Tyler
Scarlet Surge
Date Posted: 10/24/08
After getting a much needed win last week, the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers find themselves on the brink of yet another game that could be a "season changer," for not only Rutgers but for Pittsburgh.
Rutgers, who will come into the game at 2-5 will face off against the Pittsburgh Panthers, 6-1, who they've beaten three straight seasons in a row.
But this a different Rutgers team, and a different Pittsburgh team. Pittsburgh comes back with highly touted halfback LeSean McCoy, who many, including myself, consider him the best overall halfback in the country. His speed, elusiveness, power, and ability to catch the ball out of the backfield makes him the best in my opinion. Rutgers did a great job of shutting him down last year in Piscataway - but that was different. Rutgers not only had no threat of a passing game coming from Pittsburgh, but the game was at home, which helps greatly in the ability to hold down an opponents best offensive weapon.
This game is going to come down to defense, a Rutgers defense that I have a great deal of confidence this week in. The linebackers have played very well the past three weeks, and Ryan D'Imperio, a linebacker, has probably been the most outstanding player the past three weeks on the entire team, not just the defense.
Offensively for Rutgers, they will need to find a running game. If they are unable to find a running game for the third straight week in a row, it will be a long afternoon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Rutgers had just 75 yards on 25 carries from halfback Kordell Young last week. No signs of Jourdan Brooks, Mason Robinson, or Joe Martinek for a few games now...which to me has been just mind boggling.
We now move onto my:
Prediciton
Rutgers 14
Pittsburgh 20
Game Ball: Joe Lefeged. Lefeged, a strong safety, will be up in the back this week making plays for the Knights, but it just won't be enough as Rutgers loses a tight one against the best team in the Big East. Predicted stats for Lefeged: 11 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 FF.
Game Time: 3:30 PM E.T.
Site: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA.
Weather: Rain on and off. At times heavy. Temperatures near 55 degrees.
That's all I've got for this week. Thanks for reading, and Go Knights!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
The Win We Needed!
Finally we got a win we needed. The offense wasn't too good all day, but in the end it was enough. Teel played a little bit better than the past two weeks, and Natale was impressive in limited action. The defense, for the most part, was really good, minus a drive or two. Rutgers did luck out that two field goals hit the upright's.
I still feel Natale needs to play a bit more though. Not bench Teel outright, but just for a few series per game. Why? Well, A. We need to see if Natale can actually perform at a higher level than Teel. And B. We need to give Natale some experience for next season, as he will probably be our starting Quarterback.
Defensively the team was pretty impressive. The tackling was pretty bad in the first quarter, but we stayed tough when we needed to. The second half the tackling was better, but the coverage got worse.
I thought the biggest key in this game for Rutgers was the field position battle. If Rutgers didn't win that, they probably lose. They had very good field position all day, while UCONN had horrible field position, yet we still almost lost. That pretty much shows how bad our offense was.
Special Teams overall was excellent. Better punt returning, kick off returns, kickoff coverage, punting, and punting coverage.
Overall, very happy with the way the team played. For sure we took a step in the right direction. Lets hope we can get an upset next Saturday versus Pittsburgh. Check back later in the week for a preview of the game.
Go RU!
I still feel Natale needs to play a bit more though. Not bench Teel outright, but just for a few series per game. Why? Well, A. We need to see if Natale can actually perform at a higher level than Teel. And B. We need to give Natale some experience for next season, as he will probably be our starting Quarterback.
Defensively the team was pretty impressive. The tackling was pretty bad in the first quarter, but we stayed tough when we needed to. The second half the tackling was better, but the coverage got worse.
I thought the biggest key in this game for Rutgers was the field position battle. If Rutgers didn't win that, they probably lose. They had very good field position all day, while UCONN had horrible field position, yet we still almost lost. That pretty much shows how bad our offense was.
Special Teams overall was excellent. Better punt returning, kick off returns, kickoff coverage, punting, and punting coverage.
Overall, very happy with the way the team played. For sure we took a step in the right direction. Lets hope we can get an upset next Saturday versus Pittsburgh. Check back later in the week for a preview of the game.
Go RU!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Game Seven Preview: UCONN @ Rutgers
Tyler
Scarlet Surge
Date Posted: 10/16/08
Another game on the banks of the Ole' Raritan. It should be another good one in Piscataway Saturday as Rutgers faces off against the 5-1 University of Connecticut Huskies.
At 1-5, what else is there to say? You have a struggling quarterback, an entire struggling offense for that matter, and a special teams that has not provided a spark in who knows how many games. Something has to change...right?
Well, I hope so. The Knights have another chance this weekend versus a very good UCONN team. UCONN comes in having beaten 5 rather weak opponents. It's tough to say how good they are. Rutgers lost to UNC, at home, 44-12. UCONN lost, at UNC, 38-12. So to say one is leaps and bounds better than Rutgers is crazy in my opinion.
But UCONN is certainly a better football team, but I expect Rutgers to fight and claw to the end once again. In the past three road games, Rutgers has lost by a total of 12 points. They are just a LITTLE bit off each week from scratching out a victory. Last weeks fall to Cincy was just another example of them "Not being good enough." I think this week will be another case of that.
Another thing is that RU will have trouble defending UCONN halfback Donald Brown. Brown is one of the best halfback's in the country, leading the nation in rushing yardage. He's tore Rutgers up in the past as well, so this matchup should be interesting. This is the second straight week Rutgers will not be facing the teams primary quarterback. Chazz Anderson of Cincinnati was number 3 on the depth chart, and Zach Frazer is the backup to Tyler Lorenzen who got hurt several weeks ago versus Louisville.
Overall, I think Rutgers ONCE AGAIN keeps it close, but loses...My last week prediction was somewhat close. I had RU losing by 8 points, but I had the game ball going to Timmy Brown and I said Rutgers would hang close, but eventually lose...so this week...
Prediciton:
UCONN 25
Rutgers 16
Game Ball: Pete Tverdov. He'll do a good job in stuffing the run. He'll finish with 9 tackles, 3 TFL, and 1 sack. He'll help keep the running game in check, as Donald Brown will rush for 121 yards on 28 carries, and a touchdown.
Game Time: 12:00 PM E.T.
Site: Rutgers Stadium, Piscataway, NJ.
Weather: Sunny with a few clouds mixed in. 60 degrees.
Scarlet Surge
Date Posted: 10/16/08
Another game on the banks of the Ole' Raritan. It should be another good one in Piscataway Saturday as Rutgers faces off against the 5-1 University of Connecticut Huskies.
At 1-5, what else is there to say? You have a struggling quarterback, an entire struggling offense for that matter, and a special teams that has not provided a spark in who knows how many games. Something has to change...right?
Well, I hope so. The Knights have another chance this weekend versus a very good UCONN team. UCONN comes in having beaten 5 rather weak opponents. It's tough to say how good they are. Rutgers lost to UNC, at home, 44-12. UCONN lost, at UNC, 38-12. So to say one is leaps and bounds better than Rutgers is crazy in my opinion.
But UCONN is certainly a better football team, but I expect Rutgers to fight and claw to the end once again. In the past three road games, Rutgers has lost by a total of 12 points. They are just a LITTLE bit off each week from scratching out a victory. Last weeks fall to Cincy was just another example of them "Not being good enough." I think this week will be another case of that.
Another thing is that RU will have trouble defending UCONN halfback Donald Brown. Brown is one of the best halfback's in the country, leading the nation in rushing yardage. He's tore Rutgers up in the past as well, so this matchup should be interesting. This is the second straight week Rutgers will not be facing the teams primary quarterback. Chazz Anderson of Cincinnati was number 3 on the depth chart, and Zach Frazer is the backup to Tyler Lorenzen who got hurt several weeks ago versus Louisville.
Overall, I think Rutgers ONCE AGAIN keeps it close, but loses...My last week prediction was somewhat close. I had RU losing by 8 points, but I had the game ball going to Timmy Brown and I said Rutgers would hang close, but eventually lose...so this week...
Prediciton:
UCONN 25
Rutgers 16
Game Ball: Pete Tverdov. He'll do a good job in stuffing the run. He'll finish with 9 tackles, 3 TFL, and 1 sack. He'll help keep the running game in check, as Donald Brown will rush for 121 yards on 28 carries, and a touchdown.
Game Time: 12:00 PM E.T.
Site: Rutgers Stadium, Piscataway, NJ.
Weather: Sunny with a few clouds mixed in. 60 degrees.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Not. Good. Enough.
Tyler
Scarlet Surge
Date Posted: 10/12/08
This team is just not good enough, and it's obvious at this point. Underwood had several key drops. Britt dropped a pass or two, most notably on 4th and 1, which sealed the game for UC...
It gets frustrating, but it is what it is, Rutgers is just not very good this year. The offensive line got manhandled most of the game, and the only thing that kept us in this ball game was terrible personal foul penalties by Cincinnati.
Next up for RU is UCONN on Saturday, October 18th and 12 PM ET. That may be Mike Teel's final start in a Rutgers uniform, and at this point, I can say...rightfully so.
