The Knights Watchman

I'm finally getting around to posting my take on the RU/Maryland tilt that took place last Saturday. In my preview, I felt that the key to the game for Rutgers was slowing the Maryland rushing attack, particularly Ty Johnson. Well, the Terrapins rushed for 318 yards in the game, with Johnson racking up 168 yards on just 11 carries, good for over 15 yards a clip. Their No. 2 back, Kenneth Goins, was also unstoppable, gaining 81 yards on just 10 carries. As a team, Maryland rushed for 7.1 yards per carry and three rushing touchdowns in the 31-13 victory. On the bright side, the RU defense didn't allow a touchdown through the air, but Maryland only threw 16 times. Brandon Russell got his first career start at linebacker and led the team with 12 tackles. Another bright spot was that the Rutgers defense recorded 4 sacks and 9 tackles-for-loss. And I thought Julian Pinnix-Odrick and Darius Hamilton both finished their careers with strong games. JPO had five tackles, inclu...

Senior Day at High Point Solutions Stadium will feature the Penn State Nittany Lions, currently the No. 8 team in the country. Penn State has a ton to play for as they are still very much in the mix to win the Big Ten East Division. Rutgers has the opportunity to play the role of spoiler against a recruiting nemesis, and send three-time captain Darius Hamilton and the other seniors out in style. Apart from it being Senior Day, the school will also honor the undefeated 1976 team during the first TV timeout from what I've heard. As far as the importance of the game, head coach Chris Ash simply stated that Rutgers is "playing to try and get better"  and "we're playing for our seniors." Asked about Hamilton specifically, the coach stated "people listen to him" and that Darius buying into what the new coaching staff was trying to do "meant a lot." Another senior discussed was Janarion Grant. The coach mentioned that Janarion...

This past Saturday was another heartbreaking loss for Rutgers as they remain winless in Big Ten action despite now having played fairly winnable games against Iowa , Illinois , Minnesota , and Indiana . Looking back at the game and the coaches' postgame comments, there was good and bad on both sides of the ball. The difference in the game was that Indiana made one more big play than Rutgers did. As Ash stated, "I like our preparation. We just need to get better in a lot of areas." Special Teams In his opening postgame remarks, head coach Chris Ash said of Rutgers, "we need to be better on special teams" later citing the missed field goal and blocked punt as things that Rutgers can't have happen. There was also plenty of good on special teams as Rutgers blocked two kicks and recovered a muffed punt. Rutgers has now blocked at least two kicks in every season since 2007. I also thought the first two returns put Rutgers in decent field position....

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...

Live on MSG varsity earlier tonight, 5-star recruit Darius Hamilton, son of former New York Giant Keith Hamilton, officially chose Rutgers over the University of Miami and a host of other schools. Around the same time, fellow commits Steve Longa and Quanzell Lambert confirmed their allegiance to Rutgers. Earlier in the day 4-star recruit Leonte Carroo had done the same. (As a fellow Edison guy, I knew you were going to do the right thing.:->) Best of luck to all the recruits, and here's to having a successful signing day for Coach Flood tomorrow!