OVERMATCHED NNew Era Pinstripe Bowl Special
SHAWN SMITH
Bowl Special Page 2
Notre Dame
29 - 16
January 21, 2014
Rutgers
END OF THE LINE
Notre Dame cornerback KeiVarae Russell roughs up senior wide receiver Quron Pratt in the end zone. Rutgers only scored one touchdown in Dec. 28’s New Era Pinstripe Bowl loss to Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish finished with a 494-236 advantage in offensive yardage. TIAN LI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Rutgers endures sub-.500 season, second straight bowl loss by failing to stop Notre Dame’s consistent offense By Josh Bakan Sports Editor
BRONX — Junior wide receiver Brandon Coleman lengthily hugged injured sophomore wideout Leonte Carroo, junior quarterback Gary Nova and senior defensive tackle Isaac Holmes. Coleman then walked off the field at Yankee Stadium slowly and listlessly, his puffy eyes looking down to the wet grass. That was right after the Rutgers football team’s 29-16 loss Dec. 28 to Notre Dame in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Before the fourth quarter, the Scarlet Knights had an opportunity to defeat last year’s BCS Championship finalist. Then senior quarterback Chas Dodd threw his third interception of the game to safety Austin Collinsworth toward the game’s end. Then he left the drive with his head down.
His career finished with the Scarlet Knights (6-7) settling with a below .500 season. “It’s a huge difference,” Dodd said postgame of not finishing better than .500. “In everyone’s eyes that’s associated with the program, it’s a huge difference.” Perhaps the costliest interception came from freshman running back Justin Goodwin. In the halfback option, Notre Dame cornerback KeiVarae Russell intercepted an end zone pass to Coleman with 3:02 left in the half. Rutgers advanced to Notre Dame’s (9-4) 20-yard line on what was a six-play, 46-yard drive. The Knights nearly broke a 13-13 tie — the halftime score — before the interception. “Everybody’s got exotic plays in their playbook,” said head coach Kyle Flood. “And every play is designed to work, and you call them because you had success with them
in practice. The players build confidence in you as a play caller and then as a head coach. When you get into the field zone, we call the plays that we practiced.” Whichever tailback was in the game for that play would have had the option, not necessarily just Goodwin, Flood said. In the second half, the Fighting Irish offense advanced at a slithering pace. It finally worked for them with 3:38 left in the game. Notre Dame’s five-minute drive ended with running back Tarean Folston scoring off a 3-yard run. That made it a 26-16 Fighting Irish lead. The drive included six rushes — three for at least 10 yards and two toward the goal line — three completions for 8 yards or less and a timely 28-yard reception from tight end Troy Niklas. Quarterback Tommy Rees threw no incompletions in the drive,
throwing 27-for-47 in the game with no touchdowns but not interceptions. He thrived off completions up the middle. “When you put a defense together, if you do one thing, you’re going to give up something else,” Flood said. “And we made the decision that we were going to try to limit the big plays. To do that, if you start getting in press man coverage, now you’re opening up opportunities for big plays.” Although Rutgers prevented big plays, Notre Dame’s offense found a winning formula. The Fighting Irish scored on their previous drive, which was similar to their touchdown drive. There were consistent runs up the middle, short passes and another timely Niklas catch for 26 yards on third and 9. Notre Dame ended with a 494236 offensive-yardage advantage, but its lack of big plays made it seem closer.
“This game, at least we’re keeping everything in front of us and we’re making them earn everything that they got,” said junior linebacker Kevin Snyder. Rutgers collapsed, but it kept a game against last year’s BCS Championship finalist manageable. That gave Dodd one reason to keep his head high. “It’s tough to say how it would end, but I’ve been extremely fortunate to be in the positions that I’ve had with the opportunities presented to me,” Dodd said. “The season didn’t go the way we wanted to or end the way we wanted to, but just having the opportunities that we’ve had as a team and being able to come here and play a team like this and play in a bowl game like this is great.” This story originally appeared Dec. 29 on targumsports.wordpress.com.
