Lets talk about RUTGERS

[wulffui]

Assuming that for the first time in the Leach era, we'll start 1-0, so I looked at some Rutgers info lately, seems much more productive than some of the other threads.

QB is still up in the air, between Laviano, who was last year's backup, and Hayden Rettig, a four star recruit who transferred from LSU.

They'll have a new running back, and are looking for a second receiver to go with Carroo, who is their number one.

They lose three of the five starters for the OL, and only had eight OL available for their spring game.

On defense, they bring back most of their front seven, and had one rusher in particular who was making the Rutgers OL look so bad that they pulled him in the first half of the spring game.

In the secondary, they shifted their returning corner to safety, so they'll have experienced safeties, with new corners.

I think the kicker is OK, but had a down year last year.

Anyone else know more about them?

 

[Coug90]

They are scarlett?

 

[Coug1990]

Assuming that for the first time in the Leach era, we'll start 1-0, so I looked at some Rutgers info lately, seems much more productive than some of the other threads.

QB is still up in the air, between Laviano, who was last year's backup, and Hayden Rettig, a four star recruit who transferred from LSU.

They'll have a new running back, and are looking for a second receiver to go with Carroo, who is their number one.

They lose three of the five starters for the OL, and only had eight OL available for their spring game.

On defense, they bring back most of their front seven, and had one rusher in particular who was making the Rutgers OL look so bad that they pulled him in the first half of the spring game.

In the secondary, they shifted their returning corner to safety, so they'll have experienced safeties, with new corners.

I think the kicker is OK, but had a down year last year.

Anyone else know more about them?

Good idea Wulffui. I do not know a lot about them at this time. I will try to do a little research on them this week. I would rather talk about this anyway. Thanks.

 

[chipdouglas]

55-0.

Jersey kids are quitters.

 

[bhamm03]

Good thing about Rutgers is that the TE that beat us at times has also left. Doesn't Paul Jones come back as well. Thank god, Tracy Clark is not starting along with Caldwell.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

If I'm a Rutgers fan, I'm not too concerned about a QB battle. That might mean that they are in trouble, but it might also mean that they have two good QB's. The only real downside is that the guy who will start did not get the preponderance of the snaps during the spring. That is likely to change as soon as fall camp starts; the coach will probably pick one of the QB's fairly quickly, so he can get enough snaps to be comfortable when the season starts. On the other hand, the O line situation would be a concern for me. A group short of experienced bodies at O line never bodes well, and having a new QB (who presumably would benefit from a strong running game) just makes that a bigger concern.

I know nothing about the Rutgers D. Last year they had trouble stopping our O, but we made just enough mistakes to give them the game. '90, as you do your research, please see if you can report on what they are expecting defensively this year.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

Rutgers ended up being better than I expected last year. They hung around with Penn State and almost knocked off Michigan. They beat Maryland and UNC late in the season to give them confidence going into this year. They beat a traditional power who was struggling, they had some difficulty in the middle of the year against the better teams on their schedule but they got a nice upset late in the season. Basically, they were 2013 WSU except they didn't choke away their bowl win. The beginning of last season felt like our team still had a hangover from the bowl loss and it took a few weeks before we really came together and we gave them an opportunity to start out on the right foot. From a talent and capability standpoint, Rutgers is a winnable game but it won't be easy, particularly on the road. However, if we are going to make it to a bowl game in 2015, it's a must win.

They are on about the same level as Cal and UW right now and if we have hopes of knocking off those two teams, it would be best to beat the Scarlet Knights. Beating them would give us a legit shot at starting out 5-1. That would shut up all the Leach naysayers (pointing my own finger at me) and put us into the position of drawing up an incredible recruiting class.

 

[chipdouglas]

Rutgers ended up being better than I expected last year. They hung around with Penn State and almost knocked off Michigan. They beat Maryland and UNC late in the season to give them confidence going into this year. They beat a traditional power who was struggling, they had some difficulty in the middle of the year against the better teams on their schedule but they got a nice upset late in the season. Basically, they were 2013 WSU except they didn't choke away their bowl win. The beginning of last season felt like our team still had a hangover from the bowl loss and it took a few weeks before we really came together and we gave them an opportunity to start out on the right foot. From a talent and capability standpoint, Rutgers is a winnable game but it won't be easy, particularly on the road. However, if we are going to make it to a bowl game in 2015, it's a must win.

