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College Football Insiders brings you on the field to the Rutgers Spring game and takes a look at the state of the program.
The 2007 season saw Rutgers University win its second straight bowl game—the first time that the NJ state school has won back to back bowl games in 138 years. It was also the Scarlet Knights’ third straight bowl appearance, but by no means does the program feel it has arrived…  Ray Rice With WRs Britt & Underwood “The bar is set even higher there,” Rice said of the program he has left. “They’re expanding their stadium now. It’s becoming a great place. It’s attractive now. It’s going to be an attractive place for recruits to see…it’s going to be hard to overlook Rutgers now when it comes time to recruit. Big time players want to come there.” One big time recruit is quarterback Tom Savage out of Philadelphia, who announced his intention to attend Rutgers leading up to the spring contest, choosing the Scarlet Knights over college football stalwarts Georgia, Miami and Tennessee. That Rutgers is starting to win some of these recruiting battles is perhaps the biggest sign that the arrows are pointing in the right direction. Yes they did play a football game on Saturday. Quarterback Mike Teel looked sharp for the most part, completing 16-of-25 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns (no INTs). “Mike (Teel) went out there displayed what a senior quarterback should look like going into his final year. I thought he had complete command of what he was doing,” Schiano said, when asked who stood out to him—when he wasn’t looking to dazzle recruits of course. “Kenny (Britt) and Ty (Underwood)…they were Kenny and Ty. They made plays.” Britt, who left the game with a minor nick, had six receptions for 84 yards and Underwood recorded five receptions for 99 yards and two touchdowns. This should come as no surprise—another first by the Scarlet Knights during the ’07 campaign was having a 3,000-yard passer, a 2,000-yard rusher and a duo of wideouts who reached 1,000 yards. That wasn’t just a Rutgers first, but an NCAA first. What to do about the departed 2,000-yard rusher? And three-fifths of the line that led the way—First Team All Big East selections Jeremy Zuttah and Mike Fladell (Rivals), and Second Team choice, Pedro Sosa? “They’re both pretty difficult,” Schiano said with a smile when we asked what would be more difficult to replace—the experience at the offensive line or the star power of Rice. “It’s something we gotta see how it unfolds and I am not sure exactly how it’s going to unfold quite yet. I don’t even know if I have the vision of what it’s going to be like,” Schiano said if his future running attack. “Because Kordell (Young) played before he got injured and because Mason (Robinson) played after Kordell got injured, we probably have a little more experience there at that position than we do at some of the offensive line, where a guy like Caleb Ruch (redshirt freshman) hasn’t played. (Kevin) Haslam has some experience, but Mike (Gilmartin) doesn’t have a ton.” Of the “pool of guys” at running back, potential starter Mason Robinson ran for 38 yards on eight carries (4.8 yards per carry), while Joe Martinek led the way with 70 yards on 13 carries (4.9). Schiano believes they have quality depth with five capable backs, but at the same time does not ignore the value of Rice. “We have a little more experience at running back, but then you gotta say, Rice is only the leading all-time rusher in Rutgers history, so it may take more than some experience.” As for the offensive line, Schiano and Coach Kyle Flood still need to figure out who their best five are among a group of eight candidates. Their most talented linemen and a returning starter, Anthony Davis, likely the school’s biggest recruiting coup to date, still has to make the transition to left tackle after playing guard last season. According to the coach, Davis is still somewhat of a work in progress at the premium position. This uncertainty at the running back slot and along the offensive line likely means more of an emphasis and responsibility on the passing game. “I think you have to take into account you have a senior quarterback and some really good wideouts,” Schiano added. “So we really gotta make sure we do things with our offense to take the heat off the guys that have not played a lot of football.” On the defensive side of the ball, true sophomore Manny Abreu stood out with a game-high eight tackles, including one for a loss. The Union City, New Jersey native is one their most highly touted recruits in recent memory. Don’t be surprised if Abreu, who entered the spring as a second teamer on the depth chart, is a key contributor in the fall. “Manny is going to be very good if he can just keep growing in his understanding and his technique. Manny is very gifted, a very, very gifted athlete,” Schiano stated. Another youngster who made his presence felt was redshirt freshman defensive linemen Wayne Thomas, the No. 11 rated prospect coming out of New Jersey in his class and the 31st ranked defensive tackle overall according to scouting service Rivals.com. The 280-pounder, who will not turn 20 until July, recorded a game-high two sacks and added a quarterback hurry. Last season, the Knights reached eight wins for just the second time since 1980 and for only the 12th time in the school’s history…if they make it 13, this year’s senior class will reach 34 wins, surpassing last year’s class total of 30. A repeat of 2006’s 11-win season would tie them with the Class of ’78 at 37 wins. They could also become the first class to reach a bowl in all four seasons…another one of those nice stops along the road.  Trackback(0)
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