GAMEDAY PAGE 2
OCTOBER 12, 2012
KNIGHTS GAMEDAY RUTGERS VS. SYRACUSE
GAME 6: High Point Solutions Stadium, noon TV: Big East Network RADIO: 1450 AM
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INSIDE the NUMBERS
]
SCARLET KNIGHTS (5-0, 2-0)
SYRACUSE (2-3, 1-0)
PASSING CMP YDS TD INT. AVG. G. Nova 60.9% 1119 10 2 223.8
PASSING CMP YDS TD INT. AVG. R. Nassib 65.9% 1552 10 6 310.4
RUSHING NO. YDS TD J. Jamison 130 601 2 S. Huggins 25 86 1 RECEIVING NO. YDS TD T. Wright 21 239 0 M. Harrison 21 198 3 B. Coleman 18 278 5 DEFENSE TKL K. Greene 49 Jamal Merrell 37 L. Ryan 32 INJURIES Questionable — K K. Federico OUT — DT A. Page
RUSHING J. Smith P. Gulley RECEIVING M. Sales J. West A. Lemon
LNG 64 31 LNG 46 60 43 SCK 2 0.5 0
AVG. 4.6 3.4 AVG. 11.4 9.4 15.4 INT 1 1 2
NO. 63 37 NO. 33 21 21
DEFENSE
YDS 288 165 YDS 445 317 212
TD 0 2 TD 5 1 0 TKL 31 29 24
S. Diabate D. Davis M. Spruill INJURIES Questionable — S S. Thomas
LNG 26 21 LNG 41 33 24 SCK 0 0 1
AVG. 4.7 4.8 AVG. 13.5 15..1 10.1 INT 0 0 0
Sophomore left tackle Kaleb Johnson contends with Syracuse’s Brandon Sharpe, who recorded more sacks in one game than Rutgers allowed through five this season. JOVELLE TAMAYO, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Knights ready for blitzing ‘D’ BY JOSH BAKAN ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
Connecticut defensive tackle Ryan Wirth broke through the Rutgers football team’s offensive line Saturday to bring sophomore quarterback Gary Nova to the ground for the first time this season. The sack was not incredibly consequential as sophomore running back Jawan Jamison recovered Nova’s fumble for a one-yard gain. Rutgers’ offensive line was still disappointed as it lost its clean streak of non-intentional grounding sacks. “Even last week that sack was kind of down on us,” said sophomore left tackle Kaleb Johnson, “but as an offensive line we take pride in the fact that we have so little.” Syracuse (2-3, 0-1) defensive end Brandon Sharpe recorded four sacks later that night against Pittsburgh, surpassing the three sacks Rutgers has allowed this year by himself. Sharpe leads a Syracuse pass rush — second in the Big East with
14 sacks — tomorrow at High Point Solutions Stadium that looks to break down the Knights’ offensive line. Sharpe will be in Johnson’s line of vision when Johnson protects Nova’s blindside and will be a handful if he plays like he did against the Panthers. The rest of the line, meanwhile, must contend with Syracuse’s defense, which has a tendency to blitz. Rutgers’ pass rush has lent them a helping hand in practice. “The way you prepare [the offensive line] is just throw them all at them during the practice week,” said head coach Kyle Flood. “There’s really no other way to get them to do it other than to do it.” UConn’s defense, which leads the Big East with 17 sacks, gave Rutgers (5-0, 2-0) practice in dealing with defensive pressure. Nova is part of the equation in sack prevention, since the play has to end with the ball in his hand. The Huskies helped acclimate Nova to constant blitzing as he faced three of the four Big East leaders in sacks.
They only got to Nova once, but the Don Bosco (N.J.) Prep product keeps that in mind. “I try to know where my problems are, know where I’m going to get pressure and know the weak spots in our protection and try to get the ball out as fast as I can,” Nova said. Flood values a quarterback’s experience, which Nova gains when he faces a difficult defense. Now a fifth-year senior, Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib has had plenty of time to gain it, too. “They have a tremendous quarterback with a lot of experience, and there’s no better teacher at that position than experience,” Flood said. Griffin takes it — and three of the top-six receivers in the Big East in receptions per game — to a Rutgers defense that allows 236.2 passing yards per game, which is second highest in the conference. Rutgers hopes to prevent similarly game-changing plays up front, and that means preventing any sacks is still the priority. “We’re not going to let them touch our quarterback,” Johnson said.
