The Knights Watchman

The Nebraska game has been in the books for almost a week now, with the Scarlet Knights having come out on the wrong end of the 27-17 score. This was a strange game to watch. Going into the game, I felt it would be a winnable contest, especially with Nebraska program seemingly reeling from its 1-2 start. On the other side of the equation was the reality of an equally struggling Rutgers team taking a fairly young roster on the road in front of 80,000 Cornhuskers fans desperate for a win. Then you have to add in that Rutgers would be without Janarion Grant, the team's top playmaker. As a Scarlet Knights fan it was frustrating to watch in the sense that the win was there for the taking, but Rutgers was unable to connect on enough plays to win the day. The Scarlet Knights simply didn't score enough to win the game, or make enough first downs to keep the Nebraska offense off the field in the second half and give the defense a rest. In addition, it seemed Rutgers shot themselves ...

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...

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...

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights kick off the season at home against the University of Washington Huskies in the "War Before the Shore," paying homage to New Jerseyans' time honored tradition of heading for the coast during Labor Day weekend. A rematch from last year's 48-13 thrashing, this revamped Rutgers team heads into the contest as 27.5 point underdogs. I'm not sure what exactly to expect out of Rutgers on Friday night. As Coach Ash said in his game week press conference, "this is a different football team." Half of the Rutgers team has changed over since the end of last season. Counting Justin Davidovicz, who the coaching staff announced will be handling kickoffs, there are twenty-four new faces on the Rutgers two-deep. That includes true freshmen, redshirt freshmen, and transfers. But that does not include a few other players who may see the field on special teams units or as part of certain offensive or defensive packages. As an examp...

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...

After yesterday's practice, Rutgers head football coach Chris Ash took some time speak with the media. The highlight of the chat was the announcement that senior graduate transfer Kyle Bolin was named the staring quarterback. This comes five days after Bolin was voted one of the team's captains for the upcoming season. Since that announcement, it seemed only a matter of time before the coaching staff tabbed him as the guy. Bolin is the most experienced QB on the team in terms of FBS action, having played in 16 games during his time at Louisville , as opposed to the 7 games Giovanni Rescigno has participated in. In addition, Bolin has thrown almost 80 more passes than Rescigno in collegiate action. When asked why the staff went with Bolin, Ash said they felt Bolin "executed," "made good decisions," and "understands the offense." As for Resigno, Ash said that he's "a team guy, he's a competitor" and "he'...

On Sunday, Rutgers head football coach Chris Ash took the podium for his Rutgers Media Day press conference. In what was roughly a twenty-minute update and chat with the media, he covered quite a bit of ground, shedding some light on some new faces that are making an impact, slight changes in look and strategy, and giving an updated timetable on the quarterback decision. On the overall vibe of training camp, Ash feels its been "very productive" and that Rutgers has "improved in all areas of our football team." As importantly, the "overall health is good," in the sense that there haven't been any additional significant injuries in the past week. If the team hadn't improved in all areas something would truly be amiss, so that's expected. I'm stoked to hear that the overall health of the team is good, as that could a big factor in determining the outcome of some of the competitive, but winnable games Rutgers has scheduled earl...

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 Bol...

Rutgers head coach Chris Ash took a few minutes to speak with the media after a wet and cloudy practice this past Monday. The main topics were the quarterbacks, running backs, and tight ends, as those are some of the major positions up for grabs, at least in terms of the pecking order. About the QBs, Ash stressed that Giovanni Rescigno, Johnathan Lewis, and Kyle Bolin "were all getting reps with the ls," and didn't seem to want to put anybody in the driver's seat at the moment. I would have to think that simply based on familiarity, if the season were to start tomorrow Rescigno would get the nod, because not enough time has passed to evaluate the other guys enough to firmly unseat him. We'll see what happens in a week or two after they get another scrimmage under their belts. Coach was a little more candid when discussing the running backs, singling out Gus Edwards in particular as someone who has stood out in practice. It's going to be interesting to s...

