The Knights Watchman

On Monday, December 19, head coach Chris Ash made the rumors of the past couple of days official when he held a teleconference formally naming Jerry Kill the new offensive coordinator for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team. Follow this link for the official press release on scarletknights.com. Most recently an associate athletic director at Kansas State, Kill is best known as having been the 2014 Big Ten Coach of the Year during his almost 5-year stint at the University of Minnesota. Kill has a reputation of turning around struggling programs, a feat he accomplished at Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois, and most notably with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Having to leave Minnesota for health reasons, much has been written about his bouts with cancer and epilepsy. About his health, Kill said, as written in Ken Corbitt's Topeka Capital-Journal  article ,    “I needed some time to get it situated and see the right people and get on the right diet and right ...

Two of the big pieces of Rutgers news the past two weeks have been the QB transfers and the resignation of OC Drew Mehringer. Here's my take: Quarterback Transfers Chris Laviano, Hayden Retting, and Michael Dare have each decided to transfer out of Rutgers in search of more playing time and a system that better fits their pro-style skill set. Laviano saw action in 24 games for Rutgers , finishing with 21 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. Overall, he completed almost 56% of his passes. I'll remember Laviano mostly for his toughness, as he showed a willingness to fight for the tough yardage on keepers and stand in the pocket long enough to take some big hits if it meant completing a long pass. He came in this year, got the support of his teammates, and learned a new offensive system. Unfortunately, the results just weren't there. It's been well documented that the fault was hardly all his, but head coach Chris Ash decided to make the move to give reps to...

I'm finally getting around to posting my take on the RU/Maryland tilt that took place last Saturday. In my preview, I felt that the key to the game for Rutgers was slowing the Maryland rushing attack, particularly Ty Johnson. Well, the Terrapins rushed for 318 yards in the game, with Johnson racking up 168 yards on just 11 carries, good for over 15 yards a clip. Their No. 2 back, Kenneth Goins, was also unstoppable, gaining 81 yards on just 10 carries. As a team, Maryland rushed for 7.1 yards per carry and three rushing touchdowns in the 31-13 victory. On the bright side, the RU defense didn't allow a touchdown through the air, but Maryland only threw 16 times. Brandon Russell got his first career start at linebacker and led the team with 12 tackles. Another bright spot was that the Rutgers defense recorded 4 sacks and 9 tackles-for-loss. And I thought Julian Pinnix-Odrick and Darius Hamilton both finished their careers with strong games. JPO had five tackles, inclu...

The Scarlet Knights will head to College Park , Maryland to take on the University of Maryland Terrapins at Noon this coming Saturday. Heading into this final game of the season, Rutgers currently sits as a 13.5-point underdog. This is despite the fact that Maryland has lost 4 straight and 6 of its last 7 contests. Although Rutgers is on the road, this looms as a winnable game, provided that Rutgers can get something going on offense and plays a mistake-free game. If the Scarlet Knights can pull off the upset, winning their first Big Ten game of the year would be a nice way to close out the season, giving the team momentum heading into the offseason program and the coaches momentum heading into the next recruiting cycle. Maryland is somewhat unsettled at quarterback. Like Rutgers , the Terrapins have played four different quarterbacks this season, some of that necessitated by injury. Freshman Max Bortenschlager played most of the reps last week in the Terps loss to ...

Rather than my usual long-form recap post, I'm just going to throw out some observations after witnessing Senior Night and what became a 39-0 lopsided win by Penn State . 1) The Rutgers defense played well. I say this with the full realization that they gave up 39 points and close to 550 yards. For three quarters, the D kept the game close. Even after the blocked punt they almost held at the goal line. They had made another fourth down stop backed up in their own end. The defensive unit could only play so many snaps before the fatigue and Penn State 's running game wore them down. 2) The first offensive play from scrimmage was the worst play call of the year. Even worse than the goal line play against Iowa . Rutgers was home. The crowd was going crazy Saturday night. We just recovered a muffed kickoff. At that point I think you either have to throw a quick strike to the end zone or run the ball hard up the middle to try to hit Penn State in the mouth and ow...

Congratulations are in order for Rutgers Athletics, as many of the university's sports programs scored exceptional marks in Graduation Success Rate. Read the article on Scarletknights.com here The football team ranked third among all Big Ten schools. Great job to the student athletes and academic support staff in all of the sports!

Senior Day at High Point Solutions Stadium will feature the Penn State Nittany Lions, currently the No. 8 team in the country. Penn State has a ton to play for as they are still very much in the mix to win the Big Ten East Division. Rutgers has the opportunity to play the role of spoiler against a recruiting nemesis, and send three-time captain Darius Hamilton and the other seniors out in style. Apart from it being Senior Day, the school will also honor the undefeated 1976 team during the first TV timeout from what I've heard. As far as the importance of the game, head coach Chris Ash simply stated that Rutgers is "playing to try and get better"  and "we're playing for our seniors." Asked about Hamilton specifically, the coach stated "people listen to him" and that Darius buying into what the new coaching staff was trying to do "meant a lot." Another senior discussed was Janarion Grant. The coach mentioned that Janarion...

