Rutgers 14, Washington 30 Recap--An Improved Team

For the second straight year, Rutgers opened up against the Washington Huskies. And for the second straight year, Rutgers suffered a double-digit loss. But there is a noticeably different feeling after this year's contest than there was after last year.

Going into last year's opener, the Scarlet Knights had a new coaching staff in place with a new offensive system and defensive scheme. But the program was still recovering from the disarray let from the previous regime and the roster was thin. And Washington was supposed to be good in 2016, but we weren't prepared for just how good. The result was a 24-0 Huskies lead at the end of the first quarter and a 34-3 halftime deficit. I remember being active on Twitter at the start of the game and me and my fellow RU fans in the Twittersphere were reeling.

Fast forward one year. Not only does Rutgers come ready to play, but the Scarlet Knights strike first as Kyle Bolin connects on a 3-yard out route to Janarion Grant. On Washington's ensuing drive, Darnell Davis set the tone with a punishing sack of Heisman hopeful Jake Browning. It seemed as though Browning didn't fully recover from the hit until after the half. Rutgers actually led from about the 7-minute mark in the first quarter until just under the 4-minute mark in the second quarter before relinquishing the lead on the misplayed punt return.

Offensive Improvements
Rutgers actually gained almost the exact number of yards from scrimmage in this game as the Scarlet Knights did in last year's Washington game. But there's one significant difference. Last season, as a by product of the early blowout, Rutgers lined up against the Huskies back ups for much of the second half. This year, because much of the game was very close, the Scarlet Knights gained those yards against starters and the two-deep.

The greatest area of improvement on offense was on third down. In 2016, Rutgers was 5 of 20 on third down. This year, the Scarlet Knights were 9 of 19. Those additional four conversions on third down helped keep the Washington offense off the field.

Helping with third down, was the inclusion of the tight ends in the offense. Jerome Washington paced the team with 6 catches, and Nakia Griffin-Stewart added a catch from the tight-end position.

Against a first-rate defense, I thought Kyle Bolin had a positive first start. He threw some nice passes, hanging in the pocket when the pressure was coming. Obviously, the two interceptions are a concern, but at least they were mitigated by only having been returned for a combined 17 yards. Last season, Rutgers threw one interception, but it was returned for 41. I'd like to see Bolin take more shots downfield, but according to Coach Ash, Bolin followed the game plan of utilizing the short passing game and "worked the clock to shorten the game." And the benefit of that was that he completed a very high percentage of his passes, spreading the ball to weapons like Washington, Grant, Damon Mitchell, and Dacoven Bailey.

The tailbacks ran hard and held onto the ball against a stout defensive line. Ash said he "felt really good about our running back position overall." In this offense, there will be room for Gus Edwards and Robert Martin to both put up some nice numbers. Not just carrying the ball, but also in the passing game. Although they didn't break a big gainer, Martin and Edwards combined for 6 catches. And it was encouraging to see true freshman Raheem Blackshear get some good touches.

Defensive Improvements
The Rutgers defense gave up 368 yards in this contest as opposed to 380 a year ago. So, the overall numbers were virtually identical, especially the passing yardage, which was 284 as opposed to 290. But that's a bit misleading. First of all, the Scarlet Knights gave up 18 less points in the game. So, that's an obvious improvement. In addition, Rutgers didn't yield an offensive touchdown until there was 9:17 left in the third quarter. Last year, the Huskies scored on their first possession in a drive that took a minute and fifteen seconds, eventually cashing in on their first four possessions.

In his postgame comments, Coach Ash mentioned he "didn't feel like there was a physical mismatch." Meaning, Rutgers lined up with one of the biggest and best teams in the country and the Scarlet Knights held their own. The defensive line was able to pressure the passer and slow the run. Kemoko Turay returned to his disruptive form, recording 5 tackles with one for a loss. Linebacker Deonte Roberts paced the team with 8 tackles. The secondary gave a up a couple big plays, but a few were on some amazing catches that would've been tough for anyone to stop. But again, Rutgers may have tired a bit late in the third and in the fourth quarters, but until then the RU defensive backfield was holding Washington's big-time receivers and QB in check.

Special Teams Improvements
Obviously, the punt coverage was a killer and perhaps the difference in the game. The 61-yard touchdown return is something you can't have. Regardless of whether Ryan Anderson was asked to kick the ball out of bounds, someone needs to make a play or at least contain so that a teammate can make the play. But to me, the second punt return was almost as troubling. It was brought back for 19, but the refs tacked on a 15-yard penalty, flagging Bo Melton for a personal foul. Fortunately, the ensuing Washington series didn't result in points. But Rutgers can't have what had been a 44-yard punt result in a 10-yard net. On the bright side, the Scarlet Knights covered the kickoffs well, giving up only a combined 33 yards on kickoff returns.

New kicker Andrew Harte made his extra points but missed on a 47-yard field goal near the end of the first half. No 47-yarder is a chip shot, so it's tough to get on him for an attempt that made little difference in the final score of the game.

The return game really didn't provide too many highs or lows, but it's clear that Rutgers is going to have to find creative ways to get the ball in Janarion Grant's hands as teams will continue to try to avoid him. The up-backs will have to make some plays so that teams have less incentive to kick away from Grant. For example, Josh Hicks took a kickoff at the 16-yard line and returned it 13 yards to the 29. If Rutgers can start to consistently get to the 30 and beyond on kickoffs, teams will start to kick deep to Grant more often.

Next week, RU will host Eastern Michigan. Look for my preview of that contest in a few days. Rutgers has opened up as only a 3.5 point favorite at home, which is crazy to me, even though EMU was solid last year. But let the "experts" overlook Rutgers for now. The surprise will be sweeter later. This team is bigger, stronger, and faster than last year, and will find itself in more competitive contests. It should be fun to watch.

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