Hopefully we can get a this upcoming weekend. Look back late in the week for a preview!
Scarlet Surge
Date Posted: 10/12/08
This team is just not good enough, and it's obvious at this point. Underwood had several key drops. Britt dropped a pass or two, most notably on 4th and 1, which sealed the game for UC...
It gets frustrating, but it is what it is, Rutgers is just not very good this year. The offensive line got manhandled most of the game, and the only thing that kept us in this ball game was terrible personal foul penalties by Cincinnati.
Next up for RU is UCONN on Saturday, October 18th and 12 PM ET. That may be Mike Teel's final start in a Rutgers uniform, and at this point, I can say...rightfully so.
Hopefully we can get a this upcoming weekend. Look back late in the week for a preview!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Game Six Preview: Rutgers @ Cincinnati
Tyler
Scarlet Surge
Date posted: 10/10/08
If I told you Rutgers would end be 1-4 heading into the game versus Cincinnati on October 11th, you'd laugh at me.
Laugh no more. It's real.
Sadly, Rutgers heads into the game 1-4, and Cincinnati 4-1. Cincinnati's only loss came at the hands of the Sooners, who happen to be number 1 in the country.
The Knights will have a tough task ahead of them, that is for sure. However, there is reason to hope. Mike Teel played better, not good, better against WVU and we almost squeaked out a victory down in Morgantown. Another reason to believe is because Cincy is down to their 3rd string QB, Chazz Anderson, who is a redshirt freshman...if that doesn't give you reason to believe, nothing will at this point.
Rutgers has lost to the Bearcats twice in as many years. The past few seasons Cincinnati has been very big up front, and VERY fast on the corners (WR, CB). D'Angelo Smith and Mike Mickens are the corners for UC. They are very skilled corners, loaded with experience. They know they are up against one of the best WR tandems in the country, and they aren't the type to back down.
RU needs to come out and be able to run the ball, if they can not, this game will be over...and quick. Jourdan Brooks, Robinson, and Martinek need to pound the ball early and often for Teel to have any success in the short passing game, or even deep.
Once again, this is a game that could jumpstart Rutgers dull season. A win over Cincinnati could bring some momentum into the game versus UCONN next week at home.
My prediction:
Rutgers 19
Cincinnati 27
Game Ball:Tim Brown. He'll have a big game, but Rutgers hangs close for a while but eventually stumbles.
Game Time: 12:00 P.M. ET
Site: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Weather: 75 degrees. Sunny.
Hopefully my prediction is wrong. Enjoy the game. Go Knights!
Scarlet Surge
Date posted: 10/10/08
If I told you Rutgers would end be 1-4 heading into the game versus Cincinnati on October 11th, you'd laugh at me.
Laugh no more. It's real.
Sadly, Rutgers heads into the game 1-4, and Cincinnati 4-1. Cincinnati's only loss came at the hands of the Sooners, who happen to be number 1 in the country.
The Knights will have a tough task ahead of them, that is for sure. However, there is reason to hope. Mike Teel played better, not good, better against WVU and we almost squeaked out a victory down in Morgantown. Another reason to believe is because Cincy is down to their 3rd string QB, Chazz Anderson, who is a redshirt freshman...if that doesn't give you reason to believe, nothing will at this point.
Rutgers has lost to the Bearcats twice in as many years. The past few seasons Cincinnati has been very big up front, and VERY fast on the corners (WR, CB). D'Angelo Smith and Mike Mickens are the corners for UC. They are very skilled corners, loaded with experience. They know they are up against one of the best WR tandems in the country, and they aren't the type to back down.
RU needs to come out and be able to run the ball, if they can not, this game will be over...and quick. Jourdan Brooks, Robinson, and Martinek need to pound the ball early and often for Teel to have any success in the short passing game, or even deep.
Once again, this is a game that could jumpstart Rutgers dull season. A win over Cincinnati could bring some momentum into the game versus UCONN next week at home.
My prediction:
Rutgers 19
Cincinnati 27
Game Ball:Tim Brown. He'll have a big game, but Rutgers hangs close for a while but eventually stumbles.
Game Time: 12:00 P.M. ET
Site: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Weather: 75 degrees. Sunny.
Hopefully my prediction is wrong. Enjoy the game. Go Knights!
Monday, October 6, 2008
RU Falls Short in Morgantown
Tyler
Scarlet Surge
Date Posted: 10/6/08
The events in Morgantown were unfortunate. We had many opportunities to win the game, and ultimately came up short.