SCHEDULE
SCHEDULE Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 13 Sept. 22 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27 Nov. 10 Nov. 17 Nov. 24 Nov. 29
Tulane Howard South Florida Arkansas Connecticut Syracuse Temple Kent State Army Cincinnati Pittsburgh Louisville
W, 24-12 W, 26-0 W, 23-13 W, 35-26 W, 19-3 noon noon 3:30 p.m. TBA noon TBA 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 1 Sept. 8 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Oct. 5 Oct. 13 Oct. 19 Oct. 27 Nov. 3 Nov. 10 Nov. 17 Nov. 23
Northwestern USC Stony Brook Minnesota Pittsburgh Rutgers Connecticut South Florida Cincinnati Louisville Missouri Temple
L, 42-41 L, 42-29 W, 28-17 L, 17-10 W, 14-13 noon 8 p.m. TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA
Key Matchup RUTGERS LINEBACKERS VS. SYRACUSE QB RYAN NASSIB Nassib is arguably the best passer in the Big East, but he is also a threat to run with 87 rushing yards and a touchdown as a senior. The Knights’ containment could play a role in bottling up Nassib, who threw for only 169 yards last year against Rutgers.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP : OFFENSE
BRANDON COLEMAN WIDE RECEIVER
KALEB JOHNSON TACKLE
ANTWAN LOWERY GUARD
BETIM BUJARI CENTER
ANDRE CIVIL GUARD
R.J. DILL TACKLE
D.C. JEFFERSON TIGHT END
MARK HARRISON WIDE RECEIVER
GARY NOVA QUARTERBACK
PAUL CARREZOLA FULLBACK
JAWAN JAMISON RUNNING BACK
Sophomore 6’-6”, 220 lbs.
Sophomore 6’-4”, 300 lbs.
Junior 6’-4”, 305 lbs.
Sophomore 6’-4”, 290 lbs.
Junior 6’-3”, 275 lbs.
Senior 6’-7”, 310 lbs.
Senior 6’-6”, 250 lbs
Senior 6’-3”, 230 lbs
Sophomore 6’-2”, 225 lbs
Junior 6’-2”, 241 lbs
Sophomore 5’-8”, 200 lbs
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP : DEFENSE
MARCUS THOMPSON RIGHT END
SCOTT VALLONE TACKLE
JAMIL MERRELL TACKLE
KA’LIAL GLAUD LEFT END
JAMAL MERRELL LINEBACKER
STEVE BEAUHARNAIS LINEBACKER
KHASEEM GREENE LINEBACKER
MARCUS COOPER CORNERBACK
LORENZO WATERS STRONG SAFETY
DURON HARMON FREE SAFETY
LOGAN RYAN CORNERBACK
Junior 6’-2”, 260 lbs
Senior 6’-3”, 275 lbs
Junior 6’-4”, 255 lbs
Senior 6’-2”, 230 lbs
Junior 6’-4”, 220 lbs
Senior 6’-2”, 230 lbs
Senior 6’-1”, 230 lbs
Senior 6’-2”, 190 lbs
Sophomore 6’-0”, 200 lbs
Senior 6’-1”, 200 lbs
Junior 6’-0”, 190 lbs
OCTOBER 12, 2012
GAMEDAY PAGE 3
KNIGHT NUGGETS BY THE NUMBERS The Syracuse defense allows Junior linebacker Jamal more than 146 yards on the Merrell needs only seven ground per game, which puts tackles to equal his total of it sixth in the Big East. The 44 from last season. Merrell Knights, meanwhile, have the top rusher in the is second on the team in the statistic to senior Big East in sophomore Jawan Jamison. linebacker Khaseem Greene, who has 49 stops.
146
7
The difference between Rutgers’ and Syracuse’s yards per pass attempt is zero. Both teams average 7.4 yards per try this season, although the Knights throw the ball less frequently.
0
Syracuse has three wide receivers in the top 10 in the Big East in terms of receiving yards per game. Orange wideout Marcus Sales leads the Big East with 89 yards per game and five scores.