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Sophomore linebacker Quentin Gause racked up nine tackles, including one for a loss, and one fumble recovery against Notre Dame. Gause finished fourth on Rutgers with 53 tackles this season, offering a glimpse into next year when he is likely to replace senior Jamal Merrell as the starter at strong side linebacker. SHAWN SMITH
Youth expects to build on growing pains By Greg Johnson Associate Sports Editor
BRONX — Kyle Flood repeatedly gave midseason reminders of the Rutgers football team’s abundant youth when answering to a string of blowout losses. As fans grew restless, injuries and inexperience were among few explanations for the downward plunge of a program once seen on the upswing in pursuit of an elusive BCS bowl berth. Yet once the Scarlet Knights’ first losing season in three years became official Dec. 28 at Yankee Stadium, Flood opted against discussing the bigger picture. “I think it’s probably disrespectful to the game, the Pinstripe Bowl … to make this a reflection on the season,” he said following the team’s 29-16 loss to Notre Dame. “The game itself is so emotional. ... You look in the eyes of the seniors in your locker room after the game and it’s the last time that they’ll suit up as Rutgers football players and how much it means to them. The day itself is a very emotionally draining day.” The afternoon previewed the more physical, smash-mouth style of play Rutgers will face next season in the Big Ten. Notre Dame featured superior size up front, controlled the clock for 38 minutes and gashed the ball for 175 yards on the ground. It ultimately wore Rutgers down. But one Knight who showcased a high motor throughout the game was sophomore outside
linebacker Quentin Gause, who will likely replace senior captain Jamal Merrell next season as the starter on the strong side in Rutgers’ 4-3 base defense. Gause totaled nine tackles — one for loss — and snatched a fumble recovery. His career game capped off a breakout season. The Rochester, N.Y., native finished fourth on the team with 53 tackles, including 8.5 behind the line of scrimmage, despite only making one start. Junior linebacker Kevin Snyder sees it as only the beginning for the third-year sophomore. “From the second that guy walked on campus with me our freshman year, I knew he had the talent,” Snyder said. “He’s got the talent to do whatever he wants to do. It was just a matter of him picking up the defense and understanding it, and he’s well on his way. I thought he did a phenomenal job this year … and I think he’s got a bright future.” Rutgers is also set to return its tackles leader in freshman middle linebacker Steve Longa, whose 123 were the program’s most at middle linebacker since Gary Brackett’s 130 in 2002. While an effective run stopper, Longa had blemishes in pass coverage. He was not alone. Opposing quarterbacks torched Rutgers nearly all season, leading to the most passing yards allowed in school history. The woes stemmed from the secondary, which lost all starters but junior strong safety Lorenzo
Sophomore running back P.J. James had a breakout season for the Knights with 866 rushing yards, but he struggled to stay healthy. TIAN LI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Waters from last season. Injuries and off-field issues prematurely thrust inexperienced players into game action. But Flood is confident the Knights will not be steps late on the finer details of pass defense come spring. “I think the first thing that improves the defense will be experience,” he said Jan. 6 via teleconference. “When you lose six players to the NFL ... those guys aren’t easy to replace. I think some of the struggles this year and some of the things
that weren’t always so pleasant to the eye to watch defensively were some of the growing pains that we needed to go through with the age of the players we have on our roster.” Only cornerback Lew Toler and free safety Jeremy Deering will graduate this year from the unit. Junior Jonathan Aiken and freshman Delon Stephenson made impacts against Notre Dame and are viable candidates to start next year at free safety. Freshmen cornerbacks Nadir Barnwell and Anthony
Ciof fi also showed promise and should continue to grow with of fseason training. On offense, sophomore running back P.J. James took perhaps the biggest leap forward. The Glassboro (N.J.) High School product ran for 866 yards in only eight games after receiving just five carries last season. “There’s still things I’m working on, but there are a lot of things I learned — how to read defenses, reading linebackers better, reading the d-line, know what they’re going to do, how to read blitzes if they’re coming,” James said. But James has dealt with nagging injuries since high school, which to some extent may be inevitable since he sometimes uses a power-running style. Flood said Jan. 6 the team will conduct a study this offseason on the types of injuries throughout the roster and how they occurred. Even so, he knows only so much can be prevented with the nature of the sport. What the Knights do control, though, is the depth of their personnel. Tight end, linebacker and offensive line are all positions of emphasis for Flood going forward. Flood called developing young players the best part about his job, so he would not have it any other way. “Injuries happen in this game and other guys need to be ready to step up,” he said. “As a football team, we need to have enough depth that we can get the production that we need.”
