The Knights Watchman

The Scarlet Knights take on the Cornhuskers today in Lincoln , Nebraska , in what is the Big Ten opener for both teams. A few hours before game time, Nebraska is an 11 point favorite over visiting Rutgers . In many ways the Cornhuskers season has mirrored that of the Scarlet Knights. Both teams are 1-2, with Nebraska having won a close opener vs. Arkansas State and then having dropped two close games to Oregon and Northern Illinois . Unaccustomed to a 1-2 start, Nebraska fans are calling for the head of Coach Mike Riley, and the school's athletic director was shown the door yesterday. The Rutgers coaches, in their media appearances this week, stressed the importance of continued improvement. Last week's 65-0 blowout victory over Morgan State allowed the Scarlet Knights to send 71 players out to see some action, especially many true and redshirt freshmen who logged their first bits of playing time. Obviously, the most impressive of the freshmen was quarterbac...

Rutgers wideouts coach Jafar Williams spoke with reporters during practice last week. He gave an update on some of the players who were banged up, as well as a preview of what fans can expect from some of the newcomers. Overall, Williams thinks "we're a little bit more explosive" than last season in term of the athleticism of the unit. On what we can expect out of Janarion Grant, Williams said "everything." Damon "Duwop" Mitchell is "a guy right now that's going out and leading by example." Mitchell's brother, Ahmir has "been great" as he recovers from injury. He's an "energetic and very passionate person." On the freshmen: Hunter Hayek "goes out there and makes a lot of plays." Everett Wormley "came in physically able to compete." Bo Melton has a "feel for the position." Shameen Jones "got hurt early in camp" but is "going to be a go...

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights take on Howard this coming Saturday at High Point Solutions Stadium. Kickoff is at Noon. Rutgers looks to rebound after getting thrown from their horses at Washington . Meanwhile, Howard is coming off their own 52-13 laugher in College Park , Maryland . So, both teams should be motivated to put on a better showing. I was able to catch the Monday press conferences of Head Coach Chris Ash, Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer, and Defensive Coordinator Jay Niemann. Here's a few highlights from what they had to say as well as some of my thoughts: As would any coach, Ash is looking forward to the home opener, stating that as a visiting coach he felt Rutgers was a great environment for a game. He said that the program will be making some tweaks to the game-day experience, but that the tradition of the Scarlet Walk will remain. He mentioned they may also try to add some new wrinkles to the Scarlet Walk. Keeping the Scarlet Walk is a great idea. It...