GAINING MOMENTUM EDWIN GANO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Gameday Page 2
September 26, 2014
KNIGHTS GAMEDAY RUTGERS VS. TULANE GAME 5: High Point Solutions Stadium, Saturday, Noon TV: ESPNews
RADIO: Rutgers IMG Sports Network
INSIDE the
NUMBERS PASSING G. Nova RUSHING P. James D. Peoples J. Goodwin RECEIVING L. Carroo J. Grant J. Tsimis DEFENSE S. Longa G. Glashen K. Snyder
RUTGERS (3-1) CMP 63.3% NO. 63 46 26 NO. 18 10 9 TKL 28 27 21
YDS 906 YDS 363 205 104 YDS 335 90 110 TFL 0.5 0.5 1.5
TD 6 TD 5 0 1 TD 2 0 2 SCK 0 0 1.5
INT AVG 6 226.5 LNG AVG 56 90.8 21 51.2 15 52 LNG AVG 78 83.8 30 22.5 29 27.5 FF INT 0 0 0 1 1 0
TULANE (1-3)
PASSING CMP YDS T. Lee 47.4% 833 RUSHING NO. YDS S. Badie 48 349 L. Thompson 45 194 D. Hilliard 23 87 RECEIVING NO. YDS J. Shackleford 19 274 X. Rush 10 264 D. Butler 7 50 DEFENSE TKL TFL N. Marley 34 4 S. Scofield 32 2 D. Monroe 25 3
TD 8 TD 2 2 1 TD 2 3 1 SCK 0.5 0 1
INT AVG 9 208.2 LNG AVG 90 87.2 15 48.5 11 21.8 LNG AVG 27 68.5 74 66 22 12.5 FF INT 1 1 0 2 1 0
INJURIES
Senior defensive lineman Dave Milewski said Tulane has great skill players and a big offensive line. Milewski added the fact the Green Wave rushed for 240 yards against Duke is impressive. SHAWN SMITH
Wave run offense poses threat for RU TYLER KARALEWICH ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
When the Rutgers football team was set to play Navy last weekend, it was dealing with the top rushing team in the nation, which carried the ball more than any other program and ran for 40 yards more than the next closest team. The Scarlet Knights were able to slow down Navy’s run game and force the Midshipmen to pass the ball more than they had all season. Rutgers ultimately outrushed Navy, holding it to nearly half of its season average. When Rutgers (3-1) plays Tulane (1-3) Saturday at noon, it will be much of the same. The Knights will be tasked with having to slow down an elite running attack, as the Green Wave average 175.8 yards per game and come off a game where they ran for 240 yards against Duke. Tulane’s impressive run game is something Rutgers already noticed after its first day of watching film Monday. “Tulane runs the ball exceptionally well. They’ve played two Big Five Conference teams in Georgia Tech and Duke, which are two good football teams,” said head coach Kyle Flood. “They still average 175 yards per game despite that. That’s a challenge.” The Green Wave’s only win so far this season came against FCS
opponent Southeastern Louisiana. When Tulane played more competitive teams, they forfeited over 38 points to Tulsa, Georgia Tech and Duke. Running backs Sherman Badie and Lazedrick Thompson anchor Tulane’s rushing attack. Both backs account for 93 of the team’s total carries. Badie has rushed for 349 yards this season on 7.3 yards per carry. Thompson has carried the ball for 194 yards and averages 4.3 yards per carry. Senior defensive lineman Dave Milewski said these two running backs are not to be overlooked. A rushing attack that gained over 200 yards against the Blue Devils also is to be noted, Milewski said. “They are a great team, and they have great skill players. Their offensive line is really big, too,” Milewski said. “We’re hoping we get to defend them as well as we can and stop the things they do well. They rushed for over 240 yards against Duke, which is a good team. They have a lot of talent, and they are very well-coached.” While Tulane’s offense has impressed Rutgers’ staff and players, a defense with 10 forces fumbles this season could cause trouble for the Knights. Rutgers’ offense has turned the ball over 11 times in four games is
not necessarily efficient, and senior quarterback Gary Nova has thrown five interceptions at home this season. Senior fullback Michael Burton said Tulane’s defense can pose some challenges, specifically the athleticism and skill set it has to offer. “The Tulane defense is very well-coached. They are very athletic, too,” Burton said. “The big thing I notice is their speed. They have great team speed and defensive speed. They do different things to confuse offenses, so we have to be on our game.” But ultimately, the Green Wave boasts a young and less-experienced team than the Knights. A good example of its inexperience and youth shows in its penalty yards per game. Tulane commits an average of 93 penalty yards per game. “They are young at certain positions, so we understand some of the reasons they have come up short in some of the games are that they made mistakes themselves,” Milewski said. “It wasn’t because the other team was much better than them. We have to make sure we are executing our details.”
