RU vs. Michigan Gameday Wrap 2016-10-07

Brian Fonseca Sports Editor

No. 3 Louisville in 2006.

No. 2 South Florida in 2007.

Michigan in 2014.

These three games, arguably the biggest victories in the history of the Rutgers football program, are all loosely connected by a single thread — they were all played under the bright lights of High Point Solutions Stadium in a primetime broadcast in front of a national audience.

See NIGHT on Page 4

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DIMITRI RODRIGUEZ / PHOTO EDITOR

October 7, 2016

Gameday Page 2

KNIGHTS GAMEDAY RUTGERS VS. NO. 4 MICHIGAN GAME 6: High Point Solutions Stadium, 7 P.M. TV: ESPN2

RADIO: Rutgers IMG Sports Network

JPO emerges as force on RU D-line Eric Mullin Associate Sports Editor

The hype surrounding the Rutgers football team’s defensive line entering the 2016 season mainly stemmed from the imminent return of Darius Hamilton to the field.

The former five-star recruit missed all but a handful of snaps in the 2015 season due to a nagging right knee injury and the Scarlet Knights’ defensive line faltered as a result of it.

Through the first five games of this season, Hamilton has remained healthy while working back to the player that garnered him Third Team All-Big Ten honors from Phil Steele in 2014.

But the player lining up to the left of Hamilton has outproduced the Don Bosco product and emerged as a co-star to three-time captain on the Knights’ defensive.

Fifth-year senior defensive end Julian Pinnix-Odrick leads Rutgers in both sacks (four) and tackles for loss (five for 27 yards). The Montclair, New Jersey, product is also second on the team in quarterback hurries (three) and fifth in total tackles (22).

Hamilton, who’s very close friends with Pinnix-Odrick, is as happy as anyone to see the senior defensive end having a breakout season alongside of him. And that camaraderie the two

fifth-year seniors share has played a key role in their success.

“There’s certain things out there that we don’t even have to communicate cause we’re always on the same page,” Hamilton said of Pinnix-Odrick. “That’s my best friend ... It’s great to see him just finally have a home ... To finally see him just to be able to play where he feels comfortable. Something he’s trained for, gotten his body ready for and I think you guys are just seeing the beginning of what he can do.”

As Hamilton alluded to, PinnixOdrick hasn’t traveled down a smooth road to success in his time on the Banks.

After redshirting his true freshman season in 2012, PinnixOdrick missed out on the entirety of the subsequent season after suffering a torn ACL during spring practice.

A long two years later, “JPO,” as most call him by, finally made his debut in 2014 at defensive end.

But just as Pinnix-Odrick was beginning to show flashes of potential at defensive end, he was moved inside to tackle to replace the injured Hamilton last season. Despite the abrupt position change Pinnix-Odrick still produced at the three-technique with a respectable 33 total tackles.

When Chris Ash took over the reigns of the program in December,

Senior Julian Pinnix-Odrick leads the Scarlet Knights in both tackles for loss and sacks in his fifth and final season on the Banks.

DIMITRI RODRIGUEZ / PHOTO EDITOR / OCTOBER 2016

he and his defensive staff decided to move JPO back outside where he could better utilize is combination of speed, power and athleticism, a move that has proven to be the right one, as evidenced by PinnixOdrick’s outstanding production.

But even without Pinnix-Odrick wreaking havoc against opposing offensive tackles this season, he would have a big fan in Chris Ash because of the way the senior captain carries himself off the game field.

“I love everything about JPO,” Ash said on his ​weekly radio show Sept. 28. “When we go through our stretch-practice routine we do a lot of running pre-practice. And it just makes my day when I can go out there and I can watch JPO just go so hard, just extremely hard. Just lead the defensive line, really the whole team throughout the conditioning period to start the day. If I’m having a bad day and I watch him, it brings a smile to my face.”

JPO came out on fire to begin the 2016 season, recording 20 tackles and three-and-a-half sacks through the first three games.

But since Big Ten competition has began, Pinnix-Odrick’s production has slipped. In two conference games, he’s strung together just two tackles and a half sack.

With No. 4 Michigan (5-0, 1-0) coming to High Point Solutions Stadium Saturday night, another tough challenge stands in the way of Pinnix-Odrick and the rest of the Knights’ defensive line.

The Wolverines boast the No. 5 rushing attack in the Big Ten and quarterback Wilton Speight has only been sacked nine times this season.

But regardless of who’s lined up across from Rutgers, Pinnix-Odrick is putting the onus on himself, along with the rest of the defensive line, to control the line of scrimmage.

“As a fifth-year guy, super senior, you can’t really be out there afraid of things aren’t for the taking,” PinnixOdrick said. “I think the D-line (has) really gotta take control of the game. ... I have to get after the quarterback and that’s one of my goals this week.”

