The Knights Watchman

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...

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...