Michigan State 49, Rutgers 0. I almost didn't post a recap of this game simply because I would prefer not to think about it. Although there was not much positive to take from the game, there were a few interesting things that came out of the post-game comments and the Monday press conferences. A clearly agitated Chris Ash took the podium in East Lansing . You can tell that he was frustrated by the performance even before he spoke. He mentioned that Rutgers "struggled to get anything going" and that the team was distracted "talking back and forth" with some of the Spartans. Michigan State "dominated us up front, that's what happened." And of the quarterback play, he simply stated that Gio Rescigno "wasn't good today" but that "we still feel he gives us the best chance to win." In terms of preparation, Ash felt the team had a good week of practice leading up to the game and he said, "I would not have thou...

This weekend the Rutgers Scarlet Knights head out to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans. Both teams are still searching for their first conference win of the season. Despite having identical 2-7 records, the odds makers have Rutgers as two-touchdown underdogs. Head coach Chris Ash recapped the Indiana loss in his opening remarks during this past Monday's press conference, pointing out some encouraging signs. He "thought it was one of our best defensive efforts in terms of stopping the run," and that the "linebackers played their best game of the year." He was also happy with the three takeaways and two blocked kicks. He also said that at one point he looked out on the field and noticed that 9 of the 11 guys playing were guys who are returning next year. My thought on that is that it's good if those guys continue to improve, which under this coaching staff I believe they will. I think with some players it seems that they plateau in t...

This past Saturday was another heartbreaking loss for Rutgers as they remain winless in Big Ten action despite now having played fairly winnable games against Iowa , Illinois , Minnesota , and Indiana . Looking back at the game and the coaches' postgame comments, there was good and bad on both sides of the ball. The difference in the game was that Indiana made one more big play than Rutgers did. As Ash stated, "I like our preparation. We just need to get better in a lot of areas." Special Teams In his opening postgame remarks, head coach Chris Ash said of Rutgers, "we need to be better on special teams" later citing the missed field goal and blocked punt as things that Rutgers can't have happen. There was also plenty of good on special teams as Rutgers blocked two kicks and recovered a muffed punt. Rutgers has now blocked at least two kicks in every season since 2007. I also thought the first two returns put Rutgers in decent field position....

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team takes the field at Noon on Saturday against the Indiana Hoosiers. By the time they emerge from the tunnel at High Point Solutions Stadium, Rutgers will have finished up a much-needed two-week layoff after last week's bye. With multiple starters at key positions banged up, including running back, quarterback, safety, linebacker, and offensive line, the extra week off gave the Scarlet Knights a little extra time to heal up. For example, in his weekly press conference, Chris Ash mentioned that had RU played Saturday, quarterback Giovanni Rescigno would likely have missed the game or would've been limited. With the extra week, there's a greater chance he'll be able to run the complete offense. Ash "feels good about where he's at," meaning Gio's health. Ash said that he was encouraged by certain things. The Rutgers offense is "running the ball fairly well" and is "better with third down"...

In his first career start, quarterback Giovanni Rescigno provided the Rutgers offense a spark they have desperately needed this season. The flame may have burned out a little too quickly, as Rutgers was edged 34-32 on a field goal with less than 10 seconds left in the game. But Rescigno's performance, and that of the Scarlet Knights overall, gave the program a lift and gave the fans hope that Rutgers can compete the rest of the season. Like early in the season, this was a game where Rutgers took a shot to the mouth early in the contest, trailing 21-3 before fighting all the way back until the final moments. In his postgame press conference, Head Coach Chris Ash remarked that he was "proud of the effort" and that the turnovers, missed extra point, and allowing the kickoff return touchdown were the difference in the game. The coach felt Rescigno "played his heart out" and that it was the "best performance of the year" for the Rutgers offense. ...

Rutgers Football vs. Minnesota Preview Rutgers looks to move on from last week's 24-7 loss at the hands of the Fighting Illini, or more accurately, at the hands of the Scarlet Knights themselves. When you commit 5 turnovers you beat yourselves, regardless of the efforts of the other team. One obvious bright side was the ability of Giovanni Rescigno to guide the Rutgers offense down the field. As Coach Ash said in his postgame press conference, "Gio came in and provided a spark for the offense." By the Monday morning press conference, Rescigno "will be the starter moving forward." Speaking of Rescigno, congratulations go out to him for putting himself in this position. Because he joined his recruiting class late, and only started one year at QB in high school, there was not a lot of fanfare with his arrival. Once Zach Allen was brought in this summer, Tylin Oden joined in the fall, and two returning QBs who saw game action last year were on the roste...

I've decided there's really no point in breaking down the Michigan loss. It's simply best to leave it in the past. After facing three Top 10 teams in the first six games, Rutgers fans can look forward to the upcoming schedule of good, but not great teams. Of course if the Scarlet Knights play they way they did Saturday, I'm not sure the opponent matters. But I'd like to think the future showings will be closer to the effort put forth against Iowa, which means that Rutgers has a chance to be competitive in each of their remaining home games and a couple of the road contests. Another thing in Rutgers favor right now is that area football fans are reeling over the Jets and Giants both having losing records. It helps take negative attention away from Rutgers and focus it on the pro teams. Head coach Chris Ash confirmed the news this week that starting strong-side linebacker Greg Jones is lost for the season to a neck injury and that his football career is over...

Rutgers takes on the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, October 8th under the lights at High Point Solutions Stadium. After getting creamed by Ohio State last week Rutgers is currently listed as a 27.5 underdog at home. Michigan comes in as the No. 4 ranked team in the country. This will be the third time in six weeks that the Scarlet Knights are taking on a team currently ranked in the Top 5. Not exactly the most favorable schedule. The coaches had some interesting comments during their Monday press conferences. Regarding the Wolverines offense (44.4 ppg average), Chris Ash feels they "run the ball exceptionally well," while defensive coordinator Jay Niemann mentioned Michigan has a "physical and aggressive offense" that uses a lot of "power formations." To me, that means rotating in fresh defensive linemen will be imperative as power teams have a tendency to wear down the interior. I noticed some encouraging stats for the RU defense. Despite...

I picked Rutgers to beat what went off as a 39-point spread. After one quarter I was feeling pretty good about that, with OSU on pace for about a 24-point victory. Then the second quarter happened and it never got any better. The Positive Greg Jones is okay and most of the steps taken on the field that made things look so ominous were precautionary. Chris Ash said that Jones was actually walking around on the sideline by the end of the game. Jones's replacement, Tyreek Maddox-Williams, ended up leading the team with 11 tackles. Kiy Hester and Deonte Roberts also racked up double-digit tackles (10 apiece). Hester was all over the place again. But then again, when the other team runs so many plays, some guys on defense are going to put up numbers. Rutgers had been getting its doors blown off in the first quarter during the first three games. This is two games in a row where the game was close after Q1. So, they're starting better. Concerns These are things...

Yesterday, the Rutgers coaches held their weekly press conferences looking ahead to this weekend's road meeting with Ohio State . As expected, Rutgers is a huge underdog, with OSU currently favored by 38.5. But this is a homecoming of sorts for Ash, and although he's insistent it's just another game, there has to be a part of the coaches who came from Ohio State that's makes them want to ensure the team puts forth a good showing. So, for the second week in a row, I believe Rutgers will beat the spread. After confirming their injuries, Ash was asked if he felt there would be an emotional letdown with the team having lost two significant starters in defensive end Quanzell Lambert and do-everything offensive star Janarion Grant. The coach said he was "pleased with the Sunday practice" and that he "doesn't expect an emotional letdown." Defensively, Ash said the Scarlet Knights "need to be more consistent stopping the run on defense....

I've had a few days to recover from and digest the Rutgers 14-7 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. I correctly picked Rutgers to cover the 13.5 point spread, but I certainly didn't anticipate how close the game would actually be and that Rutgers , in my opinion, should have won the game. Before I get into breaking down what I thought were suspect decisions, I want to take a moment to express my well wishes to Janarion Grant and Quanzell Lambert, after both sustained season-ending injuries in the game. They will both be missed and were having excellent seasons to this point. Chris Ash mentioned in his Monday press conference that Rutgers will petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility for both men. Let's hope we see them back on the banks. But if not, thank you for everything! Despite having the team well-prepared, I believe this loss was on the coaches. Rutgers came up empty on three of the four trips to the red zone. On the first trip, Chris Laviano back pedale...

The Iowa Hawkeyes swoop into High Point Solutions Stadium to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday, September 24th, kicking off at high noon. Rutgers opened as a 14-point underdog at home, but as of this writing the line has dropped to 13. But it's still expected to be Iowa by two touchdowns. I however, feel that the game will be much closer. The Scarlet Knights have enough talent on the offensive and defensive lines to keep the game fairly tight. If I was a betting man, with that spread I'd take RU. Iowa is coming off an upset loss to North Dakota State . Due to the quality of the North Dakota State football program, I'm not sure them beating anyone is an upset. Nonetheless, there's been a lot of speculation that Rutgers could use the blueprint that North Dakota State has laid out if the Scarlet Knights want to defeat Iowa . There's some truth to that I'm sure, but the reality is that Iowa is also very aware of how they were beaten, a...