INSIDE the

NUMBERS RUTGERS (2-3)

PASSING CMP C. Laviano 49.6% RUSHING NO. R. Martin 71 J. Goodwin 32 RECEVING NO. J. Harris 11 A. Patton 8 N. Arcidiaccano 7 DEFENSE K. Hester J. Pinnix-Odrick A. Cioffi

YDS 680 YDS 398 144 YDS 194 108 54

TD 5 TD 1 0 TD 2 3 0 TKL 36 22 25

INT 2 LNG 80 24 LNG 75 22 13 SCK 0 4 0

AVG 136 AVG 5.6 4.5 AVG 17.6 13.5 7.7 INT 0 0 2

CMP 63% NO. 56 37 NO. 23 22 13

YDS 1,094 YDS 336 252 YDS 335 365 197

TD 10 TD 2 3 TD 5 3 0 TKL 18 46 35

INT AVG 2 218.8 LNG AVG 42 5.8 43 6.7 LNG AVG 46 14.6 25 12 35 15.2 SCK INT 1 0 2 0 2.5 0

SCHEDULE

SCHEDULE Sept. 3 Sept. 10 Sept. 17 Sept. 24 Oct. 1 Oct. 8 Oct. 15 Oct. 22 Nov. 5 Nov. 12 Nov. 21 Nov. 28

NO. 4 MICHIGAN (5-0)

PASSING W. Speights RUSHING D. Smith C. Evans RECEVING A. Darboh J. Butt J. Chesson DEFENSE B. Gary B. Gedeon J. Peppers

Washington Howard New Mexico Iowa Ohio State Michigan Illinois Minnesota Indiana Michigan State Penn State Maryland

L 48-13 W 52-14 W 37-28 L 14-7 L 58-0 7 p.m. noon noon TBA TBA 8 p.m.

TBA

Sept. 1 Sept. 10 Sept. 17 Sep. 24 Oct. 1 Oct. 8 Oct. 22 Oct. 29 Nov. 5 Nov. 12 Nov. 19 Nov. 26

Hawaii UCF North Dakota State Penn State No. 8 Wisconsin Rutgers Illinois Michigan State Maryland Iowa Indiana Ohio State

W 63-3 W 51-14 W 45-28 W 49-10 W 14-10 8 p.m.

3:30 p.m TBA TBA 8 p.m.

TBA TBA

Key Matchup

Knights’ defense vs. Wolverines offense While Michigan’s defense is even more stout than the Ohio State unit that kept Rutgers scoreless, its offense is far from replicating the Buckeye’s arsenal. If Rutgers can play lockdown defense and steal a couple scores off of turnovers, the Knights have a chance of pulling one of the biggest upsets in college football history.

Rutgers Athletics Creed We are Scarlet Knights, the most PASSIONATE fans in college athletics.

We CHEER our teams, win or lose.

We STAND when our teams enter and exit the field of play.

We WELCOME our opponents and their fans as guests in our university home.

We RESPECT all student-athletes and celebrate their efforts.

We know our ENTHUSIASM on game day helps to recruit the nation’s best.

We STRIVE to make everyone’s experience enjoyable.

We are the STATE UNIVERSITY and BIG TEN proud.

This is RUTGERS.

For updates on the Rutgers football team, follow @EricMullin_ and @TargumSports on Twitter.

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP: OFFENSE

ANDRE PATTON WIDE RECEIVER

TARIQ COLE LEFT TACKLE

DORIAN MILLER LEFT GUARD

DERRICK NELSON CENTER

CHRIS MULLER RIGHT GUARD

JJ DENMAN RIGHT TACKLE

NICK ARCIDIACONO TIGHT END

JAWUAN HARRIS WIDE RECEIVER

CHRIS LAVIANO QUARTERBACK

JOHN TSIMIS WIDE RECEIVER

ROBERT MARTIN RUNNING BACK

Senior 6’-4”, 210 lbs.

Sophomore 6’-6”, 313 lbs.

Junior 6’-2”, 294 lbs.

Senior 6’-3”, 295 lbs.

Senior 6’-6”, 312 lbs.

Senior 6’-5”, 315 lbs.

Senior 6’-4”, 244 lbs.

Redshirt Freshman 5’-9”, 192 lbs.

Junior 6’-2”, 221 lbs.

Senior 5’-11”, 194 lbs.

Junior 5’-11”, 210 lbs.

BLESSUAN AUSTIN CORNERBACK

ANTHONY CIOFFI STRONG SAFETY

KIY HESTER FREE SAFETY

ISAIAH WHARTON CORNERBACK

Sophomore 6’-1”, 198 lbs.

Senior 6’-0”, 203 lbs.

Sophomore 6’-0”, 203 lbs.

Sophomore 6’-1”, 202 lbs.

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP: DEFENSE

DARNELL DAVIS DEFENSIVE END

SEBASTIAN JOSEPH NOSE TACKLE

JULIAN PINNIX-ODRICK DEFENSIVE END

DARIUS HAMILTON DEF. TACKLE

TREVOR MORRIS WLB

DEONTE ROBERTS MLB

GREG JONES SLB

Junior 6’-2”, 250 lbs.

Junior 6’-4”, 295 lbs.

Senior 6’-5”, 274 lbs.

Senior 6’-3”, 286 lbs.

Sophomore 6’-1”, 226 lbs.

Sophomore 6’-1”, 238 lbs.

Senior 6’-0”, 215 lbs.

Gameday Page 3

October 7, 2016

KNIGHT NUGGETS

BY THE NUMBERS

9

Rutgers has defeated nine ranked opponents in its history, the latest coming in a 31-0 blowout of No. 23 USF in 2009.

The Bulls were the victim of RU’s biggest upset, a 3027 win in 2007 when they ranked 2nd nationally.

45

Before narrowly defeating Wisconsin 14-7, Michigan scored at least 45 points in each of its first four games, something it hasn’t done since its national championship season in 1947.

3

Redshirt freshman Jawuan Harris had a career-high 3 receptions against No. 2 Ohio State, but unfortunately for the Knights, he was the only receiver to make a catch in the 58-0 blowout loss as Rutgers collected just 116 total yards.

9

Michigan has nine players from the Garden State on its roster, including prized freshman defensive end Rashan Gary and susperstar junior Jabrill Peppers.

BIG QUESTION CAN RUTGERS AVOID A SECOND CONSECUTIVE BLOWOUT LOSS? After being held scoreless against the top defense and offense in the Big Ten, Rutgers hosts the second-best defense and a top-5 offense in Michigan. Can it stands its ground and, at the very least, keep it close under the lights?

Chris Ash Head Football Coach

THE ADVANTAGE GOES TO OFFENSE

Rutgers’ offense is coming off a game in which it earned 116 total yards and 3 completions and will face a defense even more stout in No. 4 Michigan. The Wolverines don’t have the best offense, but it is certainly better than RU’s.

DEFENSE

The Wolverines come into Piscataway ranked top in the Big Ten in passing defense, second in total defense and third in scoring defenes. Rutgers conceded 58 points to No. 2 Ohio State, just 7 more than Michigan gave up in its first 5 games.

COACHING

Jim Harbaugh got much attention for his antics in the offseason, but he can coach, too. He turned a 5-7 Michigan team Rutgers defeated in 2014 to a national title contender in his first year. Chris Ash has made progress, but he’s got a ways to go.

SPECIAL TEAMS

While Rutgers remains without star kick-off/punt returner Janarion Grant, who is out for the season, Michigan and returner Jabrill Peppers come in leading the Big Ten in punt return yardage and touchdowns.

X-FACTOR

Chris Ash called him “as good a player as there’s been” in his experience as a coach. New Jersey native Jabrill Peppers does it all for No. 4 Michigan, from linebacker to safety to punt returner to wide receiver. Expect him to have a big game.

MOMENTUM

Michigan’s last game was a 14-7 win over then-No. 8 Wisconsin.

Rutgers last game was a 58-0 loss to No. 2 Ohio State.

Advantage Wolverines.

RUTGERS WINS IF

MICHIGAN WINS IF

THE KNIGHTS PLAY A PERFECT GAME

THE WOLVERINES PLAY AT THEIR TALENT LEVEL

While Michigan isn’t performing at the level of RU’s last opponent, the Wolverines don’t fall far behind. The Knights need to be perfect to have a chance.

Simply put, Michigan has more talent than Rutgers in every facet of the game.

Live up to that talent and the Knights will have no chance of another upset.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Ultimately, you gotta do what you gotta do on the field. It’s not gonna just magically happen because the fans are there.”

CHRIS LAVIANO Junior Quarterback

TARGUM’S FINAL VERDICT MICHIGAN WINS, 45-7 Wisconsin held Michigan to 14 points, but Rutgers’ defense is nowhere near the level of the Badgers on defense. Knights score an early touchdown off energy of pumped up crowd of first night game.

Michigan junior Jabrill Peppers is a Heisman Trophy candidate due to his versatility in all facets of the game. He’s facing Rutgers in New Jersey for the first time Saturday. THE DAILY TARGUM / OCTOBER 2015

NJ native shining brightly at Michigan Brian Fonseca Sports Editor

Drew Mehringer described a member of the Rutgers football team’s next opponent with a list of the positions he’s forcing the Scarlet Knights’ offensive coordinator to game plan against this Saturday.

“You look at his return ability, that says enough about his speed and his explosiveness, but that kids all over the field,” he said. “He’s played corner, safety, linebacker, he’s an incredible blitz threat.”

Senior defensive tackle Darius Hamilton added to the list with what he provides on the offensive side of the ball.

“Getting the ball in his hands is something they wanna do, whether its passing to him ball in the flat, whether it’s wildcat, whether it’s just getting the ball in his hands in a standard running back position and letting him do something,” he said. “But the kid is a dangerous weapon, anytime he touches the field, he’s creates the opportunity to make plays.”

Head coach Chris Ash kept his analysis a bit more concise than his offensive coordinator and one of his captains.

“He’s as good as there’s been,” he said. “He can do it all. He’s obviously got good size, freak-ish athletic ability, good ball skills.

He’s tough, not afraid to hit you, when he’s on offense, runs the ball, he runs it hard. He can make you miss, run through you. My years of coaching, he’s as good as there is.”

The player in question is Jabrill Peppers, an East Orange, New Jersey, native taking the college football world by storm with his versatility and athleticism for the second year in a row.

Peppers was a highly touted recruit out of Paramus Catholic, but rather than staying home and representing the Knights, he elected to become a Wolverine, beginning a pipeline to Ann Arbor for both his alma mater and the entire state of New Jersey.

Peppers is 1 of 9 New Jersey natives on Michigan’s roster, with Chris Partridge, who was his head coach with the Paladins and is now his position coach — or at least the one assigned to him on the roster — at linebacker hailing from Hackensack.

Partridge’s role as the director of player personnel in recruiting was a major factor in locking up the top prospect in the class of 2016 — five-star Paramus Catholic defensive end Rashan Gary — and earned him National Recruiter of the Year honors from Scout.com, but Peppers’ decision to go to Ann Arbor pioneered the revolution.

Before attending Paramus Catholic in his final two years of high school, Peppers was part of a national champion program at Don Bosco in his freshman and sophomore seasons, playing alongside Hamilton and Leonte Carroo, Rutgers’ alltime leader in receiving yards and touchdowns that was selected in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

“He’s very elite player, probably one of the best in the country,” Hamilton said of Peppers, continuing to pile on the praise. “I don’t think there’s too many people that I’ve seen play in high school that would make major impacts at the next level than Jabrill and Leonte.

Those are two players I remember watching at a young age that had a bright future ahead of them.”

Saturday’s matchup in Piscataway will be the first time Peppers plays in an official football game in New Jersey since graduating from Paramus Catholic in 2014.

After playing sparingly in the first three games of his true freshman year, he was forced to take a medical redshirt after sustaining a second leg injury of the season in a loss to Minnesota, keeping him out of ​the 26-24 loss the Wolverines suffered to the Scarlet Knights in what was their first ever Big Ten win.

Peppers did play when Michigan got its revenge a year later, though, having a say in a 49-16 beatdown at the Big House last season.

His final stat line that day — 11 total yards and a rushing touchdown

on three offensive touches on offense with 6 tackles, one of which for a 3 yard loss, on defense — is a glimpse at what he’s expected to produce under the bright lights at High Point Solutions Stadium in the first night game of the season for the Knights (2-3, 0-2) Saturday.

Given a heavier workload as the main kick-off and punt returner, Peppers has flourished in the role, ranking third nationally in average punt return yards (20.5) among players averaging 1.2 returns per game, scoring one touchdown in the process. The numbers come in addition to his team-leading and third highest in the nation 9.5 tackles for loss, as well as his tackle total of 35, which is behind only Ben Gedeon for the team lead.

His versatility sees him play a part in the best pass defense and punt return units in the Big Ten, the second best overall defense and a top-5 offense in the conference.

Michigan (5-0, 1-0) heads into its third ever matchup with Rutgers looking to take its first lead in the series and Peppers is expected to play as big a role as he’s had in the first five games of a campaign garnering callings for a Heisman Trophy nomination.

But despite all the accolades, all the talent, all the hype, the Knights aren’t shying away from facing one of the best players the state they call home has produced — they’re relishing the opportunity.

“He’s an athlete, so if he’s on the field, he’s probably gonna get the ball. It’s not too complicated when you have a player that’s good and you want to get in space, you’re gonna try to get him the ball, but it’s not gonna be any crazy emphasis (on him in preparation),” said senior defensive end Julian Pinnix-Odrick, 1 of 3 other captains alongside Hamilton. “We’re not fearful … Yeah, he’s a good player, obviously he’s a standout, but now he’s our opponent. So we’re really ready to ball out, see what we got.”

For updates on the Rutgers football team, follow @briannnnf and @TargumSports on Twitter.

Gameday Page 4

October 7, 2016

STRIPE THE

Michigan could enter list of victims of Rutgers’ night game heroics for second time after loss in 2014

Night Knights have gone 21-19 in night games since 2006, outscoring teams 1,138-939 continued from back The Scarlet Knights have a chance to add to the list this Saturday against the No. 4 Wolverines in what will be the first annual “Stripe the Birthplace” game, a promotion run by the athletic department in which fans will alternate between black and red attire to literally stripe the stands of the Birthplace of College Football.

“Hopefully it’s a great atmosphere and a lot of fans show up,” said head coach Chris Ash of his first night game at the helm in Piscataway. “It will be cool if we Stripe the Birthplace the way we want it to be done.

The administration has worked hard to make this a really cool atmosphere and I’m excited to see what turns out.”

The crowds tend to be higher at High Point Solutions Stadium at night than during noon kickoffs, which Rutgers has dealt with

exclusively in its first three home games this season.

Since joining the Big Ten in 2014, the Knights average just over 5,000 more fans per game at night contests (52,646 average in 4 games) than earlier games (47,320 in 12 games).

The number may not seem astronomical, but it can make all the difference, said a Knight who spent a night at High Point as an opponent.

“The third downs got pretty loud,” said junior cornerback Ross Douglas, who played for Michigan in 2014, when they were the victims of Rutgers’ first Big Ten win. “I just remember it being a great atmosphere and I expect the same thing come Saturday night.”

A likely factor for increased attendance is the game being at the tailend of the day rather than right in the beginning, allowing students and fans to sleep in on a Saturday and still be able to make it to the stadium in time for the game.

But those in the stands aren’t the only ones taking advantage of some extra shuteye.

“It’s nice, I’ll get to sleep in a little more,” said senior right guard Chris Muller. “Night games are always the best, always a lot more

energy, anything can always happen and both teams always come ready to play in the night game, so it’s always a lot more exciting.”

Historic wins aren’t the only things that happen after dusk for the Knights, though, as they’ve been the wrong end of another pair of night games in the past 10 years.

Rutgers is 21-19 in night games in the past 10 years, losing almost as many heartbreakers as they’ve won all-timers.

No loss hurt more than the 2017 loss to the Cardinals in 2012, a game in which the Knights blew a chance at a Big East Championship and Louisville got revenge six years and 20 days after the famous “Pandemonium in Piscataway” game.

A pair of close seconds nearly came back-to-back immediately after the Knights’ win over the No. 3 Cardinals in 2006, though not at High Point Solutions Stadium.

Ranked No. 7 and looking forward to facing West Virginia in a game that seemed destined to decide the Big East title, Rutgers crumbled to Cincinnati, falling 3011 to the Bearcats as the highest of highs was dragged to the lowest of lows.

The Knights were taken down further a couple of weeks later when they ended up losing to the Mountaineers in a 41-39 triple-overtime classic in Morgantown.

The fans making the trek to High Point Solutions Stadium this Saturday are hoping for an evening resembling the electric atmosphere and euphoric feeling of the “Pandemonium in Piscataway,” but they could very well feel the dread and hopelessness they had just a week ago, when they watched the Knights get steamrolled by No. 2 Ohio State in a 58-0 loss, the biggest blowout in a Big Ten regular-season game since 1981.

The Wolverines present a pass defense even more stout than the Buckeyes’ group that held Rutgers to three total completions, all coming in the first quarter, and 116 total yards.

While its offense isn’t as potent as Ohio State’s, if Michigan can replicate what the Buckeyes did last week, one score will be enough to silence the first sold-out student section of the season.

No matter how loud that bunch gets on the sidelines, it won’t mean anything if the Knights can’t execute inside the lines.

“Ultimately, you gotta do what you gotta do on the field,” said junior quarterback Chris Laviano, who went 11-for-27, throwing for 97 yards and an interception in last year’s meeting with Michigan, a 49-16 rout at the Big House.

“It’s not magically gonna happen because all the fans are there.”

Regardless of the size of the crowd, the time of day or the weather surrounding the game, Ash expects the same out of his team — execution in all three facets of the game.

If Rutgers doesn’t do that, it’ll be in for a long one Saturday.

“Sometimes night games, you maybe give the players a little extra incentive or adrenaline when the game starts but at the end of the day, whether it’s an afternoon game, at noon or a night game, we have to go out and execute our offense, defense and special teams,” Ash said. “I’m more worried about our football team and our ability to go out and execute on offense, defense and special teams (than) when the game is kicked off … I don’t really care when the ball is kicked off, but we have to play better.”

For updates on the Rutgers football team, follow @briannnnf and @TargumSports on Twitter.

A sold-out student section is expected when the Rutgers football team hosts No. 4 Michigan at the first annual “Stripe the Birthplace” night game this Saturday at High Point Solutions Stadium. It will be the first student section sellout of the season for a Scarlet Knight home contest. DIMITRI RODRIGUEZ / PHOTO EDITOR / SEPTEMBER 2016

October 7, 2016

Gameday Page 5

BIRTHPLACE

Rutgers looks to build on first Big Ten win over Michigan in 2014 with biggest upset in program history

Believe No. 3 Michigan comes into Piscataway much improved in 2 years since historic loss continued from back Down by two, the Wolverines had gone 48 yards from their 14 to the Knights’ 38 in eight plays, setting up a 58-yard field goal attempt that would’ve given the visitors their first lead of the second half with 3:07 remaining in the contest.

But those who witnessed what happened next will never forget it, then-sophomore defensive end Kemoko Turay seemingly touching the night sky after exploding off the ground to block the attempt — 1 of 3 field goal blocks he had on the season — to practically secure Rutgers’ first ever conference win as a member of the Big Ten. “(At) first I looked at him, I was like ‘No way he jumped that high. He had to step on someone,’” said senior right guard Chris Muller on his reaction from the sidelines. “I was ecstatic.”

The landmark 26-24 win was also the first time the two

storied programs — Rutgers played in the first-ever college football game, while Michigan has won the most games in the history of the sport — ever met.

Muller went on to say the thing that stood out the most from the game was winning it, adding that the way the Knights battled regardless of the score, not allowing the up-and-down flow of the contest get in the way of them achieving the win also comes to mind.

A new and improved version of the Wolverines got their revenge a year later, thrashing the Knights 49-16 in the first meeting between the sides with Jim Harbaugh at the helm in Ann Arbor.

The teams face off this Saturday in primetime (7 p.m., ESPN2) under the lights at High Point Solutions Stadium, the atmosphere in which Rutgers has earned the biggest wins in program history.

The most recent game on the list was the historic night in 2014 and Saturday will provide the next opportunity to add to it, but the third meeting with the Wolverines won’t be the same as the first.

“One thing is for sure — the team that (Michigan is) this year is definitely a different team than

the team they were (in 2014) so we’ll have to be at our very best out there,” said senior defensive end Darius Hamilton.