OUT: RB S. Huggins, RB P. James, TE L. Lister, WR R. Peele, OL J. Webb QUESTIONABLE: CB N. Barnwell, CB G. Glashen, TE T. Kroft, LB K. Snyder, FS D. Stephenson PROBABLE: K N. Borgese, CB D. Boggs, RB J. Goodwin, OL B. Leoni, WR A. Patton
QUESTIONABLE: OL A. Paul, LB J. Franklin
SCHEDULE
SCHEDULE
Aug. 28 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1 Nov. 15 Nov. 22 Nov. 29
Washington State Howard Penn State Navy Tulane Michigan Ohio State Nebraska Wisconsin Indiana Michigan State Maryland
W, 41-38 W, 38-25 L, 13-0 W, 31-24 Noon 7 p.m. 3:30 p.m. TBA Noon TBA TBA TBA
Aug. 28 Sept. 6 Sept. 13 Sept. 20 Sept. 27 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 31 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 22 Dec. 6
Tulsa Georgia Tech SE Louisiana Duke Rutgers UConn UCF Cincinnati Houston Memphis East Carolina Temple
L, 38-31 L, 38-21 W, 35-20 L, 47-13 Noon TBA TBA 8 p.m. TBA TBA TBA TBA
Key Matchup
Knights front 7 vs. Wave rushing attack
One of the few things that Tulane has to offer offensively is its rushing attack, averaging over 175 yards per game. If the Rutgers front seven can duplicate its performance up front against Navy, the Knights should easily control the tempo against Tulane.
For updates on the Rutgers football team, follow @TylerKaralewich and @TargumSports on Twitter.
DENNIS ZURAW / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP: OFFENSE
LEONTE CARROO WIDE RECEIVER
KEITH LUMPKIN LEFT TACKLE
KALEB JOHNSON LEFT GUARD
BETIM BUJARI CENTER
CHRIS MULLER RIGHT GUARD
TAJ ALEXANDER RIGHT TACKLE
TYLER KROFT TIGHT END
JANARION GRANT WIDE RECEIVER
GARY NOVA QUARTERBACK
MICHAEL BURTON FULLBACK
DESMON PEOPLES RUNNING BACK
Junior 6’-0”, 205 lbs.
Junior 6’-8”, 310 lbs.
Senior 6’-4”, 300 lbs.
Senior 6’-4”, 295 lbs.
Sophomore 6’-6”, 300 lbs.
Senior 6’-4”, 290 lbs.
Junior 6’-6”, 240 lbs.
Sophomore 5’-11”, 175 lbs.
Senior 6’-2”, 220 lbs.
Senior 6’-0”, 230 lbs.
Sophomore 5’-8”, 175 lbs.
GAREEF GLASHEN CORNERBACK
DELON STEPHENSON FREE SAFETY
LORENZO WATERS STRONG SAFETY
ANTHONY CIOFFI CORNERBACK
Senior 5’-10”, 180 lbs.
Sophomore 5’-11”, 190 lbs.
Senior 6’-0”, 195 lbs.
Sophomore 6’-0”, 185 lbs.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP: DEFENSE
DAVID MILEWSKI DEFENSIVE END
KENNETH KIRKSEY NOSE TACKLE
DARIUS HAMILTON DEF. TACKLE
DJWANY MERA DEFENSIVE END
STEVE LONGA OLB
KEVIN SNYDER MLB
QUENTIN GAUSE OLB
Senior 6’-4”, 245 lbs.
