BTN Live Visits Rutgers 8/8/17 Recap

The crew at BTN Live stopped by Rutgers' Busch Campus Piscataway on Tuesday, August 8, to do their summer preview. They got to take a gander at the new Marco Battaglia Practice Complex, and they seemed to come away rather impressed with that and the other upgrades that have been taking shape on campus.

There are a number of links to videos at scarletknights.com showcasing different interviews and commentary from their visit. Much of content features BTN Live's panel of Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo, and Howard Griffith. Among those interviewed were Chris Ash, Sebastian Joseph, Blessuan Austin, Tariq Cole, and Jerry Kill. I watched most of the content and found some high points that piqued my interest, so I'm going to jump around a bit and share those.

Offense
Ash on the QBs: "I like the way they're competing. They've embraced the competition."

DiNardo on the QB competition, which he felt was mainly between Rescigno and Bolin: "Giovanni and Bolin looks really tight." "I think they have three pretty good quarterbacks."

Ash on senior transfer running back Gus Edwards: "He's gonna really help us in our running game."

BTN hosts on Edwards: "Physical runner/catches ball out of the backfield."

Kill on Edwards: "I haven't had one like him in a long time."

Blessuan Austin on freshman receiver Bo Melton: "He looks electric out here."

Griffith on offensive personnel: "They have some weapons, which is important."

Kill on the O-line: "Feel good about the tackles and center."

Kill on Rescigno: "We had Gio all spring. He was better than I was expecting."

Kill on Bolin: "He's really given us a lift with his leadership and knowledge."

Kill on Lewis: "He's got the size, speed, and he's a smart kid."

Kill on the QB battle: "I'm hoping we can decide here in a week or so."

Kill on the freshman: "3 or 4 freshman wide receivers are capable of playing."

Defense
Austin on the biggest change on defense: "The front seven." "We must stop the run, without a doubt."

Ash on defensive scheme: "We made a couple changes to make us a little more multiple...We have to do a better job of creating takeaways...It's about what our players can do."

BTN Live hosts on the defense: "I think they're stronger up front."

General
Sebastian Joseph on Ash: "He's seen how its done. He knows how to win. That's why we believe in him."

Kill on Ash: "Chris is a grinder. He knows what he's doing."

Ash on depth: "Really hard to get talented big guys. Biggest concern is depth on both sides."

There are a couple things here that I want to touch on. First, the fact that there's a chance the starting QB could be named in about a week is good news. First, it means he thinks someone will separate himself, and second, the team will have a few weeks to rally around the starter before the opener. Another thing Kill said that I didn't mention was that he felt that Rutgers was about as far along as Kill's second season in Minnesota. That year, the Golden Gophers finished 6-7, falling to Texas in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Granted, the division Minnesota was in that year may not have been as strong as what RU faces in this year's Big Ten East, but I think we'd all be happy with that level of improvement.

It was also interesting to note that based on the reps they saw, the BTN Live team felt the QB competition was really between Rescigno and Bolin. Now, it's possible that it was simply Lewis's turn to get less reps with the 1s on Tuesday, but I think it does potentially shed some light on how the coaches are leaning. Of course, that doesn't mean that an exceptional week from Lewis couldn't propel him to the top of the depth chart.