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January 21, 2014
TIAN LI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
SHAWN SMITH
TIAN LI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
TIAN LI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
TIAN LI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
January 21, 2014
Bowl Special Page 5
TIAN LI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
TIAN LI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
TIAN LI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
SHAWN SMITH
SHAWN SMITH
January 21, 2014
Bowl Special Page 6
Coleman leaves RU with share of record By Josh Bakan Sports Editor
BRONX — When junior wide receiver Brandon Coleman tied a Rutgers football team record of 20-career receiving touchdowns, no one could visibly care about it less than Coleman. “Like I’ve told you all before, I didn’t even think about that,” Coleman said. “There’s something that comes with it, but I would rather have the win-loss record than a personal stat.” Coleman tied Tim Brown’s record on a 14-yard reception toward the end zone’s right sideline. That tied the game at 10 with 1:51 left in the first quarter during the Scarlet Knights’ 29-16 loss to Notre Dame on Dec. 28 in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Once Coleman returned to the bench, he received due praise. But none of it per tained to the record. “Nobody talked about that,” he said. At least for Coleman, he ends his career with a shared Rutgers record before he forgoes his senior year for the NFL Draft. To onlookers who knew Coleman was only four touchdowns behind the record before the season, the tying result might be an under whelming end to his pursuit. The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder’s final year included 34 receptions for 538 receiving yards — both second on the team. He caught four or fewer passes in all but two games this season. His performance against Notre Dame illustrates his struggles. Coleman’s first-quarter touchdown was also his last-career reception, as the Fighting Irish rendered him ineffective in the final three quarters. He was most potent in drawing defenders, as Notre Dame eventually put safeties on him. He was single covered in both his receptions in his 65-yard game. Coleman possessed the size, speed and footwork to thrive in single coverage in college. But zone schemes took him out of games just as consistently. “I did see a little cloud coverage toward the end of the game, and we expected that,” Coleman said. “We adjusted to it, but I think they did a good job of adjusting after the second half.” Rutgers targeted Coleman on four incompletions, but those were not all his fault.
Junior wide receiver Brandon Coleman tied Rutgers’ record with his 20th-career receiving touchdown in his final collegiate game in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. It was one of only two Coleman catches in the game, both in single coverage. TIAN LI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Notre Dame cornerback Bennett Jackson got a pass interference penalty on a 35-yard throw to him. Freshman running back Justin Goodwin’s intercepted throw on a halfback option was short to Coleman. But Coleman showed some progress with his health. After undergoing knee surger y after last season, there was extra emphasis on his recover y this season.
With three weeks to prepare for this game, he felt the extra practice time helped his movement in the Pinstripe Bowl. And although senior quarterback Chas Dodd never mentioned the record to him after Coleman got it, he felt good about giving Coleman a Rutgers record. “Him personally, that’s a huge accolade for him,” Dodd said. “He’s a great player, and I wish
him the best of luck. We’re great friends. I wish him the best luck in the future and with what he’s going to have presented to him.” Injured sophomore wide receiver Leonte Carroo, in street clothes, approached Coleman after the loss and gave him a long hug on the Yankee Stadium grass. Partly because of words exchanged with Carroo and other players, Coleman has more to
care about than the record. “After the game, a lot of young guys came up to me and told me thank you for all the things that I’ve taught them over the years,” Coleman said. “And that really meant a lot to me because that goes a long way toward their development.” This story originally appeared Dec. 29 on targumsports.wordpress.com.
