Rutgers Football vs. Michigan Preview

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 the shellacking last week, Rutgers is still No. 9 in the country in red zone defense. In addition, the Scarlet Knights have recorded 11 sacks in the first five games. The team got to the quarterback just 14 times all last season.

According to Ash, linebacker Greg Jones is fine but the coach is "unsure of his availability." He seemed to indicate that it would be up to the medical staff as the week goes on. There were no changes to the depth chart that was released Monday.

Defensively, Ash pointed out that Michigan is "big and physical on the defensive line" and that nickel back Jabrill Peppers is "as good as there's been" at the position since Ash has been coaching. Rutgers will have to account for him on both offense and defense this week.

The usual discussion of the quarterback position took place. Of freshman Tylin Oden, the head coach said, "It's obvious he's not ready," and that "he's got a long way to go." But I think that we'll see more of Oden if the game gets away from RU. Both Ash and offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer discussed the passing game as continuing to be lacking as a result of much more than the play of Chris Laviano. Ash felt they needed to improve in all aspects, "O-line, route running, catching, throwing, and decision making." Mehringer was more concerned about the dropped passes and the offensive line. He said, "We've had too many drops. We had five drops in the game." And regarding the O-line later added, "If you don't come ready to play against a big-time opponent, not good things are going to happen." So, it'll be interesting to see how the unit responds. Regarding Laviano, Mehringer felt his quarterback " threw the ball much better [vs. OSU]."

On a positive note, Jawuan Harris currently ranks 5th in the Big Ten with a 17.64 average yards per catch. But lets hope RU can spread the ball around a little more, otherwise teams will be keying on him. The more eyes he opens, the more eyes will be on him, so a couple other receivers will have to step up and keep the field open enough for Harris to work.

I was critical of the kickoff return unit during the Ohio State game. Josh Hicks handled kickoffs in the stead of the fallen Janarion Grant. Ash gave Hicks a vote of confidence, implying that the poor field position was more the result of great coverage play by Ohio State. Ash said, "Josh really didn't have a chance to get going." And I agree in the sense that Gale Sayers could've been back there against the Buckeyes and not fared much better.

Realistically, my hope is that the Scarlet Knights can keep the game close, or at least within 17 points through three quarters. That way, if they finish strong the game will stay fairly close. I know there are no moral victories, but I think it would help to not get blown out early at home. Keep the game close at the half to keep the fans in the stands.