The Sports Xchange
NCAAF Team Report – Rutgers – INSIDE SLANT
Rutgers is 4-0 for the 12th time in its 143 years of football, but the biggest statement of the quartet came this weekend with a victory at Arkansas. In the toughest environment quarterback Gary Nova has seen, the youngster stole the show and led the Scarlet Knights to a 35-26 win.
Nova completed 25 of his 35 passes for 397 yards and five touchdowns. He didn’t throw an interception, and his 60-yard strike to Mark Harrison after Arkansas cut the Rutgers lead to 28-26 deflated the crowd and salted the game away.
Now, the Scarlet Knights have a week off to prepare for the Big East home opener, a date with Connecticut on Oct. 6. It’s one of two byes the team has this season, with the next one coming on Nov. 3, after Rutgers’ eighth game.
“It really is sectioned off in a way I’ve never had in any other season,” coach Kyle Flood said before the Arkansas game. “So we are almost treating it like the basketball teams talk about the NCAA Tournament; you have to win your mini-bracket and then you move on to the next mini-bracket, and you don’t look it as a six-game tournament, they look at it as three two-game tournaments.”
Viewing the season as three four-game seasons, phase one has gone better than anyone expected. Rutgers has been on the road for three games and won them all. It knocked off South Florida on the road on a short week on national television, and went down to the SEC and beat a team that began the season ranked in the top 10.
The first month, Rutgers has succeeded at exceeding expectations. From here on out, Flood’s squad will get to experience life as the hunted, instead of the hunter. That mindset change will be one of the things the team works on during the bye week.
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NCAAF Team Report – Rutgers – NOTES, QUOTES
–Wide receiver Mark Harrison moved into seventh place on the school’s receiving touchdowns list, with his 60-yard catch and run against Arkansas numbering the 14th of his career. He has some competition from his teammate, however, as Brandon Coleman now has 11 in 17 career games. The school record is 20.
–Running back Jawan Jamison has rushed more for more than 100 yards in each game this season, and has a five-game streak dating back to last year. The last Scarlet Knights player to do that was current Baltimore Raven Ray Rice, who did it in 2007.
–In addition to Jawan Jamison’s big game, Gary Nova threw for 397 yards. It’s the first time the Scarlet Knights had a 300-yard passer and a 100-yard rusher in the same game since Mike Teel and Jourdan Brooks did it in 2008.
BYE WEEK MISSION: Not lose momentum. Rutgers has moved into the Top 25 thanks to its 4-0 start, and the offense put together its best 60 minutes of the year against Arkansas on Saturday. The biggest concern for Kyle Flood will be keeping his players on an even keel, and getting them prepared to play the rest of the season as a favorite that opponents will be eager to upset, rather than as an underdog that can sneak up on people.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Scarlet Knights have already passed at tough Big East test by winning at South Florida. Its next four games are very winnable, with home games against UConn and Syracuse and trip to Temple, followed by a nonconference game against Kent State. The regular-season finale against Louisville on Nov. 29 could decide the Big East title.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I really don’t have a reaction. I think the fans will probably enjoy it. For us, it’s only four games out of 12. It’s great to be in the position we’re in right now.” — Coach Kyle Flood told the Newark Star-Ledger, on moving into the Top 25 following the victory over Arkansas.
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NCAAF Team Report – Rutgers – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: The big question mark heading into the Arkansas game was the passing game, but Gary Nova had the best 60 minutes of his career in the victory over the Razorbacks and he’s done a great job of spreading the ball around. A concern might be Jawan Jamison wearing down, as he’s gotten the vast majority of the carries with Savon Huggins injured.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Rutgers defense is one of the best in the country, though it has struggled against the pass. The secondary has made big plays, but had a tough time against Arkansas keeping the Razorbacks silent through the air. That could be a factor when the Scarlet Knights face the better passing teams in the Big East, like Syracuse and Louisville.
ROSTER REPORT
–FB Michael Burton left the Arkansas game with an injured left ankle. He was on crutches in street clothes by the end of the game.
–LB Khaseem Greene moved into 10th place on the Rutgers career tackles list with his seven hits against Arkansas. He now has 292, two more than Elvin Washington.
–RB Savon Huggins missed his second game in a row on Saturday, but the coaching staff is hopeful he’ll be back on the field following the bye week.
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