From the press conferences and through various news outlets, here's a quick recap of some of the recent roster changes for Rutgers football and a couple comments. Tyreek Maddox-Williams I'll start off with an unfortunate development, Keith Sargeant of NJ.com reported that sophomore linebacker Tyreek Maddox-Williams will miss the season with a knee injury sustained in practice. An All Big Ten Freshman team selection at linebacker, Maddox-Williams will certainly be missed and I hope he has a speedy recovery. The Scarlet Knights are in a much better position than last year to absorb his loss, as the linebacker corps is a deeper group going into the season. First reported by the Pardon My Take podcast, quarterback Tom Flacco has transferred to Rutgers from Western Michigan University . Flacco has been added to the official roster at ScarletKnights.com . The brother of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, Tom is considered a dual-threat quarterback who will ...

This past Monday, Rutgers offensive coordinator Jerry Kill took the mic for his first press conference of camp. Here are the things that struck a chord with me: It bodes well that Coach Kill is seemingly impressed with the freshmen. He said he's been, "pleasantly surprised with the young kids," saying that they are "smart kids that learn very fast." He feels the newcomers have made the team, "more athletic in the skill positions." Hopefully the athleticism will translate into the Rutgers offense being able to stretch the field. Last year it seemed that once Janarion Grant went down, Rutgers had a difficult time connecting on enough deep passes to keep the defenses from stacking the box. The increase in athleticism can also lead to mismatches causing the need for the opponent to double team, facing more zone coverage, and other things that will open up the field. Regarding the quarterbacks, Kill felt he has a "good room," as op...

Rutgers football head coach Chris Ash met with the media on July 31st, for his first official press conference of training camp. This is what stood out to me: It's only fitting that Gio Rescigno started with the first team and received the most first-team reps. Gio finished the spring as the starter and he should start training camp as the incumbent regardless of there being an open competition. Kyle Bolin also received first-team reps, but both Ash and offensive coordinator Jerry Kill have stated that at least four of the quarterbacks (Johnathan Lewis and Zach Allen as well) will get chances with the first team as they determine the starter. Asked about the quarterback competition, and whether the fact that Rutgers is opening against a very experienced and heavily favored Washington team would factor into who gets the opening night start, Ash responded by asserting that the opponent doesn't matter. On who will play Sept. 1, "It's who we feel gives us t...

Rutgers' @CoachChrisAsh fields questions from the media as @RFootball gets ready for the 2017 season. #B1GMediaDay https://t.co/M2IX2sjkur — Rutgers On BTN (@RutgersOnBTN) July 25, 2017 Rutgers head football coach Chris Ash took the podium on Wednesday for his Big Ten Media Day press conference and a sit-down interview with the BTN Live team. The above link from BTN.com has the complete video of the press conference. At the end of this article, you'll find the link to the BTN Live interview. The complete text of the press conference can be found at Scarletknights.com These were the things that stuck out to me: In his opening comments, Ash said that 2016 "was awful. But we've moved on." Moving on and "hitting the reset button" were common themes that Ash was imparting to the media. Ash mentioned the facilities, particularly the Marco Battaglia Practice Facility which will aid in both "recruiting and player development....

Great news came out of Chicago on Monday for fans of Rutgers football as well as college football fans everywhere. Scarlet Knights returner/receiver Janarion Grant was given a clean bill of health according to head coach Chris Ash. Via J.P. Pelzman of the Asbury Park Press , "he's 100 percent," says the coach. Grant "has been pretty much full go for the majority of the summer. He looks great, he's in great shape (and) he's put weight back on." On Tuesday, in an interview with the BTN Live team, Ash was asked about what Grant's return means for the Scarlet Knights. Ash's response, "It's everything. He brings a lot of excitement to the program...He's what I would consider our best playmaker." Asked during the players' BTN Live interview about how Grant's return affects the team, offensive lineman Dorian Miller said of his former roommate, "It means a lot." And According to cornerback Blessuan Aust...

Rutgers Athletics has posted the following video showing that the Marco Battaglia Practice Facility is coming along nicely. The grand opening is scheduled for August 6th. But what I want to know is how I can get my hands on one of them sod rollers! And speaking of greens, congratulations to head coach Chris Ash for raising over $75k through his Charity Golf Classic. You can read about it here .