Prince departs Knights for coaching job with Lions By Bradly Derechailo Associate Sports Editor
Rutgers head football coach Kyle Flood was expected to fill the role of one coordinator vacancy during the offseason. Thanks to Ron Prince, now both jobs need new suitors. Prince, who served as the Scarlet Knights’ offensive coordinator this past season, landed with the Detroit Lions last week as both the assistant head coach and tight ends coach. Prince spent three seasons coaching in the NFL before joining Rutgers for last season and is the fourth straight coach to leave
the position after just one year on the job. In terms of production, his first and only year with the Knights was inconsistent. Rutgers’ offense exploded in its first five games, averaging more than 26 points per game en route to a 4-1 record to begin the season, including two games with more than 50 points. In the Knights’ last eight games, junior quarterback Gary Nova struggled with inconsistencies and the offense averaged just over 18 points. Despite the lack of consistency from the offense, Prince was expected back for Rutgers’ inaugural
season in the Big Ten. Flood also fired former defensive coordinator Dave Cohen, along with quarterbacks coach Rob Spence and offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski on Dec. 8 — one day after the Knights captured their sixth victory of the season to become bowl eligible. Flood made Mitch Browning the offensive line coach Dec. 18. Special teams coordinator Joe Rossi took over as the interim defensive coordinator during Rutgers’ preparation for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl against Notre Dame. But Flood not appointing him as a permanent replacement after
the Knights’ 29-16 loss to the Fighting Irish means the search is still in progress. Rutgers’ affiliation with the Big Ten can help the program in the searching process. “I think we’re fortunate as a Big Ten football program that we have a great destination for a really talented football coach who’s a really good person and a quality recruiting,” Flood said Jan. 6 via teleconference. “There’s really no limitation on who that person can be.” That even means looking into former head coach Greg Schiano’s coaching staff from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Schiano was fired after two seasons as the team’s
head coach. “Would that include that group of people? Certainly it would,” Flood said. “Would it be exclusive to that group of people? No it wouldn’t.” It remains to unknown when both coordinator positions will be filled. While the allure of being a coordinator in the Big Ten is a positive pull for prospective candidates, Flood believes there is no perfect time to name the replacements. “I think sooner is always better than later, but I don’t think you ever want to put a timetable on getting the right person,” Flood said. “There’s no deadline.”
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Cornerback Ian Thomas, who quit the team Oct. 15, will now rejoin the Knights with the duty of earning back the team’s respect. TIAN LI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER / SEPTEMBER 2013
Thomas reinstated on conditional basis By Bradly Derechailo Associate Sports Editor
Head coach Kyle Flood is not ready to name a starting quarterback for the spring. Soon-to-be senior Gary Nova will compete again for the job. NOAH WHITTENBURG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER / NOVEMBER 2013
Flood stays noncommittal to Nova By Greg Johnson Associate Sports Editor
Seeking a “consistent level of high play at the quarterback position” entering the Big Ten next season, Rutgers head football coach Kyle Flood has all options open. He left no doubt before last year’s spring practice that Gary Nova was the team’s starting quarterback, despite a porous showing in a 13-10 Russell Athletic Bowl loss to Virginia Tech. But following a mediocre 6-7 season in which the junior was benched for the final three games, Flood made no promises that the soon-tobe senior will retake his starting job with the graduation of Chas Dodd. “We’ve got a lot of quarterbacks on our roster right now,” Flood said Jan. 6 in his season-ending teleconference. “Every one of them is going to get more than enough snaps this spring so that we can figure out who the starting quarterback will be as we go into next season.” The main candidates along with Nova include oncoming redshirt freshman Chris Laviano, sophomore Blake Rankin and junior Mike Bimonte. None ever took a game snap for Rutgers. Each was a three-star recruit out of high school, according to Rivals. Former Rutgers four-star quarterback Tyler Wiegers de-committed Nov. 17.
Flood said the criteria for starting includes ball security, decision-making and throwing accuracy. Even with heightened pressured on the program going into the Big Ten, Flood insisted experience at the position, namely Nova’s 28-career starts, will not transcend those three factors. “I will be more than comfortable playing the quarterback who does the best job of protecting the football, making the right decisions that we coach him to make and then locating the football the best he can,” Flood said. “Experience is great as long as you’re improving, but ultimately right now at that position, we need to find the quarterback on our roster who can do those three things better than the other quarterbacks.” Flood added he will wait until the team gets closer to the star t of spring practice to put out a depth char t.