The most glaring difference is the man leading the team on the sidelines.

The Wolverines traded Brady Hoke — whose career in Ann Arbor started well but grew worse with each passing season until a losing record in 2014 marked the end — for Harbaugh, a beloved former quarterback and coaching savant who has had success at every stop he’s made as a head coach.

The momentum he carried from San Diego to Stanford to San Francisco didn’t stop when he arrived at his alma mater, bringing a team Hoke led to a 5-7 season the year before to a 10-3 record and a dominant 41-7 win against Florida in the Citrus Bowl in his first year in charge.

Constant eyes around him and his program during an offseason where he made headlines seemingly every day for his antics in recruiting certainly didn’t halt the swift progress Harbaugh continues to make into his second season.

Michigan (5-0, 1-0) has won as many games this season entering Piscataway as they did during the entire year in which they suffered the upset in the same venue,

scoring at least 45 points in each of the first four games of the season.

The Wolverines were held to just 14 points last week but it was enough to pull out a win against then-No. 8 Wisconsin in a physical battle reminiscent of classic Big Ten play. What their offense lacked was supplemented by a stout performance by their defense, keeping a team that averaged 28 points per game entering the contest to a single touchdown.

If Rutgers hopes to remain in the game, it’ll have to reach the levels of Wisconsin’s defense, particularly in pressuring junior quarterback Wilton Speight, who was sacked four times and hurried another three on the afternoon.

“I think it is attainable,” said senior defensive end Julian Pinnix-Odrick on the Knights replicating Wisconsin’s pressure.

“You can’t really be out there afraid of things aren’t for the taking. I think the … D-line has to take control of the game. I think it’s our job as the leaders of the team to really do that. It’s a line of scrimmage football team and we’re on the D-line and we’re the aggressors and we have to get after the quarterback.”

Rutgers’ defense playing out of its mind and containing the

Wolverines’ offense would be a huge step in the right direction towards the biggest upset win in program history, but an even more important aspect is the Knights being able to get in rhythm on offense after an all-time bad performance a week prior.

Junior quarterback Chris Laviano completed just three passes in 12 attempts in last week’s 58-0 drubbing in Columbus at the hands of No. 2 Ohio State, gaining just 33 yards in the process.

Laviano isn’t the only issue, as everyone on the Knights will tell you, but playing the best game of his career may be necessary to earn a win both the players and fans could daydream about for years to come.

“Sometimes,” said senior defensive end Julian Pinnix-Odrick when asked if he thinks about his first Big Ten win. “It’s fun to think about but it seems, gosh, it went by so fast. It was two years ago, right? So yeah, it was pretty cool, but we’re tr ying to replicate something like that and tr ying to do more, tr ying to move on and do more great things with this program.”

For updates on the Rutgers football team, follow @briannnnf and @TargumSports on Twitter.

Though he hasn’t been featured much this season due to a pair of shoulder surgeries this offseason, junior defensive end Kemoko Turay’s field goal block against Michigan in 2014 to guarantee a first Big Ten win remains in Rutgers folklore as the definitive play of RU’s tenure in the conference. THE DAILY TARGUM / OCTOBER 2014

Gameday Page 6

October 7, 2016

SHAKY HANDS

Wide receiver Jawuan Harris hauled in the Knights’ only three receptions against Ohio State. The redshirt freshman also recored 1 of Rutgers’ 5 drops against the Buckeyes.

Harris said everyone is to blame on offense for the Knights’ continued inefficencies in the passing game this season. DIMITRI RODRIGUEZ / PHOTO EDITOR / SEPTEMBER 2016

Receivers aim to combat drops, press coverage struggles Eric Mullin

passing attack ranking in the basement of the conference.

On Saturday at High Point Solutions Stadium, the Big Ten’s worst Drew Mehringer said he felt like passing attack will meet the convomitting after the Rutgers football ference’s best pass defense with team converted on just 1 of 4 red zone No. 4 Michigan (5-0, 1-0) coming trips in a 14-7 loss to Iowa Sept. 24. to Piscataway.

After not advancing the ball into Rutgers is going to continue to the red zone once — let alone past see steady dose of press coverage Ohio State’s 38-yard line — in a 58-0 against Michigan, but against argurout at the hands of the No. 2 Buckably the best pair of cornerbacks eyes on Saturday, it’s safe to assume the Knights will face this season in the first-year offensive coordinator All-American Jourdan Lewis and was feeling even worse about his Channing Stribling. offense’s perforIf Rutgers has any mance than the week before.

“Everyone’s to blame ... We could’ve made some more plays but it’s a lot of things going into the passing game, chance of breaking out in the passing game against “Looking back can’t really just blame the quarterback.”

Michigan, it’s going to on this weekend, I need its offense line to don’t think anybody JAWUAN HARRIS hold up against a talented that stood up on this Redshirt Freshman Receiver Wolverine front-four and podium would say for Laviano to deliver acthis is what we were looking for or something that we’re But the root of the Knights’ I know that. I don’t think anybody in up and ready, not letting the defender curate passes.