3
BIG QUESTION HOW LONG WILL THE KNIGHTS ‘D’ GO WITHOUT MULTIPLE SACKS IN A GAME? KA’LIAL GLAUD Senior Defensive End
The last time Rutgers’ defense recorded more than one sack was a Sept. 8 win against Howard. With Ryan Nassib, a veteran quarterback, in the pocket, the Knights cannot let the trend continue.
THE ADVANTAGE GOES TO... OFFENSE The Knights continue to become more dynamic, while the Orange leave more to desired in the ground game.
DEFENSE Rutgers ranks in the top five nationally against the run and in scoring defense this season.
COACHING Head coach Kyle Flood continues to turn heads around the country for the team’s 5-0 start in his first season.
SPECIAL TEAMS An injured kicker, a struggling punter and a kick return fumble last week do not bode well for Rutgers.
X-FACTOR Syracuse’s blitzing style has given the Knights fits since their blowout loss to the Orange in 2009 at the Carrier Dome.
MOMENTUM Syracuse’s win last week against Pittsburgh was big, but the Knights do not show signs fof slowing down.
RUTGERS WINS IF...
SYRACUSE WINS IF...
ITS OFFENSIVE LINE GIVES GARY NOVA ENOUGH TIME TO FIND RECEIVERS
RYAN NASSIB GETS IN RHYTHM IN THE PASSING GAME, FINISHES DRIVES
The Orange racked up five sacks in Nova’s first appearance in Big East play last season. Rutgers has surrendered a league-low three in five games this season.
Nassib threw an interception on the goal line a year ago, aiding Rutgers’ comeback victory. But he is more than capable of eating up clock and sustaining long drives.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK “There’s going to be a game where it comes and you guys are going to be like, ‘OK, there’s nine, 10 sacks.’ I honestly believe that.”
SCOTT VALLONE Senior Defensive Tackle
TARGUM’S FINAL VERDICT RUTGERS WINS, 24-13 Rutgers wins the first matchup between the schools not decided by three points since 2009.
Syracuse fourth-year head coach Doug Marrone meets Rutgers’ Kyle Flood for the first time after Flood took the job Jan. 30 in place of Greg Schiano, who moved on to the NFL. GETTY IMAGES
Marrone respects RU jump BY JOEY GREGORY ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
In the majority of preseason Big East rankings, the Rutgers football team was tabbed to finish in third place. The common sentiment was the Scarlet Knights had a good defense, but the offense was not as forceful. But then Rutgers traveled to Tampa and defeated South Florida, and followed that up with a victory against SEC power Arkansas in shootout fashion. Now opponents likely understand the Knights are a more complete team than preseason rankings led people to believe. Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone leads the next of those opponents. “We’re playing a very [tough] opponent that’s undefeated, and rightfully so,” he said. “They’ve played extremely well. We have a great challenge ahead of us.” Connecticut head coach Paul Pasqualoni cited first-year head coach Kyle Flood’s success at getting the team to buy into his system and coaching philosophy. Marrone agrees with Pasqualoni, and that has produced results. One piece of evidence for those results is the revamped Rutgers offense, which has shown it can move the ball and score against some of the top defenses in the conference. “They’re doing an outstanding job of holding possessions, really limiting [opponents’] possessions,” Marrone said. “I’ve
seen a lot of big plays. I think they have an outstanding running back. It seems like that’s the case [with our opponent] every week.” To help combat that, the Orange boast one of the top defensive ends in the Big East in Brandon Sharpe. In Syracuse’s 14-13 win against Pittsburgh last week, Sharpe picked up seven tackles — six for a loss — and four sacks en route to being named the Bronko Nagurski National
“Statistically, this is ... the best defense we’ve faced since I’ve been here” DOUG MARRONE Syracuse Head Coach
Defensive Player of the Week, a performance Marrone believes was a long time coming. “Brandon, like a lot of players, has been working extremely hard to get better,” he said. “To say, ‘Oh, he had a really good week this week and went out there and played well,’ that would give a good indication of poor coaching and poor inspiration and motivation from a player. I think Brandon has been working extremely hard for a long period of time.” The Knights have an offensive line that has only allowed one true sack this season working againt Sharpe.
They also have one of the top running backs in the conference in sophomore Jawan Jamison that Marrone is also familiar with. He also takes note of the Rutgers wideouts, who have emerged as potential big-play threats. “Their receivers do an outstanding job,” Marrone said. “They’re big kids and they’re tough to tackle. They have great height, great range, great speed. At the time they need to make plays, they make plays. You’re 50 for a reason. They’re playing very well in all three phases.” But in the midst of Rutgers’ newfound air attack, the defense is not lost on Marrone, either. In the last meeting between the two teams — a Knights double-overtime victory — Rutgers held the Orange to 16 points. Marrone is not shy about giving the Rutgers defense the praise he feels it deserves. “Statistically, this probably is … the best defense we’ve faced since I’ve been here,” he said. And he is well aware of nearly every one of those statistics. “Where should I star t?” Marrone said. “Obviously the total defense, the r ushing defense, the pass ef ficiency defense, the scoring defense, tackles for loss, the turnover margin is huge. Tur novers gained — I believe they have 10 interceptions.” Marrone will likely approach the Knights not as the preseason third-place team in the conference, but as the complete unit he believes it has become.
GAMEDAY PAGE 4
OCTOBER 12, 2012
POWER
Pair of programs eye recruiting advantage, market numbers in media stronghold under developing coaches BY TYLER BARTO SPORTS EDITOR
Scott Vallone grew up along New York’s 118-mile Long Island expanse rooting for Syracuse. The Rutgers football team’s senior defensive tackle joked as a kid about playing for the Orange, who once ruled among allegiances in the Northeast. But as Vallone prepares to face Syracuse tomorrow for the final time as a Scarlet Knight, southeast New York is as fluid a marketing region as ever. “Rutgers has actually picked up a lot of notoriety,” Vallone said. “Playing on ESPN so many times, winning games, it’s not a joke anymore. … Being where I’m from, people have taken on Rutgers as almost a New York team. It’s almost evenly matched at this point.” The point remains one in contention for Syracuse, which adopted the slogan “New York’s College Team” around the time head coach Doug Marrone was hired. But even before then, the phrase was a mindset, said Syracuse defensive tackle Rob Welsh. “We take a lot of pride in that,” he said. Welsh played two seasons with Vallone at St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) High School in the New York Catholic League. Welsh, a freshman in 2006, met Vallone after a varsity practice, and Vallone took him under his wing when Welsh played varsity the following season. Vallone remembers playing against future Syracuse commits Michael Hay and David Legree in high school, when former head coach Greg Robinson roamed the Carrier Dome sidelines. “He wasn’t really trying to lock down New York,” Vallone said of Robinson. “You would think Syracuse being the New York school would be the first school to make sure they offered me. That wasn’t the case.” Vallone ultimately committed to the Scarlet Knights, thanks in part to a gaudy meeting with former head coach Greg Schiano. “When Coach Schiano at the time flew the helicopter onto
Rutgers
YEE ZHSIN BOON
our baseball field,” Welsh said, “I had a feeling he was going to go there.” But the thinking changed when Marrone took over at Syracuse in 2008. He restored the program’s vested interest in acquiring top New York talent, which Robinson failed to do over a four-year span and a 10-37 record. “We were in that period of rebuilding,” Welsh said. “They said, ‘We need a bunch of New York guys, and you’re one of the best kids on Long Island right now. We’d really like you to come here and help us rebuild.’” But with the resurrection came control over the program. Marrone, born in the Bronx, closed spring practice to Syracuse media following a 5-7 season in 2011 that featured one Big East win. The Orange won eight games the previous season and appeared in a bowl game for the first time since 2004. They are 2-3 in Marrone’s crucial fourth season, but a turnaround could rally the area’s hibernating fan base, Vallone said. “Rutgers is closer to New York City than even Syracuse is,” he said. “It could be described as New York’s team. If Syracuse did get hot, it would pick up a lot of steam, though, because of the tradition and it is in New York.”
But the current makeup of both teams resembles little of the region they covet. Three projected starters tomorrow hail from New York City. One, junior right guard Andre Civil, considers the city a different state from the culture upstate. “You look at the rosters, obviously southeastern New York is a big part of the State of Rutgers for us,” said head coach Kyle Flood, who grew up in Bayside, Queens. “For them, they really only have one starter over on offense from New York City, and two starters on defense from New York City. … Three or four of their defensive linemen are from California and Virginia. Those are areas we don’t really target in the recruiting process.” Schiano once outlined a plan to build a fence around the pseudostate of Rutgers, which spanned the Mid-Atlantic U.S. Flood, who joined Schiano’s staff in 2005, played a significant role in implementing it. Marrone has done the same, despite mixed results. But the only result — and final one, with Syracuse’s move to the ACC next year — that matters plays itself out tomorrow at High Point Solutions Stadium. “The fact that both colleges are going for the same recruits and local areas,” Welsh said, “that really puts it over the edge.”
Rutgers on ESPN
Elmwood Park, N.J. Secaucus, N.J. Brooklyn, N.Y. Sicklerville, N.J. Central Islip, N.Y. Saddle Brook, N.J. Elizabeth, N.J. Wall, N.J. Berlin, N.J. Sicklerville, N.J.
by the numbers Rutgers has provided ESPN some of the highest-rated games of its New York Domestic Market Area. (DMA)
Starters’ Sites A geographical representation of the hometowns of the starters of Rutgers and Syracuse football
Syracuse offered Rutgers defensive tackle Scott Vallone during his junior season of high school, but he expected it earlier.
Syracuse Bronx, N.Y. Hillside, N.J. Paramus, N.J. Jamaica, N.Y. Syracuse, N.Y. Syracuse, N.Y. Woodbury, N.J.
8.15 607,157
Rating of Rutgers vs. Loiusville in 2006.
20.9%
Number of Rutgers Fans in the DMA
INFORMATION COURTESY OF SUATHLETICS.COM, RUTGERS ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS
Share of DMA that Rutgers fans make up.
GRAPHICS BY HAKAN UZUMCU, DESIGN EDITOR
OCTOBER 12, 2012
GAMEDAY PAGE 5
STRUGGLE
Rutgers battles Syracuse for final time in series that features nearly 100 years, more than 40 on-field meetings BY JOEY GREGORY ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
A matchup between the Rutgers football team and Syracuse on Nov. 7, 2014, would mark the 100th anniversary of the first meeting between the two schools. They first met on that date in 1914, with the result being the only tie in series that contains 42 games — the Scarlet Knights have won 11 of them and lost 30. The two began meeting as conference opponents in 1991, when Rutgers joined the Big East. The Orange had been a member since 1979, the year of the conference’s inception. Rutgers suffered the fifth of 12 consecutive losses in the series in that first Big East meeting. It faces Syracuse for the final time as a conference opponent
tomorrow at High Point Solutions Stadium. Following this season the Orange, along with Pittsburgh, depart for the ACC, only one of several conference changes in recent college football history. “I think it’s unfortunate, but it’s the reality of college football these days,” said head coach Kyle Flood. “Change is the new norm, and things are moving all the time in college football. We probably have not seen the end of it yet. This might not be the last opponent that this could happen with.” With West Virginia already gone to the Big 12, the Big East made measures to accept additional teams, many far from being considered in the east. Flood believes is not necessarily the right way to go, but that it is how things have become. “I do think, in general, college football is regional,” he said. “I
Senior Khaseem Greene, bottom, dismissed a potential final meeting tomorrow with Syracuse, which leaves for the ACC.
just don’t know if that’s reality anymore, if that can happen.” If the Knights do continue a series with Syracuse, which Flood said Athletic Director Tim Pernetti will mainly handle trying to arrange, they will meet as outof-conference foes. With Rutgers showing it is willing to have matchups with ACC opponents — it recently finished a series with North Carolina — such a series is not outside the realm of possibility, but it will be unusual at first. “It is weird being in the Northeast and then they’re moving to a new conference,” said senior defensive tackle Scott Vallone. “It’s definitely a little bit different. When I get a little older, I can respect that a little bit more.” But do not expect the Knights to approach the game any differently than they have the five games they won this season. They do not plan on looking past this game to Syracuse’s departure. “They’re going to a different conference, but that’s next year,” said senior linebacker Khaseem Greene. “Right now, we got to line up and play this game just like they got to line up and play this game. I wish them the best of luck, but a game has to be played on Saturday.” With both Syracuse and Rutgers in the New York metropolitan area, there is much talk of a rivalry, and sometimes a territory battle. But the Knights do not think that applies. “That’s for other people to say, if we claim part of New York or whatever the case may be,” Greene said. “If that’s what somebody needs to fuel the rivalry or whatever the case may be, then so be it.” Rutgers believes it all boils down to playing a solid game, as it has the whole year. “I don’t do too much worr ying about rivalries and stuf f like that,” said junior guard Andre Civil. “Syracuse is a great team. I’m just so excited to play them and get to play good football on Saturday.”