Senior 6’-1”, 275 lbs.
Sophomore 6’-4”, 255 lbs.
Sophomore 6’-4”, 260 lbs.
Sophomore 6’-1”, 225 lbs.
Senior 6’-3”, 235 lbs.
Junior 6’-1”, 220 lbs.
September 26, 2014
Gameday Page 3
KNIGHT NUGGETS BY THE NUMBERS
41
Rutgers has scored 41 points off of turnovers this season. The Knights have scored more than a third of their 121 total points after taking the ball away from their opponents, making the most of their takeaways.
4.6
Tulane averages 4.6 yards per carry so far this season. The Green Wave boasts two backs who have carried the ball more than 40 times this year, including true freshman Sherman Badie, who is averaging 7.3 yards per rush.
310
The Knights’ defense has allowed 310 passing yards per game so far this season. Tulane figures to try to exploit that this week with redshirt freshman quarterback Tanner Lee, who has passed for 833 yards this season.
93
The youthful Green Wave has forfeited an excessive 93 penalty yards per game this season, which is the 122nd worst total in the country. The Knights have only been penalized for an average of 59 yards per game.
BIG QUESTION WILL GARY NOVA HAVE ANOTHER EFFICIENT PERFORMANCE? The quarterback completed 79% of his passes last Saturday against Navy, embracing a game-manager type role. But in his last outing at home, he threw five picks. Against a softer Tulane pass defense, Nova can’t try to do too much.
GARY NOVA Senior Quarterback
THE ADVANTAGE GOES TO OFFENSE
Despite losing junior running back Paul James for the season with a torn ACL, the Knights were still able to rush for nearly 300 yards against a stout Navy defense last weekend. Rutgers’ passing game also returns junior wideout Andre Patton.
DEFENSE
Rutgers boasts one of the top pass rushing defenses in the nation. The Knights are first in the Big Ten and third in the nation with 17 sacks. The Knights’ run defense held Navy to less than half its season average last weekend.
COACHING
Head coach Kyle Flood only has one loss in September in his career. Offensive Coordinator Ralph Friedgen, an Athlon Sports National Coordinator of the Week earlier in the season, continues to impress in calling plays for the offense.
Junior wide receiver Leonte Carroo has come a long way since his first collegiate game against Tulane two years ago, when he played exclusively on Rutgers’ special teams. TIAN LI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Tulane rematch instills perspective
SPECIAL TEAMS
Sophomore Janarion Grant has yet to make a huge impact in the return game this season, but teams have shied away from kicking to him. Junior kicker Kyle Federico has been solid, converting 5-of-7 field goals thus far.
X-FACTOR
Tulane running back Sherman Badie is Tulane’s biggest offensive weapon, averaging 7.3 yards per carry on the ground. Badie has scored two touchdowns on 48 attempts running the ball.
MOMENTUM
The Knights are coming off a big road win against Navy last weekend where they held the Midshipmen to less than half their season average rushing the ball. The Green Wave, meanwhile, limps into Piscataway fresh off a 34-point loss to Duke.
RUTGERS WINS IF
TULANE WINS IF
THE KNIGHTS TAKE CARE OF THE BALL AND DICTATE THE GAME’S TEMPO
THE GREEN WAVE FORCE A FEW CRITICAL TURNOVERS
If quarterback Gary Nova plays smart, risk-free football like he did against Navy, the Knights should have few problems pulling away for the win.
Tulane presents a dangerous run game averaging over 175 yards per game. But the Green Wave may need to force a couple critical turnovers to keep it close.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I say to myself, ‘If Darius gets a sack, I’m gonna have to go and get one, too.’”
KEMOKO TURAY Redshirt Freshman DE
TARGUM’S FINAL VERDICT RUTGERS WINS, 38-21 Ultimately, the Rutgers offense will prove too overwhelming for Tulane. The Green Wave’s lack of discipline and issues with turnovers and penalities will be Tulane’s undoing.