They are on about the same level as Cal and UW right now and if we have hopes of knocking off those two teams, it would be best to beat the Scarlet Knights. Beating them would give us a legit shot at starting out 5-1. That would shut up all the Leach naysayers (pointing my own finger at me) and put us into the position of drawing up an incredible recruiting class.

Let's not get carried away. Rutgers went 3-5 against the worst Power conference in football*.

"Almost winning" (but still losing) against one of the worst Michigan teams in recent memory, and edging a Maryland team that went .500 in conference is not a record to hang your hat on.

They owed their bowl game to the #52 schedule (Sagarin) and some conquests over Howard, Navy and Tulane. Not to mention an early win over a WSU team that would go on to win just 3 games.

*If you think Ohio State getting the Playoff bid over TCU is evidence otherwise (aka the "get a conference championship game" memo from the playoff committee), we have some oceanfront property to discuss.

 

[wulffui]

Let's not get carried away. Rutgers went 3-5 against the worst Power conference in football*.

"Almost winning" (but still losing) against one of the worst Michigan teams in recent memory, and edging a Maryland team that went .500 in conference is not a record to hang your hat on.

They owed their bowl game to the #52 schedule (Sagarin) and some conquests over Howard, Navy and Tulane. Not to mention an early win over a WSU team that would go on to win just 3 games.

*If you think Ohio State getting the Playoff bid over TCU is evidence otherwise (aka the "get a conference championship game" memo from the playoff committee), we have some oceanfront property to discuss.

Until I see otherwise in any capacity, the ACC is the weakest Power 5 conference, and FSU/Oregon didn't help their argument.

Also, fairly sure (like, 99.9%- I watched the game) that Rutgers won by two against UM. They got some nice wins- including the bowl game- to get to 8-5.

 

[wulffui]

Good thing about Rutgers is that the TE that beat us at times has also left. Doesn't Paul Jones come back as well. Thank god, Tracy Clark is not starting along with Caldwell.

I thought Paul James was a senior last year, but he blew his knee pretty early in the year- I don't think he got a medical RS, though.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

Let's not get carried away. Rutgers went 3-5 against the worst Power conference in football*.

"Almost winning" (but still losing) against one of the worst Michigan teams in recent memory, and edging a Maryland team that went .500 in conference is not a record to hang your hat on.

They owed their bowl game to the #52 schedule (Sagarin) and some conquests over Howard, Navy and Tulane. Not to mention an early win over a WSU team that would go on to win just 3 games.

*If you think Ohio State getting the Playoff bid over TCU is evidence otherwise (aka the "get a conference championship game" memo from the playoff committee), we have some oceanfront property to discuss.

Actually, I looked again and Rutgers beat Michigan 26-24 last year. When I'm giving them credit for being better than I expected, that's more reflective of my low expectations than anything else. They beat Navy early in the season as well. Navy isn't a powerhouse but they finished 8-5. Before the season, I was guessing Rutgers to have 3-4 wins with us being their fourth win if it happened. I didn't see them beating Michigan, Navy or Maryland. It's a game that we have to win if we expect a bowl berth because they will be one of the weakest teams that we face this year. CU is the only conference foe that is almost guaranteed to be lower than them.

 

[Geoduck12]

They will have a very physical and quick front 7. DB's will be a question on their D. Caroo will be a handful on Offense.

 

[chipdouglas]

Until I see otherwise in any capacity, the ACC is the weakest Power 5 conference, and FSU/Oregon didn't help their argument.

We can dig into it further, or we can just think about it like "which of these two corpses would win in a footrace?" They're both trash, and have been for several years.

Also, fairly sure (like, 99.9%- I watched the game) that Rutgers won by two against UM. They got some nice wins- including the bowl game- to get to 8-5.

Okay - I'm withdrawing my claim that UM won - they didn't. I literally based that on Flat's claim that they "almost knocked off Michigan."

That said, the point about Michigan (et al.) remains. In the past 50 years, 2014 was one of the Top 5 worst teams Michigan has fielded. It's the 2nd worst team they've fielded in the last 47 years. Rutgers beat them in NJ by 2 points by blocking the winning FG.

Rutgers was scrappy last year, but they were by no means a "good" team.

If we're trying to see the bright side, someone will have to show me the bright side of us getting thumped by Nevada - a team that went on to go 4-4 in the Mountain West!

 

[wazzubruce]

I don't remember WSU getting 'thumped' by Nevada. I remember a pretty close game.

 

[How_did_this_happen?]

