For the entire 20th century and the first few years of the 21st, Rutgers played the same role to the northeast college football fan. First it provided a safety school for New Jersey’s millions of C students to get a “f*cking edjakashun” at a college with a name which they would never know the source, even years after they graduated (for the record Henry Rutgers was a Colonel in the Revolutionary War). Secondly, it provided Syracuse, Penn State, West Virginia, Boston College, Army, UMass, Binghamton, Vassar a rival to beat on in football year in, year out by large margins as their thousands of in-state recruits looked on. While the first may always be true, Greg Schiano and his axes are chopping wood and making Rutgers a formidable football program, the Scarlet Knights 2006 success could only be a beginning as New Jersey’s best high school football players discover the powerhouse in their own backyard.
Projected Record and Bowl Result: 11-2 Beat Miami in Meineke Car Care Bowl
Who they’ll beat: Buffalo (Home), Navy (Home), Norfolk State (Home), Maryland (Home), Cincinnati (Home), Syracuse (Road), South Florida (Home), Connecticut (Road), Army (Road), Pittsburgh (Home), Miami, FL (Charlotte, NC)
Who’ll beat them: West Virginia (Home), Louisville (Road)
When they Pass: Mike Teel was probably a prodigious quarterback at his high school in New Jersey. At Rutgers, at least in 2006, he was primarily a means by which the ball ended up in the hands of Ray Rice and Brian Leonard. With Leonard gone, Teel will probably be asked to make plays on occasions where defenses focus on Rice. Games against Navy, South Florida and Pittsburgh may hinge on his ability to make such plays.
When they Run: Even without Leonard lead blocking, Rice is fast enough to make plays on the ground. Whether he’ll live up to Heisman-hype remains to be seen. He’ll get plenty of opportunities to do so. Rice carried the ball 335 times and with no Leonard, that number should increase. What will hopefully decrease is the number of times announcers mention that he had agreed to play for Syracuse before Paul Pasqualoni was fired.
When their Opponents Run: Greg Schiano’s 4-3 will be merciless against the run. All-American defensive tackle Eric Foster leads the defensive line and Schiano’s best recruits from 2005 will be stepping in at linebacker.
When their Opponents Pass: Rutgers ranked 6th in the country in pass defense last year and while a lot of credit can be given to the pass rush. Twin brothers Jason and Devin McCourty will start at cornerback.
When they Kick: Jeremy Ito, who is best known for kicking the game winner against Louisville is one of the nation’s best.
When they call Timeout: Greg Schiano was the national Coach of the Year and was immediately Miami’s first choice in its coaching search last year. Wanting to see his reclamation project at Rutgers through, he turned the job down. His merits as a game coach can be debated but his ability to recruit and motivate can not. The sky is the limit for Rutgers as long as Schiano is in New Jersey.
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