GREG JOHNSON SPORTS EDITOR
A pair of Rutgers football players still remembers the day like it was yesterday: Sept. 1, 2012, New Orleans, Louisiana. Darius Hamilton and Leonte Carroo were two of three true freshmen making their Scarlet Knight debuts in the season opener against Tulane, and the stage couldn’t have been much bigger. Rutgers traveled approximately 1,300 miles to the Superdome, home of the New Orleans Saints and host of seven Super Bowls and five NCAA men’s basketball Final Fours. The 39-year-old venue seats about 72,000 and is the nation’s largest indoor football facility, according to ESPN. Only 26,059 fans made the trip just days after Hurricane Isaac left its mark on a reeling city, but the game day jitters never dissipated. “I remember being really nervous,” said Hamilton, now a junior defensive tackle. “I think actually the first two plays, if anybody goes back and watches it, I make contact with my [offensive] guard and immediately fall on my knees twice. And I think that’s just the butterflies of the whole situation. Being a younger guy ... you never know what to expect and you just want to go in there and do the best you can, play fast. But it’s definitely a lot of nerves.” Carroo, now a junior wide receiver, didn’t bring along any family members but shared the moments with redshirt Ruhann Peele, one of his best friends on the team who made the trip. Back then, the Edison, New Jersey, native contributed exclusively on special teams. He also remembers looking on from the sideline as former Knights receivers Mark Harrison and Brandon Coleman helped lead the way, aspiring to follow in their footsteps. But little compared to the raw emotions that came with the envi-
ronment and delivering Kyle Flood his first win as head coach. “Just being there was amazing. Going on the road, traveling, playing in the Superdome was pretty neat,” Carroo said. “We had a lot of seniors that year on the team, and I think they gave coach Flood a standing ovation in the locker room saying, ‘Congrats on your first win,’ so it was pretty good.” So much has changed since for both teams. Hamilton and Carroo didn’t record any stats that game, but two years later they’ve become two of Rutgers’ most integral players, each car ving potential paths to the NFL. A former five-star recruit, Hamilton is steadily living up to his billing. The Don Bosco (New Jersey) Prep product has recorded 7 1/2 sacks in his last 10 games dating back to last
“Two years ago when I was a freshman, I honestly never heard of Tulane. ... Now, you hear more about them.” LEONTE CARROO Junior Wide Receiver
season and boasts 13 career tackles for a loss. As one of five team captains, Hamilton also brings a passion to the game that one of his biggest mentors can’t quantify. “I would tell you the most important thing he does for us is the leadership that he provides,” Flood said. “He’s a tremendous football player, he makes a lot of plays ... but the leadership and the energy he brings every day is infectious and it helps our entire football team — not just the defense.” Carroo, meanwhile, has morphed into a No. 1 receiver, nearly
breaking Rutgers’ single-season record of 10 touchdown receptions last season with nine. So far this year, the 6-foot-1, 205-pounder leads the team with 18 catches for 335 yards and two touchdowns. It’s a product of Carroo’s studious approach to the game, getting extra lifts in the weight room while accepting and learning from critique in the film room. His catching ability and speed are there, Carroo says, but getting down the finer details of technique and route concepts with wide receivers coach Ben McDaniels has been imperative. Two years of perspective proves it. “You’re just helping out on special teams and you’re watching all the older guys that are ahead of you on the depth chart, and then slowly they leave and then slowly you’ve got to step up and start in that role,” Carroo said. “It’s crazy how time flies by, but you’re just happy that with all your hard work and preparation, to see how far you came from freshman year to now is pretty cool.” Under third-year head coach Curtis Johnson, Tulane is slowly working its way onto the map of relevant college programs. After a trying first season, Johnson, who coached the Saints’ wide receivers from 2006 to 2011, guided the school to its first bowl game since 2002 last season. Rebuilding processes are still at hand, but an invigorated program continues to develop. “Two years ago when I was a freshman, I honestly never heard of Tulane. I didn’t know who Tulane was,” Carroo said. “Now, you hear about them more, they have an NFL-type of coach and he runs a great system. Their defense is pretty good, so I’m excited to go out there and play them this weekend.” For updates on the Rutgers football team, follow @gregp_j and @TargumSports on Twitter.
EDWIN GANO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER