Rutgers Football vs. Eastern Michigan Preview

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights take on the Eastern MichiganUniversity Eagles at 3:30 pm EST today at High Point Solutions Stadium. Rutgers took a step in the right direction last week with a hard-fought loss to Washington, a top-ten team. The Eagles are coming off a bowl appearance last season, finishing the year 7-6. In its first game this season, Eastern Michigan defeated Charlotte of Conference USA, 24-7.

According to Rutgers head coach Chris Ash, EMU is "very well coached" by Chris Creighton, who like Ash, spent time at Drake University. Ash added, "we expect to get their best shot here on Saturday afternoon." Ash understands that MAC schools will be highly motivated for the chance to knock off an opponent from a Power 5 school. Ash said it seems every other year a MAC school beats a Power 5 school and "we don't want to be on ESPN for that."

The coach said the goal for Rutgers this week is to avoid mental errors. "That's what cost us in the game [against Washington]. We just had too many in all three phases."

EMU's up-tempo offense is run by senior quarterback Brogan Roback, who has been starting for the Eagles since 2015. Last season, Roback threw for almost 2,700 yards while tallying 18 TDs to only 7 INTs. Rutgers defensive coordinator Jay Niemann said of Roback, "I've been impressed with him" and that he "puts the ball in places normally where only their guys can get it."

The Eagles return last year's leading rusher, junior Ian Erikson, who had 771 yards on the ground and also made 21 receptions. In their opener against Charlotte, the Eagles also relied on junior tailback Shaq Vann, who had 90 yards rushing.

To counter the speed of EMU offense, the Rutgers defense will look to improve the speed in which they rotate players into the front seven. Both Niemann and Ash mentioned that Rutgers got "tempo'd a little bit" by the Huskies, and this is what led to the game getting away from RU in the third quarter. Ash indicated that he was happy with how his team tackled, particularly linebackers Deonte Roberts, Ross Douglass, and Trevor Morris. This led to an improved run defense. In various comments, the coaching staff also singled out Darnell Davis, Kemoko Turay, Elorm Lumor, and Willington Previlon for creating havoc along the D-line.

Offensively, it appears that the Scarlet Knights will open things up a bit more in the vertical passing game. All of the quick routes were part of the game plan against Washington, but not necessarily moving forward. In terms of taking shots downfield, Ash said "Absolutely, we want to do that." Rutgers offensive coordinator Jerry Kill felt that if "you take the two turnovers away you feel like Kyle [Bolin] played a pretty good game."  In terms of game plan, Kill said that Rutgers will be able to do more with Janarion Grant this week. And after tight end Jerome Washington's 6-catch performance, Rutgers will look to "use him a little bit more." Kill felt the offensive line "played better up front than I though we would play, by far." Obviously, the ability of the O-Line to maintain that level will go a long way to determining how much vertical passing Rutgers can do. On his weekly radio show, Ash said "Friday night, our offensive line played the best game they played since we've been here."

Rutgers got very good production in the running game last week from tailbacks Gus Edwards and Rob Martin, with Raheem Blackshear also making a positive impact in his limited touches. Ash alluded to the fact that we may also see more of senior tailback Josh Hicks in this contest. Of Hicks, Ash said he "has a chance to make plays."

Overall, Ash seemed content with where the special teams are at in terms of their improvement. He was "disappointed about the missed field goal." But that the blown coverage on the punt return wasn't a problem with scheme, but was the result of "missed tackles" which is a "defensive issue." So, the silver lining there is that it was a physical error and not a mental error, the second of which is more problematic for a coach.

Player Notes

Ash reiterated that any plans to get freshman quarterback Johnathan Lewis into the game will be situational. Against Washington, he didn't feel "the right opportunity came up." Kill said of Lewis, "He's getting better every week. He's gonna be a big-time player."

Niemann felt safety Saquan Hampton was the defensive player of the game last week, and that Hampton is "poised to have a really good year."

Of Dorian Miller, O-Line coach and assistant head coach A.J. Blazed said, "when he speaks guys listen because of the way he handles his business." And Miller himself may have had the quote of the week during his appearance on the Chris Ash radio show when he said he wears his New Jersey roots proudly. "To be able to do it 15 minutes from my home, no better feeling."

Congratulations to special teams ace Lawrence Stevens, a former walk-on from Don Bosco Prep, who has earned a scholarship! There had been talk of Stevens gaining a scholarship last season, but an injury set him back. On the plus side, it was early enough in the season that Stevens was able to redshirt and is still considered a freshman in terms of eligibility.

Jawuan Harris returns from his one-game suspension. Ash said, "he'll be out there helping us in some capacity on Saturday."

West Orange High School product CJ Onyechi has seen action on special teams as a true freshman. According to the head coach, Onyechi "brings a big, physical body that can run, that really wants to help this football team be successful."

Summing up his team's approach and whether Rutgers might overlook EMU, Ash stated: "We don't take any games lightly, period. We haven't won a game in what, 11 tries? There's not one game that we're going to take lightly." I wouldn't take the Eagles or the Scarlet Knights lightly this week either. Rutgers will cover the 5.5 point spread.