And when the ball reaches the rehappy with,” Mehringer said on Mon- struggles in the passing game go our room doesn’t have good hands, get his hands on us before we’re able day in his first time being made avail- well beyond the play they’re getting but it’s a matter of focusing, concen- to release. So, it’s improving our hand ceivers, they have to hang onto it.

“I’ve said this week-after-week, trating on catching the ball before combat that’s gonna be important.” able to the media since the blowout from behind center.

Wide receiver was considered to how do we throw the ball better — loss in Columbus. “Did not feel like “Everyone’s to blame,” said red- you run, squeezing the ball once you we played well, coached well. Got to shirt freshman receiver Jawuan Har- do. You’re gonna go against some be one of the major positional question we have to protect better is one,” said do a much better job obviously. When ris, who accounted for all three of good corners in this league and marks for Rutgers even before senior head football coach Chris Ash. “Two, you’re in the Big Ten, or any confer- the Knights’ receptions against Ohio they’re taught to rip the ball out. So Janarion Grant went down with a sea- we have to be able to get open. Three, ence, and you’re playing top-10 teams, State. “We had some opportunities we have to do a good job with having son-ending lower-body injury ​in a 14-7 we have to be able to set our feet and top-five teams you come out and play as a receiving corps. We could’ve strong hands and focusing on catch- loss to Iowa. While Grant was the most throw with the proper fundamentals dynamic of the bunch, he did most of and the fourth one we are not doing subpar for us, or for anybody, not very made some more plays, but it’s a ing the ball.”

Before the receivers even have his damage as a receiver on bubble very good at is catching the ball also good things are going to happen.” lot of things going into the passing Save for the game’s opening game so you can’t really just blame an opportunity to make a catch, they screens and swing passes and wasn’t ... Right now our ability to get those four things done consistently, it’s not must first create separation from the nearly as much of a threat downfield. drive, the Scarlet Knights (2-3, 0-2) the quarterback.”

Through five games, the Knights where it needs to be, so it’s a work-inhad nothing working for them on More than a third of Rutgers’ in- defenders to give the quarterback an rank dead last in the Big Ten in progress. It’s something that we emthe offensive side of the ball against completions against the Buckeyes open pocket to deliver the ball into.

Ohio State’s cornerbacks mainly passing offense (140.2 yards per phasize weekly in all those areas and Ohio State, mustering up just 116 came as a result of dropped passes. In total yards. total, five pass attempts went through played press, man-coverage against game) and completion percentage it’s got to get better if we want to have For a rushing attack that had car- the hands of the Knights’ wide receiv- Rutgers, jamming the Knights’ re- (47.4 percent). Drops and receiv- the balance that we want on offense.” ceivers at the line of scrimmage with ers not breaking free downfield, in ried the Knights through the first ers and tight ends.

For updates on the Rutgers footmonth of the season, the Buckeyes Senior wide receiver Andre Pat- the intention of making the route lon- addition to the play of the offensive held Rutgers to a minuscule 2.2 yards ton had two drops, while Harris and ger to develop, which the Buckeyes line and quarterback, have been ball team, follow @EricMullin_ and the contributing factors to Rutgers’ @TargumSports on Twitter. per carry across 38 attempts. tight ends junior Matt Flanagan and were successful in doing.

Associate Sports Editor

Making matters worse, Rutgers was even less effective in the passing game.

Junior quarterback Chris Laviano (3-for-12 for 33 yards) and his true freshman teammate Tylin Oden (0-for-4) both struggled through the air as the Knights went the final three-plus quarters without a single completion.

When an offense sputters the way Rutgers’ did on Saturday, a large brunt of the blame usually gets casted at the quarterback position.

senior Nick Arcidiacono each had one apiece.

On each of the three combined drops made by Patton and Harris, the starting receivers had initially made the catch but lost control of the ball after a Buckeye defender made contact with them. In contrast, the tight ends were each uncontested when they failed to secure a pass from their quarterback. “(Drops are) a concentration thing,” said wide receivers coach Jafar Williams. “I played the position,

The receivers ineffectiveness against press coverage against Ohio State wasn’t an anomaly either, but rather a recurring theme to this point in the Knights’ season. While Mehringer said the receivers have made strides in countering press coverage since the beginning of the season, there are still improvements to be made. “(Going against press coverage is) something we work on everyday,” Williams said. “I think one of the issues with us is continuing to improve with our hands. Making sure our hands are

Gameday Page 7

October 7, 2016

STEADY FEET

Untested specialists exceed expectations in starting roles ERIC MULLIN ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

David Bonagura went nearly four years without kicking a football in a real game situation.

His last live kick was as a high school senior in December 2012, knocking in a game-winning, 48yard field goal at Kean University to secure a state championship for Ramapo High School.

In the Rutgers football team’s season opener ​against then-No. 14 Washington, the redshirt junior was thrust back into game action for the first time in more than three years in front of 70,000-plus, rowdy fans at Husky Stadium.

But neither the atmosphere, nor the long layoff between kicking in game situations, seemed to faze Bonagura.

On his first attempt of his collegiate career, the Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, native sneaked a 38yard field goal just over the upright to put the Scarlet Knights on the board late in the first half.

“Kicking is a production-oriented business,” Bonagura said of his first career kick, which appeared to be short before sneaking in.