Rutgers ended up being better than I expected last year. They hung around with Penn State and almost knocked off Michigan. They beat Maryland and UNC late in the season to give them confidence going into this year. They beat a traditional power who was struggling, they had some difficulty in the middle of the year against the better teams on their schedule but they got a nice upset late in the season. Basically, they were 2013 WSU except they didn't choke away their bowl win. The beginning of last season felt like our team still had a hangover from the bowl loss and it took a few weeks before we really came together and we gave them an opportunity to start out on the right foot. From a talent and capability standpoint, Rutgers is a winnable game but it won't be easy, particularly on the road. However, if we are going to make it to a bowl game in 2015, it's a must win.

They are on about the same level as Cal and UW right now and if we have hopes of knocking off those two teams, it would be best to beat the Scarlet Knights. Beating them would give us a legit shot at starting out 5-1. That would shut up all the Leach naysayers (pointing my own finger at me) and put us into the position of drawing up an incredible recruiting class.

BECAUSE it is a road game, I am a little bit more optimistic than if it was at home. We play better in true road games. Having said that, until we show something I'll have to consider this a likely loss.

 

[chipdouglas]

I don't remember WSU getting 'thumped' by Nevada. I remember a pretty close game.

Well you're kinder than I am, friend. Because when a 0.500 Mountain West team scores roughly twice as many points as we do, and holds us to a single TD and a pair of FGs, I consider that thumped.

Just a difference of expectations then.

 

[GoldenCoug]

Well you're kinder than I am, friend. Because when a 0.500 Mountain West team scores roughly twice as many points as we do, and holds us to a single TD and a pair of FGs, I consider that thumped.

Just a difference of expectations then.

I was at the Nevada game last year and while they didn't dominate us they did beat us. I fully expected the team to go in and play a good game against Nevada, and to some degree the defense did. The problem was our offense that scored a whopping 13 points against a very average Mtn West team. The Defense kept us in the game, but our offense was horrible in that game.

 

[CougPatrol]

Well you're kinder than I am, friend. Because when a 0.500 Mountain West team scores roughly twice as many points as we do, and holds us to a single TD and a pair of FGs, I consider that thumped.

Just a difference of expectations then.

Agree 100%. Nevada, on that night, was far superior to us. They were more physical, they were more ready to play, and they made all of the big plays. The FG's we missed didn't help, but those attempts were to keep us in the game, not turn it around.

The Colorado State game was one we should have won. We were the better team. Nevada thumped us. There's no getting around that.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

Agree 100%. Nevada, on that night, was far superior to us. They were more physical, they were more ready to play, and they made all of the big plays. The FG's we missed didn't help, but those attempts were to keep us in the game, not turn it around.

The Colorado State game was one we should have won. We were the better team. Nevada thumped us. There's no getting around that.

Thumped us in how you look at it I guess.

First Downs
WSU 25
Nevada 17

Total Offense
WSU 427
Nevada 324

They did beat us in two incredibly important areas: turnovers and sacks. One pick ended up giving Nevada their first touchdown. A sack killed our first drive of the game that had reached their 29 yard line. Two missed field goals in the third quarter left points on the field. Avoid those four mistakes and we win 26-17 instead of lose 24-13. I wouldn't call that getting thumped.

 

[Geoduck12]

This program, the team and it' scans need to stop measuring and touting yardage and start measuring wins. As Parcell said, "you spare what your record says you are."

Yardage and first downs are great, converting first downs to keep drives going and converting in the red zone are what counts. First downs between the 20's not so much.

 

[chipdouglas]

Avoid...and we win...instead of lose 24-13. I wouldn't call that getting thumped.

If you DIDN'T try to find the bright side of getting outscored 2-to-1 by a s---ty team in a s---ty conference, I would question your Coug credentials.

But as is, Geoduck says it - this sounds like right about where we are as a fan base. Trying to find the silver lining in an ass sandwich.

You take your "almosts" - I'll take my wins. "Almost" should have been buried with with the CPW era.

 

[chipdouglas]

They did beat us in two incredibly important areas: turnovers and sacks.

You forgot points. And wins.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

Give me a break. He was saying that Nevada was the superior team that night and physically dominated us. They did outrush us but when you give up 30% more yards than you gain, you didn't dominate anybody. They get credit for generating the breaks that gave them the win, but that doesn't mean they dominated anything.

WSU got thumped by everyone we played in 2008. If you want to remember what it's like to get dominated, watch some tape from that year. Of course, you'll need some meds afterwards and perhaps some counseling for PTSD.