Left
guard
Kaleb Johnson
will put off entering the NFL Draft for another year and return for his senior season, Rutgers announced Jan. 14 in a statement. Johnson said Dec. 28 he was “50/50” on leaving the program, while Flood said Jan 6. that Johnson was waiting to receive a draft grade from the NFL Advisory Committee. The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder ranks as the eighth-best guard in his class,
according to NFLDraftScout.com. Johnson said in the statement that his decision to return is not strictly football-related. “Academically, I will be in position to graduate next spring, which was an important goal when I committed to play at Rutgers,” he said. “When reviewing all the options to stay or head to the NFL, my heart was to finish what I started with my family here at Rutgers.” Johnson has started a team-leading 37 straight games along the offensive line, including all 13 contests at left guard this season.
Junior
running back
Savon
Huggins will not transfer after meeting Jan. 8 with Flood, according to The Star-Ledger. The former four-star recruit was considering doing so following a season in which he lost his starting job after one game. Huggins averaged just 3.3 yards per carry on 86 attempts after slipping down the depth chart. Flood still anticipates roster changes before the spring. “There are always going to be players who are looking for a friendlier depth chart,” he said Jan 6. “Right now, I don’t have any names. But I think it would be naive to think that there would be zero [transfers]. I think there’s always going to be some of those when you play football at the highest level.”
The Rutgers football team’s secondary was statistically one of the worst in the country last season. Thanks to the return of redshirt freshman cornerback Ian Thomas, the outlook for the unit looks a little brighter. Head coach Kyle Flood announced Jan. 17 that Thomas, who abruptly quit the team Oct. 15 in pursuit of a baseball career will be reinstated back to the Scarlet Knights on a conditional basis. “To me, the conditions are very simple,” Flood told The Star-Ledger on Jan. 17. “He has to show up every day and prove to the coaching staff and prove to his teammates that he’s all in. It’s nothing more complicated than that.” After converting from wide receiver to cornerback during the spring last year, Thomas earned a starting role for the Knights in the season opener Aug. 29 against Fresno State. The Reistertown, Md., native registered an interception against the Bulldogs. He started two more games before he told Flood he would leave the program. As bizarre of a decision as it was — Thomas didn’t play baseball in high school — it became even more confusing more than a month later. Thomas told nj.com Nov. 18 that he did not tell Flood he left to pursue a baseball career, an accusation Flood and the rest of the program strongly denied. “The idea of him playing baseball in the future did come up, and at the end of the discussion, I asked Ian the question, ‘Are you OK leaving your team at this point in the season?’ And his response was to me was yes,” Flood said Nov. 18. Whatever happened between both parties during that time seems to be in the past now, as Flood expects Thomas to compete to reclaim a starting position he abandoned
when he left the program, though Flood admitted Thomas made a mistake. “I’m disappointed he made the mistake,” Flood told The Star-Ledger. “At the same time, it’s college football and people are going to make decisions and then realize they were wrong.” Thomas was grateful for the second chance. “I have learned a lot from the whole experience and was able to grow personally, spiritually and mentally,” Thomas said in a statement from the athletic department. “I made a commitment to the Rutgers football program, and the right thing to do is to finish my commitment. I am very grateful to Coach Flood and my teammates for welcoming me back to the team.” In six games last season, Thomas recorded eight tackles, one interception and one pass breakup. His departure began a series of problems the secondary could not get over all season. Players with injuries, suspensions and time missed for personal reasons along with Thomas and redshirt freshman Jevon Tyree leaving the team gave Rutgers’ secondary depth severe issues. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Ruhann Peele, who at one point was the team’s third-leading receiver, moved to cornerback midway through the season. Flood hopes that Thomas’ return provides some much-needed stability to the team. But right now, Thomas needs to earn the trust back from a program he deserted midway through the season. “I think with this kind of decision it’s crucial that it’s embraced by his teammates,” Flood told The Star-Ledger. “I spoke to four different players in terms of gauging their reaction and response and they all agreed that Ian needs to earn their trust back but that they were willing to give him that opportunity.”
SHAWN SMITH