The Killer Bs: Blazek and Burnham Give Reporters the Buzz

After practice on August 10, Rutgers associate head coach and offensive line coach A.J. Blazek took questions from a small group of reporters, followed by a session with the Scarlet Knights' defensive line coach Shane Burnham. It's always a pleasure to hear from Blazek and Burnham, as these are two old school guys who love football.

Right guard continues to be a topic of conversation as Blazek and the rest of the staff sort out who the starter will be. Blazek said redshirt freshman Nick Krimin is "doing some good things," redshirt sophomore Zach Venesky has a grinder personality, and that Blazek's "really happy with" redshirt junior Marcus Applefield, who seems to have come on strong after having to sit out Spring camp as he recovered from injury.

In addition, Blazek praised guard Dorian Miller as someone who's always asking questions and working to improve despite his status as a senior, and that redshirt sophomore center Jonah Jackson is "playing like a veteran" and "really maturing off the field" and becoming a leader. In addition, Kamaal Seymour has developed into a player who "can teach stuff," despite having converted from defensive side of the line at this time last year. Not much needs to be said about Tariq Cole, one of the top tackles in the Big Ten.

In a look further into the future, Blazek mentioned that redshirt freshman Mike Lonsdorf is "very smart," and that fellow redshirt freshman Sam Howson is a "physical sucker," (and that's a good thing!).

Heralded true freshman Micah Clark has been limited after suffering a concussion and is just now beginning to once again participate. Here's hoping that Micah has no lingering affects from that.

Burnham led off by expressing regret that last year he wasn't able to "develop a two-deep," and that this year there needs to be more depth. Things apparently have progressed, as he said he "feels comfortable playing more guys."

The coach praised Kemoko Turay for his physical effort. Pressed for more info, Burnham said that Turay is an "every down guy right now" who "runs like a scalded dog."

As for some of the other D-linemen, Burnham is pleased with how Kevin Wilkins is coming along, and feels that redshirt freshman Elorm Lumor will help with the pass rush. Right now, the plan is for most of the true freshman to redshirt. Coach confirmed that Mike Tverdov and Tijuan Mason will miss the year as they recover from injury, and that Jaohne Duggan and Brendan Bordner will likely redshirt.

Talking strategy, Burnham reiterated what defensive coordinator Jay Niemann had said about using some different looks. Rutgers will "move the D-line around more" in an effort to complicate things a little more for the opposing offense.