The Knights Watchman

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...

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...

I've decided there's really no point in breaking down the Michigan loss. It's simply best to leave it in the past. After facing three Top 10 teams in the first six games, Rutgers fans can look forward to the upcoming schedule of good, but not great teams. Of course if the Scarlet Knights play they way they did Saturday, I'm not sure the opponent matters. But I'd like to think the future showings will be closer to the effort put forth against Iowa, which means that Rutgers has a chance to be competitive in each of their remaining home games and a couple of the road contests. Another thing in Rutgers favor right now is that area football fans are reeling over the Jets and Giants both having losing records. It helps take negative attention away from Rutgers and focus it on the pro teams. Head coach Chris Ash confirmed the news this week that starting strong-side linebacker Greg Jones is lost for the season to a neck injury and that his football career is over...

Rutgers takes on the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, October 8th under the lights at High Point Solutions Stadium. After getting creamed by Ohio State last week Rutgers is currently listed as a 27.5 underdog at home. Michigan comes in as the No. 4 ranked team in the country. This will be the third time in six weeks that the Scarlet Knights are taking on a team currently ranked in the Top 5. Not exactly the most favorable schedule. The coaches had some interesting comments during their Monday press conferences. Regarding the Wolverines offense (44.4 ppg average), Chris Ash feels they "run the ball exceptionally well," while defensive coordinator Jay Niemann mentioned Michigan has a "physical and aggressive offense" that uses a lot of "power formations." To me, that means rotating in fresh defensive linemen will be imperative as power teams have a tendency to wear down the interior. I noticed some encouraging stats for the RU defense. Despite...

Yesterday, the Rutgers coaches held their weekly press conferences looking ahead to this weekend's road meeting with Ohio State . As expected, Rutgers is a huge underdog, with OSU currently favored by 38.5. But this is a homecoming of sorts for Ash, and although he's insistent it's just another game, there has to be a part of the coaches who came from Ohio State that's makes them want to ensure the team puts forth a good showing. So, for the second week in a row, I believe Rutgers will beat the spread. After confirming their injuries, Ash was asked if he felt there would be an emotional letdown with the team having lost two significant starters in defensive end Quanzell Lambert and do-everything offensive star Janarion Grant. The coach said he was "pleased with the Sunday practice" and that he "doesn't expect an emotional letdown." Defensively, Ash said the Scarlet Knights "need to be more consistent stopping the run on defense....

I've had a few days to recover from and digest the Rutgers 14-7 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. I correctly picked Rutgers to cover the 13.5 point spread, but I certainly didn't anticipate how close the game would actually be and that Rutgers , in my opinion, should have won the game. Before I get into breaking down what I thought were suspect decisions, I want to take a moment to express my well wishes to Janarion Grant and Quanzell Lambert, after both sustained season-ending injuries in the game. They will both be missed and were having excellent seasons to this point. Chris Ash mentioned in his Monday press conference that Rutgers will petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility for both men. Let's hope we see them back on the banks. But if not, thank you for everything! Despite having the team well-prepared, I believe this loss was on the coaches. Rutgers came up empty on three of the four trips to the red zone. On the first trip, Chris Laviano back pedale...

The Iowa Hawkeyes swoop into High Point Solutions Stadium to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday, September 24th, kicking off at high noon. Rutgers opened as a 14-point underdog at home, but as of this writing the line has dropped to 13. But it's still expected to be Iowa by two touchdowns. I however, feel that the game will be much closer. The Scarlet Knights have enough talent on the offensive and defensive lines to keep the game fairly tight. If I was a betting man, with that spread I'd take RU. Iowa is coming off an upset loss to North Dakota State . Due to the quality of the North Dakota State football program, I'm not sure them beating anyone is an upset. Nonetheless, there's been a lot of speculation that Rutgers could use the blueprint that North Dakota State has laid out if the Scarlet Knights want to defeat Iowa . There's some truth to that I'm sure, but the reality is that Iowa is also very aware of how they were beaten, a...

There were many twists and turns but in the end I think Rutgers fans have to be a happy with the 9-point come-from-behind victory over New Mexico . Sure, another slow start in the first quarter is a concern. But I think one of the things lost in the discussion is that the Scarlet Knights defense actually stopped the Lobos on the first series. New Mexico was four plays and out before the ill-fated botched punt return. It's hard to criticize Janarion Grant for anything since he's been our best and most dynamic player, but that's certainly one he'd like to have back. On a punt return team, anytime a ball is over your head it's standard to let it go. And coupled with the sun glare at High Point Solutions Stadium, taking a chance on the ball being downed deep in our own end would've been the wisest course of action. Punt return, though, has got to be one of the most difficult things to do on a football field, so it's tough to second guess anyone who's do...

"We recovered, rebounded, and hung in there..." "Some groups needed to have a fire lit under them and some of them didn't." Those quotes by Rutgers head coach Chris Ash pretty well sum up how I felt about Rutgers eventual 52-14 thrashing of the Howard Bison. The start of the game was of course a little disturbing. Rutgers actually covered the opening kickoff well, as Larry Stevens got downfield and tackled the Howard returner at his own 11-yard line. But Howard's first drive was the classic example of one team coming out with energy and ready to roll, while the Rutgers defense was caught on its heels. Indecision, poor tackling, and some hard running on the part of Howard tailback Anthony Philyaw was a recipe for disaster for Rutgers . Nine plays, 89 yards and 4:19 later, Rutgers was down 7 after cornerback Ross Douglass got smoked on a 38-yard deep ball. After the game, RU defensive coordinator Jay Niemann said, "Obviously, that's an unacce...

Rutgers head coach Chris Ash sat down with radio announcers Chris Carlin and Eric LeGrand for the first installment of The Chris Ash Show, which was broadcast live from Quaker Steak and Lube in Edison , NJ . Also sitting down to chat with the hosts was Rutgers Athletic Director Pat Hobbs.  If you're interested, check out the video from the link below: http://www.scarletknights.com/collegesportslive/?media=535256 Ash spent time discussing the breakdowns on special teams, saying that he was very disappointment because they spent "an insane amount of time" practicing special teams during the week leading up to the Washington game. Echoing his statements from his postgame press conference, Ash reiterated the progress he thought the team made throughout the contest saying that there was "no quit in our football team." Eric LeGrand asked about specific players that Ash thought stood out, and the coach talked about Kiy Hester and Janarion Grant. Regardin...

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...