YEE ZHSIN BOON
Rutgers and Syracuse have played 42 games spanning nearly 100 years.
20-3 September 12, 1987
Here are some of the important points in that time.
Syracuse wins in the first of 12 consecutive Rutgers losses in the series
17-9
21-7 October 26, 1991 Syracuse wins in the first meeting as conference opponents
October 13, 2012
October 25, 1980 Syracuse wins in the first of annual meetings between the two schools
14 -14 November 7, 1914 Rutgers and Syracuse tie in their first-ever meeting
1900
1920
31-13
1979
November 21, 2009
The Big East is created, with Syracuse as an original member
Syracuse knocks Rutgers out of the rankings
1940
1960
1980
INFORMATION COURTESY OF MCUBED.NET
2000
The final meeting between Rutgers and Syracuse as conference opponents
2012
GRAPHIC BY SHAODI HUANG, ASSOCIATE DESIGN EDITOR
GAMEDAY PAGE 6
OCTOBER 12, 2012
BIGEAST GAME OF THE WEEK LOUISVILLE
TEMPLE at CONNECTICUT Temple follows its dramatic come-from-behind win against South Florida last Saturday with a middling UConn team. The Owls could go 2-0 in the league for the first time in recent memory.
PREDICTION: Temple, 28-10
FORDHAM at CINCINNATI
PITTSBURGH
Louisville, the Big East’s top-ranked team, takes on struggling Pittsburgh after a bye. The Cardinals have not won by double digits since a Sept. 8 win against Missouri State, but Teddy Bridgewater, a sophomore, has arguably the most ability out of any Big East quarterback this season.
The Bearcats could enjoy another gaudy margin of victory this weekend it had last week against Miami (Ohio). Rancocas Valley (N.J.) High School’s Carlton Koonce leads the Rams’ rush. PREDICTION: Cincinnati, 48-14
BIG EAST STANDINGS Football
Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater opens Big East play tomorrow with visiting Pittsburgh, 0-2 in the league. KEITH FREEMAN, SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER / OCTOBER 2011
Key Matchup
PREDICTION
Louisville run tandem vs. Pitt rush defense
LOUISVILLE, 28-14
The Cardinals’ Senorise Perry and Jeremy Wright have a combined 170 carries this season for 864 yards. The Panthers allow 134.8 yards on the ground per game, which is fifth-best in the conference.
Pitt continues to reel during a return to pro-style offense.
Knights eye advantage on returns BY JOEY GREGORY ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
The Rutgers football team has developed a habit of making special teams plays in nearly every game. It is one of the Scarlet Knights’ focuses in practice each day. “We spend a lot of time preparing for it, a lot of time in the practice schedule doing it,” said head coach Kyle Flood yesterday. “I don’t know that we’re unique in that, but we do it here and it’s important to us. We see it every week as something that should help us win the game, not just something that should change field.” The Knights face a unique challenge tomorrow against Syracuse. Rutgers often gains an advantage in field position because it leads the Big East in kickoff return yardage, averaging 49 return yards per game. The Orange, on the other hand, harbor the best kickoff coverage unit in the conference, Flood said. “That’s a great matchup in the game and something that’s going to be critical to the drive start,” he said. “In every game we want special teams to be our advantage.” Syracuse is also dead last in the Big East in punt return yardage, which the Knights hope to take advantage of, as well. “If we can be consistent in our punting, I think there will be an opportunity there for us,” Flood said. “We’ll see how that plays out with the game.”
TEAM 1. RUTGERS 2. Cincinnati 3. Temple 4. Syracuse 5. Louisville 6. Connecticut 7. Pittsburgh 8. South Florida
RECORD PRE-RANK 2011 5-0, 2-0 3rd 9-4 4-0, 1-0 4th 10-3 2-2, 1-0 8th 9-4* 2-3, 1-0 7th 5-7 5-0, 0-0 1st 7-6 3-3, 0-1 6th 5-7 2-3, 0-2 5th 6-7 2-4, 0-2 2nd 5-7
*Temple played in the Mid-American Conference last season before accepting an invitation to rejoin the Big East beginning this season.