“Three points is three points, but when it came off my foot I knew it was gonna go in. It would be nice if it was a pretty ball, everyone wants a pretty ball. High and far looks like it has 20 more yards on it or something. But hey we got three points out of it so that’s all that really matters.”

Field-goal kicking is indeed a production-oriented business, where stats can tell you ever ything you need to know about a kicker. Through five games, the stats read that David Bonagura is the sixth-most efficient kicker in the Big Ten. Bonagura has connected on six of his seven field goal attempts, while going a perfect 13-for-13 on extra point tries. His lone miss came from a 41-yard try against Howard, but he redeemed himself from the same distance with his longest make of the season the following week against New Mexico.

To this point in the season, Bonagura said he feels comfortable from 45 yards and in.

“I’m really pleased with the progress of Bonagura throughout the first three games in the season,” said head football coach Chris Ash. “To be honest in training camp, I didn’t know if he could make anything. He just stuck to it.

He continues to grind. His confidence continues to grow. The confidence in the football team and the coaching staff of his ability to go out and make kicks when he needs to is growing. Really proud of that kid for what he’s done and what he’s been able to do each Saturday out there.”

While Bonagura hasn’t attempted a field goal in the Knights’ past two games, he’s been able to keep himself busy on kickoffs.

True freshman Jared Smolar, the only other kicker on the roster,

Sophomore punter Michael Cintron has had 11 of his punts downed inside the 20-yard line this year. He has a 38.3 average across his Big Ten leading 35 punts. DIMITRI RODRIGUEZ / PHOTO EDITOR / SEPTEMBER 2016 began the season as Rutgers’ placekicker but averaged 55.7 yards and failed to record a touchback across 21 kicks.

In Bonagura’s first kickoff of his career against Iowa, he recorded a touchback. He hasn’t recorded a touchback since but has averaged a sound 66 yards across five attempts.

“In high school, I was brought up to varsity to kickoff,” Bonagura said. “Coming here, I wasn’t really thrown in the mix. Being a kicker you kind of practice all three things anyway. It’s not like I just focused on field goals and stopped kicking off because I have to know how to

do all three, at least I would like to know how to do all three. So I try to do as best as I can.”

As Bonagura’s activity in the overall kicking game has decreased the past two game as the Knights have mustered just seven combined points, punter Michael Cintron has seen a spike in game action.

Cintron, who is also the holder on field goals, has had his number called 16 times since the commencement of Big Ten competition.

On the season, the Saint Joseph’s (Metuchen) product leads the conference in total punts with a sizable 35 attempts in five games.

The sophomore has two punts of over 50 yards and has landed 11 inside the 20. His net average currently sits at just 38.3, which ranks 102nd of 109 FBS punters, but that number is a little skewed thanks to a 68-yard punt return touchdown from the Huskies in the opener.

“Our net punting as a team, minus the one long return against Washington, is very good,” said special teams coordinator Vince Okruch. “He hit one (against Iowa), he tried to get too much precision and it hit on the 1-yard line. We don’t want it on the one. We tell him,

‘hey the eight (yard line is) great.

We’ll down it inside the five and live with it.’ You take away those two kicks and he’s fine. But you can’t take them away ... Just continue to move forward and request that you get a little more hang time so our coverage unit has a chance and on we go.”

Similarly to Bonagura, Cintron had little experience heading into this season. As a redshirt freshman in 2015, Cintron got just three punts under his belt.

He was in competition for the job with senior Tim Gleeson during training camp, ​but a nagging back issue caused Gleeson to be an inconsistent participant, giving way to Cintron to win the position battle.

Cintron still has some things to work on, such as his hang time and consistency, but, just as he is with Bonagura, Chris Ash is pleased with both how far Cintron has come since the spring and what his future at Rutgers projects to be.

“Michael’s got a chance to be an outstanding punter as he continues his career here at Rutgers,” Ash said. “The improvement that kid has made since last spring has been remarkable ... At the beginning of spring practice I didn’t know if he’d ever have the chance to be what we consider a legitimate Big Ten punter and he is. As long as he continues to go in that direction and work on his consistency, I think he can be an outstanding punter.”

For updates on the Rutgers football team, follow @EricMullin_ and @TargumSports on Twitter.

Kicker David Bonagura is 6 of 7 on field goal attempts this season, with a long of 41 yards. Since taking over on kickoffs two games ago, Bonagura has recorded an average of 66 yards per kick, including one touchback. DIMITRI RODRIGUEZ / PHOTO EDITOR / SEPTEMBER 2016

Brian Fonseca Sports Editor

It was a crisp night in Piscataway on Oct. 5, 2014, but the game being played at High Point Solutions Stadium was reaching a boiling point.

A game that had six lead changes headed into the fourth quarter seemed set for a seventh, with visiting Michigan driving downfield against the Rutgers football team’s defense, looking to deliver another dagger into the chest of a team three weeks removed from suffering a heartbreaking 13-10 loss to Penn State in its Big Ten debut.

The Wolverines were only the second conference opponent the Scarlet Knights faced since joining the power five conference that season but the prospect of it being their first ever conference win became smaller with every yard Michigan gained.

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