Rutgers got a gift from WVU coach Bill Stewart when he went for it on 4th and inches from RU's 45 yard line. George Johnson and Devin McCourty swarmed Jarrett Brown for a 10 yard loss. All Rutgers had to do was go 45 yards in 2 minutes with one timeout, and they would send this baby to overtime.
That's all they had to do.
Rutgers could not even manage a 1st down, going 4 and out, and the ball game was over. Dropping to 0-16 all time at West Virginia.
The predictable play calling and predictable passes from Mike Teel must stop now for Rutgers to win games this year (or any this year for that matter). Mike Teel consistently locks on to one WR and does NOT scan the field. He did not have a terrible game by any means - he threw a few good deep passes, one that was dropped by Britt early in the game, which would have been a touchdown, and a few other dropped passes from Underwood, Robinson, and Brown.
However, there were passes that made you say "What was he thinking?"...Several times he tried to go down field to Britt into double coverage, and threw a ball that wasn't even remotely close to giving his WR a chance to make a play. Other time's he was just fractions off, throwing it way too hard to a short reciever across the middle, or too far from the outreached hands of Mason Robinson.
We will see what happens down the road with this team - I will call it now: This team WILL beat Cincinnati AND Connecticut. No one will believe me now, but they will.
There is too much talent on this team for them to be this bad.
But for this team to win the next few games things need to change. And I believe they will.
Each week Teel and the rest of the offense are making strides. The play calling was not good in Morgantown, but it's certainly getting BETTER on a consistent basis.
This is an interesting team to watch and write for, as I seriously have no idea how the rest of the season will play out...my guess is pretty much as good as the next.
We can only hope.
Go RU.
Scarlet Surge
Date Posted: 10/6/08
The events in Morgantown were unfortunate. We had many opportunities to win the game, and ultimately came up short.
Rutgers got a gift from WVU coach Bill Stewart when he went for it on 4th and inches from RU's 45 yard line. George Johnson and Devin McCourty swarmed Jarrett Brown for a 10 yard loss. All Rutgers had to do was go 45 yards in 2 minutes with one timeout, and they would send this baby to overtime.
That's all they had to do.
Rutgers could not even manage a 1st down, going 4 and out, and the ball game was over. Dropping to 0-16 all time at West Virginia.
The predictable play calling and predictable passes from Mike Teel must stop now for Rutgers to win games this year (or any this year for that matter). Mike Teel consistently locks on to one WR and does NOT scan the field. He did not have a terrible game by any means - he threw a few good deep passes, one that was dropped by Britt early in the game, which would have been a touchdown, and a few other dropped passes from Underwood, Robinson, and Brown.
However, there were passes that made you say "What was he thinking?"...Several times he tried to go down field to Britt into double coverage, and threw a ball that wasn't even remotely close to giving his WR a chance to make a play. Other time's he was just fractions off, throwing it way too hard to a short reciever across the middle, or too far from the outreached hands of Mason Robinson.
We will see what happens down the road with this team - I will call it now: This team WILL beat Cincinnati AND Connecticut. No one will believe me now, but they will.
There is too much talent on this team for them to be this bad.
But for this team to win the next few games things need to change. And I believe they will.
Each week Teel and the rest of the offense are making strides. The play calling was not good in Morgantown, but it's certainly getting BETTER on a consistent basis.
This is an interesting team to watch and write for, as I seriously have no idea how the rest of the season will play out...my guess is pretty much as good as the next.
We can only hope.
Go RU.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Game Five Preview: Rutgers @ West Virginia
Tyler
Scarlet Surge
Date Posted: 10/3/08
Down to Morgantown we go. West Virginia and Rutgers, baby. This is what we live for. I hate WVU more than any other team in the Big East. Their fans can get obnoxious, although they are very passionate, which I respect, but they can be extremely obnoxious fans as a whole.
I think Rutgers has a great chance this weekend. I think they are going to come ready to play, or they are going to get their clock cleaned. It's going to be a RU victory by a small margin, or an easy blow-out for the Mountaineers. Amongst other things, time of possession is going to play a major role in deciding the outcome of this game. How about this stat? Rutgers lost the T.O.P. battle 31:17 to 28:43 last season. You can not lose the time of poessession battle and beat WVU - it just doesn't happen.
RU had plenty of opportunities to score key touchdowns last year against WVU. From their own 30 yard line to the opponents 30 yard line, they were spot on - but as we've seen many times, in the red zone, we failed to seize opportunities. You can't do that against WVU. They are simply to well coached and too talented to let major chances slip thru your hands.
Our WR and QB play will be huge this week. I expect a huge game from Kenny Britt or Tiquan Underwood. Britt has had a solid year this year, but nothing spectactular. And he didn't even play last week because he was suspended.