GAMEDAY PAGE 7
OCTOBER 12, 2012
Sophomore defensive tackle Kenneth Kirksey (95) and junior defensive end Marcus Thompson converge on Connecticut quarterback Chandler Whitmer during the Knights’ 19-3 win last Saturday. Rutgers has only nine sacks through five games, but it forced three fourth-quarter interceptions against UConn. YEE ZHSIN BOON
RU insists sack numbers will increase BY TYLER BARTO SPORTS EDITOR
Despite a No. 2 run defense nationally, a Big East-best plusnine turnover margin and a zero percent fourth-down conversion rate, one glaring omission remains for the Rutgers football team’s front four. The Scarlet Knights have only nine sacks through five games. They recorded as many in their 2011 season opener against NC Central. But senior defensive tackle Scott Vallone thinks it can happen again.
“We have to be patient,” he said. “There’s going to be a game where it comes and you guys are going to be like, ‘OK, there’s nine, 10 sacks.’ I honestly believe that.” The Knights are on pace to record 22 sacks, 14 fewer than last year’s total. Ten of those sacks came from players who graduated after last season. But more than only the changeover affects the number. Head coach Kyle Flood points to opponents’ new game plans for the reduced total. “I don’t think anything has changed with the way we play
defense,” he said, “but I do think the teams we play are conscious of it.” Ka’Lial Glaud notices the difference firsthand. The senior defensive end estimates he hit Connecticut quarterback Chandler Whitmer three or four times last Saturday, which he said took a toll. “The quarterbacks are anxious to get the ball out of their hands,” Glaud said. “They’re getting the ball out very fast and it’s causing them to throw the ball inaccurate. … It has to affect them throughout the game.”
Junior Jamil Merrell’s move to defensive tackle could bolster the Knights’ pass rush by giving it another edge rusher on the inside of the defense. MARIELLE SUMERGIDO, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Glaud, senior linebacker Khaseem Greene and sophomore safety Lorenzo Waters tie for the team lead with two sacks each. Because of the nature of coordinator Robb Smith’s philosophy, sack numbers could continue to spread between each layer of the defense. Only a third of the Knights’ sacks come from their defensive line. “Being the nature of the defense we are, people don’t want to sit in the pocket too long,” Vallone said. “That’s just the way it’s going to be. When they’re catching and they see two guys in their face, they chuck it up and we get four interceptions.” Discounting Arkansas’ Tyler Wilson’s fourth-quarter performance Sept. 22, opposing quarterbacks completed 23 passes on 47 attempts for 248 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions in four games against Rutgers. Its defense forced six punts and three turnovers on downs in the process. “We’re having our effect,” Vallone said. “Those hits in the first and second quarter don’t matter as much. Until he starts throwing three picks in the fourth quarter, then we know we’re doing our job.” Whether the Knights’ late leads also figure into their fourthquarter prowess remains to be seen, Flood said. Rutgers has outscored its opponents, 38-3, in the third quarter this season. “I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not,” Flood said. “I certainly think our coaches have done a good job at halftime. When you have an older, more experienced team, they’re able to learn through the game maybe a
little bit better than younger teams are.” The Knights returned two veterans — senior Marvin Booker and junior Michael Larrow — to the defensive line against UConn. Booker recorded three tackles and one for a loss in his first game since the team’s Sept. 1 season opener. He could have an effect on the pass rush by spelling Glaud, who Vallone said impressed him most from a preseason of uncertainty. “He’s really taken to what [defensive line] coach [Jim] Panagos is teaching and what Coach Smith is asking him to do with the scheme,” Vallone said. “I’m really proud of the way he’s matured this year. He’s rushing the passer well, getting hits on the quarterback.” But Vallone, a 43-game starter, remains the focal point of a renewed rush. Flood said Vallone excelled in the three-technique — where Vallone lines up on the outside shoulder of a guard — before an injur y forced his return to nose tackle. Still, the transition of junior Jamil Merrell, a 6-foot-4 former end, could allow Smith more pass rush options in the absence of traditional nose tackle Isaac Holmes. If Rutgers expects its sack totals to increase exponentially, it likely starts with more creativity. It already likes what it sees from a pressure standpoint. “Ever y single quarterback we’ve played has felt it,” Glaud said. “They have to remember us because we’re always hitting him. … I just look at Scott and I’m like, ‘Oh, man, he’s going to get it soon.’”