The Knights Watchman

In his first career start, quarterback Giovanni Rescigno provided the Rutgers offense a spark they have desperately needed this season. The flame may have burned out a little too quickly, as Rutgers was edged 34-32 on a field goal with less than 10 seconds left in the game. But Rescigno's performance, and that of the Scarlet Knights overall, gave the program a lift and gave the fans hope that Rutgers can compete the rest of the season. Like early in the season, this was a game where Rutgers took a shot to the mouth early in the contest, trailing 21-3 before fighting all the way back until the final moments. In his postgame press conference, Head Coach Chris Ash remarked that he was "proud of the effort" and that the turnovers, missed extra point, and allowing the kickoff return touchdown were the difference in the game. The coach felt Rescigno "played his heart out" and that it was the "best performance of the year" for the Rutgers offense. ...

Rutgers Football vs. Minnesota Preview Rutgers looks to move on from last week's 24-7 loss at the hands of the Fighting Illini, or more accurately, at the hands of the Scarlet Knights themselves. When you commit 5 turnovers you beat yourselves, regardless of the efforts of the other team. One obvious bright side was the ability of Giovanni Rescigno to guide the Rutgers offense down the field. As Coach Ash said in his postgame press conference, "Gio came in and provided a spark for the offense." By the Monday morning press conference, Rescigno "will be the starter moving forward." Speaking of Rescigno, congratulations go out to him for putting himself in this position. Because he joined his recruiting class late, and only started one year at QB in high school, there was not a lot of fanfare with his arrival. Once Zach Allen was brought in this summer, Tylin Oden joined in the fall, and two returning QBs who saw game action last year were on the roste...

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...

I picked Rutgers to beat what went off as a 39-point spread. After one quarter I was feeling pretty good about that, with OSU on pace for about a 24-point victory. Then the second quarter happened and it never got any better. The Positive Greg Jones is okay and most of the steps taken on the field that made things look so ominous were precautionary. Chris Ash said that Jones was actually walking around on the sideline by the end of the game. Jones's replacement, Tyreek Maddox-Williams, ended up leading the team with 11 tackles. Kiy Hester and Deonte Roberts also racked up double-digit tackles (10 apiece). Hester was all over the place again. But then again, when the other team runs so many plays, some guys on defense are going to put up numbers. Rutgers had been getting its doors blown off in the first quarter during the first three games. This is two games in a row where the game was close after Q1. So, they're starting better. Concerns These are things...

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...