Tiquan on the other hand has been a disappointment. I think teams are really keying on him. He's so talented teams are double covering him, and always looking to see where #7 is on the field.
But Rutgers definately has a great chance this week because of the success they had moving the ball last year on the Mountaineers. They didn't cash in on any opportunites, as a matter of fact, they dropped about 5 very very catchable passes, at least 3 of them being for touchdowns...so I think it's safe to say RU stands a chance - whether they'll actually show up and be ready tomorrow, that's another story.
The running attack has looked very solid the past two weeks, but I'm still not sold on it. I wouldn't say Navy is the toughest defense against the run, and Morgan State, was, well...Morgan State. So I'm very interested in seeing whether or not the run game can actually produce against a competent WVU defense.
Defensively, it'll be tough to stop them, no doubt about it. Obviously, you have to like what you saw last week against Morgan State. They gave up no points, which, in at any level, versus any team, that's quite an accomplishment. We will need this same type of level against WVU to compete. The linebackers are going to play a huge role in this game. If they can hold the run game for WVU in check, the Scarlet Knights will have a great chance. RU gave up 254 rushing yards in Piscataway in the '07 matchup against West Va. It can't happen again.
My prediction:
Rutgers 27
West Virginia 23
Game Ball: Damaso Munoz. Yes, I said it. I think Munoz is going to get a good amount of playing time because he has good speed and we will need to rotate our front seven quite often against this rushing attack. I also liked what I saw from him last week as well. I think Munoz finished with 11 tkls, 3 tfl, 1 ff. Big game out of Damaso!
Game Time: 12:00 PM ET
Site: West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 60 degrees.
Enjoy the game. Go RU!
Scarlet Surge
Date Posted: 10/3/08
Down to Morgantown we go. West Virginia and Rutgers, baby. This is what we live for. I hate WVU more than any other team in the Big East. Their fans can get obnoxious, although they are very passionate, which I respect, but they can be extremely obnoxious fans as a whole.
I think Rutgers has a great chance this weekend. I think they are going to come ready to play, or they are going to get their clock cleaned. It's going to be a RU victory by a small margin, or an easy blow-out for the Mountaineers. Amongst other things, time of possession is going to play a major role in deciding the outcome of this game. How about this stat? Rutgers lost the T.O.P. battle 31:17 to 28:43 last season. You can not lose the time of poessession battle and beat WVU - it just doesn't happen.
RU had plenty of opportunities to score key touchdowns last year against WVU. From their own 30 yard line to the opponents 30 yard line, they were spot on - but as we've seen many times, in the red zone, we failed to seize opportunities. You can't do that against WVU. They are simply to well coached and too talented to let major chances slip thru your hands.
Our WR and QB play will be huge this week. I expect a huge game from Kenny Britt or Tiquan Underwood. Britt has had a solid year this year, but nothing spectactular. And he didn't even play last week because he was suspended.
Tiquan on the other hand has been a disappointment. I think teams are really keying on him. He's so talented teams are double covering him, and always looking to see where #7 is on the field.
But Rutgers definately has a great chance this week because of the success they had moving the ball last year on the Mountaineers. They didn't cash in on any opportunites, as a matter of fact, they dropped about 5 very very catchable passes, at least 3 of them being for touchdowns...so I think it's safe to say RU stands a chance - whether they'll actually show up and be ready tomorrow, that's another story.
The running attack has looked very solid the past two weeks, but I'm still not sold on it. I wouldn't say Navy is the toughest defense against the run, and Morgan State, was, well...Morgan State. So I'm very interested in seeing whether or not the run game can actually produce against a competent WVU defense.
Defensively, it'll be tough to stop them, no doubt about it. Obviously, you have to like what you saw last week against Morgan State. They gave up no points, which, in at any level, versus any team, that's quite an accomplishment. We will need this same type of level against WVU to compete. The linebackers are going to play a huge role in this game. If they can hold the run game for WVU in check, the Scarlet Knights will have a great chance. RU gave up 254 rushing yards in Piscataway in the '07 matchup against West Va. It can't happen again.
My prediction:
Rutgers 27
West Virginia 23
Game Ball: Damaso Munoz. Yes, I said it. I think Munoz is going to get a good amount of playing time because he has good speed and we will need to rotate our front seven quite often against this rushing attack. I also liked what I saw from him last week as well. I think Munoz finished with 11 tkls, 3 tfl, 1 ff. Big game out of Damaso!
Game Time: 12:00 PM ET
Site: West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 60 degrees.
Enjoy the game. Go RU!
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