simply showed up at a football camp in his home state of Florida where Greg Schiano happened to be 

"In all my years, he's the fastest guy I've timed by hand (in the 40) -- 4.25," the Rutgers head coach said.

As fast as the diminutive Brown is -- the junior wide receiver said he may have slowed a tad because of the weight he has put on in college, though he hasn't lost his quickness -- he may not be the Knights' fastest player.

That could be senior wide receiver Tiquan Underwood, clocked in 4.39 for the 40 in the spring. Or sophomore running back Mason Robinson, who won the 100 meters in the New Jersey high school Meet of Champions in 2007 with a time of 10.51 -- the seventh fastest in state history.

Or cornerback Brandon Bing, a Pennsylvania sprint star who finished fifth nationally in the indoor 200 meters as a high school senior. He said he was clocked in 4.4-flat in the 40 in the spring -- though he claims to be faster than that.

"The fastest guy on this team? I don't know. There are some pretty fast guys," said Bing, a sophomore.

The second tier would probably include wide receiver Kenny Britt and cornerback twins Devin and Jason McCourty, according to a player consensus. Running back Kordell Young would have been in that group before his knee surgery.

"We've never had a competition (to see who the fastest player is), so I can't say if I'm the fastest guy," said Robinson, battling Young for the starting tailback job. "You look around this team and you see a lot of fast guys, a lot of speedsters.

"I mean, I don't think I'd get left by anybody. I'm not saying that. But if a bunch of us were to race, it would be real close. Nobody would smoke me -- if I even got beat."

[smazza]

Rutgers LB Ryan D'Imperio is recovered and ready to compete

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

BY BRENDAN PRUNTY

Star-Ledger Staff

During the time he spent by the hospital bed, Kevin Malast could see this coming. He would sit next to his friend and teammate, Ryan D'Imperio -- whose leg was broken in three places -- and tell him that things were going to get better.

He knew it would be a difficult road back to recovery, but he never heard that from D'Imperio.

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"He always had a real good attitude," Malast said. "He never said, 'Poor me' or whatever."

More than a year after breaking his right leg, D'Imperio is back to where he was before the injury: on the cusp of winning the starting middle linebacker job.

His Rutgers teammates and coaches haven't seen any lingering effects, limping or wincing in pain from the injury. The only thing they've seen through nearly two weeks of this preseason is the back of his jersey as he paces the rest of the team in the practice-ending "gassers."

"It hasn't been effortless," D'Imperio said. "I've had to work really hard. I would come in early every day, rehab time after time -- especially during the fall and the spring semester. I had to do what everyone else had to do, but then I would have to do something extra. It took a while, but now that I look back at it, it's been worth it."

But the junior from Sewell didn't make the journey back just to lead the team in running drills after practice. He's looking to make the impact that Rutgers thought he would before his injury in April 2007.

Since that injury, the team's linebacking corps shuffled and senior Damaso Munoz emerged as the team's starting middle linebacker last year, playing in all 13 games. D'Imperio worked his way back to play in the third game of last season against Norfolk State.

Although D'Imperio played in 11 games last year, coach Greg Schiano says his player might have returned too early.

"He played last year, but wasn't ready to do that," Schiano said. "I think he's ready now to be an every-down player."

[smazza]

Rutgers football's passing game dazzles

Thursday, August 14, 2008

BY TOM LUICCI

Star-Ledger Staff

It was hard not to be impressed with Rutgers' passing game off the team's first intrasquad scrimmage yesterday -- just as it was easy to have new doubts about the effectiveness of the running game and the defense.

Some perspective is in order first. The scrimmage rules did favor the offense, since the quarterback can't be hit.

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And is it really fair for any defense at this point of the summer to believe it can slow fifth-year senior quarterback Mike Teel and returning 1,000-yard receivers Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood as long as the protection is there?

"It's tough, because Teel is basically the offensive coordinator playing quarterback," said nose tackle Pete Tverdov. "You're not going to trick him. When you combine that with two great wide receivers, it makes it extremely difficult to stop them."

That was the case early on when the starters from both sides squared off at Rutgers Stadium during the Scarlet Knights' three-hour scrimmage in the sweltering heat (it measured 98 degrees on the FieldTurf), even though Teel didn't have any semblance of a running game to keep the defense honest.

Still, he was 5-for-6 for 84 yards on the first series against the starting defense, capping the drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Britt. He was then 4-for-4 for 39 yards on the second series, which wound up as a 70-yard touchdown drive.

But while Teel was going a combined 9-for-10 for 123 yards at that point, the first-team running game mustered just 21 yards on nine carries.

Mason Robinson got the start at tailback, but saw his day end prematurely after he took a hit just below his hip. He was still the scrimmage's leading rusher with 48 yards on seven carries against a mix of starters and reserves.

"He's going to be okay, but he's hurting right now," coach Greg Schiano said. "I don't think it's anything serious, but he's going to be banged up for a couple of days."

Even the offensive reserves had their way against their defensive counterparts early, with Jabu Lovelace leading a long drive that ended in a field goal and Chris Paul-Etienne, bidding for Lovelace's role as the No. 2 quarterback, directing two straight touchdown drives.