UMASS Added to the 2019 Football Schedule A couple weeks ago, Rutgers announced that a faceoff with UMASS will round out the 2019 football season. The Scarlet Knights and Minutemen will do battle on August 31st. It will be the first time the schools have met on the gridiron since 1978. Harte Adds Depth to Kicking Competition It appears Andrew Harte has joined the football team as grad transfer kicker from the University of Minnesota . Recruited while Offensive Coordinator Jerry Kill was head coach of the Golden Gophers, Harte has seen action mainly on kickoffs, specializing in onside kicks. It is likely that Harte is joining the team as a walk-on, with Coach Ash recently stating that the team is at the scholarship limit. Click here for more information from onthebanks.com. Michael Burton Released by Lions NJ.com is reporting that former Rutgers fullback Michael Burton has been released by the Detroit Lions. Although it's never pleasant to hear of a Rutger...

For a number of years, a point of pride for Rutgers fans was the football program's rank in the top 10 percent of schools in Academic Progress Rate, APR for short. APR is a metric used to assess how well players are doing academically with an emphasis on the number of players who remain eligible, are still with the team from the year before, and how many have graduated from the institution. Last year, after accounting for the dismissals and other roster turnover during the 2014–15 academic year, the team had dipped well out of the top percent with a score of 948. This year the score increased thirty-three points to 981. Although not back in the top 10 percent of all football programs, it was tied for sixth in the Big Ten. To me, it's an indicator of the progress being made by the program under Chris Ash. For more information on the APR boost, check out this article by J.P. Pelzman of the Asbury Park Press , which sums it up nicely. In addition, scarletknights.co...

On Monday, December 19, head coach Chris Ash made the rumors of the past couple of days official when he held a teleconference formally naming Jerry Kill the new offensive coordinator for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team. Follow this link for the official press release on scarletknights.com. Most recently an associate athletic director at Kansas State, Kill is best known as having been the 2014 Big Ten Coach of the Year during his almost 5-year stint at the University of Minnesota. Kill has a reputation of turning around struggling programs, a feat he accomplished at Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois, and most notably with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Having to leave Minnesota for health reasons, much has been written about his bouts with cancer and epilepsy. About his health, Kill said, as written in Ken Corbitt's Topeka Capital-Journal  article ,    “I needed some time to get it situated and see the right people and get on the right diet and right ...

Two of the big pieces of Rutgers news the past two weeks have been the QB transfers and the resignation of OC Drew Mehringer. Here's my take: Quarterback Transfers Chris Laviano, Hayden Retting, and Michael Dare have each decided to transfer out of Rutgers in search of more playing time and a system that better fits their pro-style skill set. Laviano saw action in 24 games for Rutgers , finishing with 21 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. Overall, he completed almost 56% of his passes. I'll remember Laviano mostly for his toughness, as he showed a willingness to fight for the tough yardage on keepers and stand in the pocket long enough to take some big hits if it meant completing a long pass. He came in this year, got the support of his teammates, and learned a new offensive system. Unfortunately, the results just weren't there. It's been well documented that the fault was hardly all his, but head coach Chris Ash decided to make the move to give reps to...

The Scarlet Knights will head to College Park , Maryland to take on the University of Maryland Terrapins at Noon this coming Saturday. Heading into this final game of the season, Rutgers currently sits as a 13.5-point underdog. This is despite the fact that Maryland has lost 4 straight and 6 of its last 7 contests. Although Rutgers is on the road, this looms as a winnable game, provided that Rutgers can get something going on offense and plays a mistake-free game. If the Scarlet Knights can pull off the upset, winning their first Big Ten game of the year would be a nice way to close out the season, giving the team momentum heading into the offseason program and the coaches momentum heading into the next recruiting cycle. Maryland is somewhat unsettled at quarterback. Like Rutgers , the Terrapins have played four different quarterbacks this season, some of that necessitated by injury. Freshman Max Bortenschlager played most of the reps last week in the Terps loss to ...