[smazza]

Rebuilding Rutgers' running game starts with better execution

Friday, August 15, 2008

BY TOM LUICCI

Star-Ledger Staff

The sight of tailback Kordell Young ripping off two long runs during Rutgers' practice yesterday -- both covered around 60 yards -- only confirmed what left tackle Kevin Haslam has felt all along.

The potential is there for this to be a good running team, but the execution has been missing.

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Less than 24 hours after suffering from a severe case of post-Ray Rice syndrome in the team's first intra-squad scrimmage, the Knights' running game showed signs of snapping out of its summer malaise -- even with tailback Mason Robinson held out of any serious work as he mends from a bruised hip.

"People forget that the first scrimmage is like a preseason game. You see what you have to work on," said Haslam. "We watched the tape, came out and you saw Kordell make those two long runs. So the ability is there. We just needed to remind everybody that we can do it. I think we responded well."

Despite a passing game that offers the promise of being one the nation's best, Rutgers' offense raised some concerns with its ineffectiveness in the running game during the scrimmage.

After being spoiled by having Brian Leonard or Rice to call on for the past five years, their absence proved to be as much of a jolt as any of Courtney Greene's greatest hits.

"We made some mental errors (in the run game) in the scrimmage," center Ryan Blaszczyk said. "But we're close."

The numbers practically screamed panic one year after Rice accounted for a school-record 2,012 yards. Robinson was the top rusher in the scrimmage with 48 yards on seven carries. But Young was held to minus-three yards on seven carries and Jourdan Brooks managed just 15 yards on nine carries.

In the first two series, when the first-team offense went against the first-team defense, the passing game accounted for 123 yards on 9-for-10 passing while the running game produced 21 yards on nine carries.

"We're not really worried about it," said Blaszczyk. "We're going up against guys (on defense) who are seniors who know our snap counts and know our plays. So it's hit or miss with the plays."

[smazza]

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Rutgers QB opening eyes

Saturday, August 16, 2008

BY TOM LUICCI

Star-Ledger Staff

A day after Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano declared the competition open for the No. 2 quarterback job, Chris Paul-Etienne, now battling Jabu Lovelace for the position, said there really was no competition.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not really battling for the No. 2 spot. I'm not battling for any spot," Paul-Etienne said after practice yesterday. "I'm battling myself to be the best I can be every single day I come to practice."

But there is a difference when he shows up each afternoon at Rutgers Stadium now. The third-year sophomore with a throwing arm many NFL quarterbacks would envy now has a playing time carrot dangling in front of him.

Lovelace has virtually been unchallenged the past two years in his role as Mike Teel's backup.

That was until this week, when Paul-Etienne had his reps upped in practice by Schiano, who said the 6-3, 190-pounder from Miami deserves a chance to compete for the No. 2 spot.

"It hasn't changed my approach and wouldn't, whether I was going for the starting job, the No. 2 job or the No. 3 job," he said. "My approach is anything I can do to help this team in any way I'm going to do. Since I play the quarterback position I'm going to try to be the best quarterback I can be."

Until this summer, Paul-Etienne was the only quarterback on the roster who had the "wow" factor about him whenever he dropped back to pass. Laser throw after laser throw, long or deep, he impressed with his arm strength.

Now he's No. 2 in that category as well, having apparently been unseated by 6-6, 240-pound true freshman D.C. Jefferson.

"Hands down, I think D.C. has the stronger arm," said Paul-Etienne. "The furthest I ever threw the ball was in warm-ups before a high school game. I threw it 81 yards

[smazza]

Rutgers' running back Kordell Young looks back in stride after poor scrimmage

Sunday, August 17, 2008

BY TOM LUICCI

Star-Ledger Staff

Kordell Young didn't need to see the rushing numbers from Rutgers' first scrimmage last Wednesday. He knew they had to improve -- and quickly.

For three straight practices now, whatever concerns Young raised with his ineffectiveness then (minus-3 yards on seven carries) have been assuaged.

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One big run after another, one sharp cut after another, Young suddenly has looked like the explosive, potential Ray Rice replacement he was expected to be.

Yesterday was just another example of that. With fellow tailback Mason Robinson back practicing but not 100 percent due to a hip bruise, Young continued his impressive post-scrimmage showing, one that featured two 60-yard runs on Thursday.

"I felt like the whole offense needed to respond after that scrimmage," the third-year sophomore said. "We knew we didn't do well in the running game. But it wasn't just one person. Every individual needed to step it up."

Young, fully recovered from a season-ending knee injury suffered last Sept. 15, hasn't separated himself from Robinson in the battle to be Rice's replacement. But he may not have to. The Knights, it appears, are committed to at least two tailbacks, with redshirt freshman Jourdan Brooks looking more and more as if he will fill the short-yardage role.

"I was confident coming out of that scrimmage," Young said. "I felt like I did as much as I could do. I hit the holes I was supposed to hit. I felt there was just some leakage at times. We've got that squared away now."

Young's surgically-repaired knee also has held up well through the first 11 practices -- easing another concern as Rutgers looks to rebuild its ground game.

"After two days in a row it still gets a little sore, but even that is going away," Young said.

The 5-9, 185-pounder says he still isn't thinking about trying to replace Rice, either.