 

[CougPatrol]

I wasn't referring to stats. I watched every play of that game, as I'm sure you did as well. Nevada looked like the much better team to me on that night.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

I wasn't referring to stats. I watched every play of that game, as I'm sure you did as well. Nevada looked like the much better team to me on that night.

WSU was the better passing team, Nevada was the better rushing team. If you value the running game over the passing game, obviously Nevada whipped the crap out of WSU. If you value moving the ball regardless of technique, WSU did pretty well. Again, that game came down to who made mistakes and who didn't make mistakes. Nevada was better at taking advantage of mistakes. All the woulda, coulda, shouldas in the world won't change that and as a result, Nevada was the better team that night.

Where I quibble (and waste our collective time) is with the idea that we got pummeled or clearly outclassed. We got beat because we failed on a few routine plays where people didn't do their jobs well. I guarantee that Mike Leach doesn't believe that Nevada pummeled us or was the much better team. He sees a team that did a better job following his principles than his own team did.

 

[chipdouglas]

WSU was the better passing team, Nevada was the better rushing team. If you value the running game over the passing game, obviously Nevada whipped the crap out of WSU. If you value moving the ball regardless of technique, WSU did pretty well. Again, that game came down to who made mistakes and who didn't make mistakes. Nevada was better at taking advantage of mistakes. All the woulda, coulda, shouldas in the world won't change that and as a result, Nevada was the better team that night. Where I quibble (and waste our collective time) is with the idea that we got pummeled or clearly outclassed. We got beat because we failed on a few routine plays where people didn't do their jobs well.

You're on a full-out search and rescue mission for silver linings here. There are none--we lost to a team that went 0.500 in a post-TCU, post-Utah Mountain West Conference.

I guarantee that Mike Leach doesn't believe that Nevada pummeled us or was the much better team.

I don't give a good GD what Mike Leach thinks about a game where his high-flying P12 team was outscored 2-to-1 by a bad team in a bad conference.
Tell me what he thinks when we run up the score on Oregon.

 

[YakiCoug]

Agree 100%. Nevada, on that night, was far superior to us. They were more physical, they were more ready to play, and they made all of the big plays. The FG's we missed didn't help, but those attempts were to keep us in the game, not turn it around.

The Colorado State game was one we should have won. We were the better team. Nevada thumped us. There's no getting around that.

But 6 and 40 hardly bothered you...

 

[Cougatron]

I think we'll be better this year facing Rutgers than how we were last year.

Remember that first play from scrimmage? Yikes. We actually did a good job coming back, but couldn't stop the cutback, and had Craycraft not fumbled the punt we actually were in a position to win the game.

We lost by 3 in a game where defensively we were gutted inside and beat deep yet were able to do some positive things offensively.

I would wager that it will be another close game, but it wouldn't surprise me if we take it. A lot of questions hinge on how much improved our cutback awareness and gap control is and how well we can defend the deepball. If we improve in those areas we can win for sure.

 

[cubuffsdoug]

Quick facts on Rutgers:

Rutgers returns all receivers from last year except Turzilli. Turzilli was a 5th year transfer from Kansas. He didn't come on until the middle of the season. Wasn't a factor in the Rutgers/Washington St. game. Rutgers will get Peele back who missed all of last year due to injury and suspension. He was the second leading receiver from 2013 season. Peele is listed as the 4th receiver because of last year's development of Andre Patton. Patton missed the first 7 games due to an kidney injury. He was the starter opposite of Carroo during fall camp. He came on strong at the end of the season with a few 100 yards games. Patton is the type of receiver Rutgers used to have a few years ago where size (6'4) and speed (4.48) was important. Rutgers is getting back to that with the development over the spring with Agudosi (6'6, 220). He has turned into a matchup nightmare. It only took 3 years to finally develop as a sleek receiver with deceptive speed for his size.

Paul James is back at RB. This is the deepest unit on the team. When james went down Rutgers went with Peoples and Goodwin. Peoples has some nices runs against Washington St. Goodwin started CB against Washington St. las year. Goodwin was the second leading rusher for Rutgers back in 2013. He is now 5th on the depth chart. Sophomores to be Robert Martin and Josh Hicks ran wild in the second half of the season once they passed Peoples and Goodwin. Each had a few 100 yards games. Hicks rushed for over 200 yards against North Carolina in the bowl game while Martin had 150 in the same game.

Rutgers has to replace 2 full time starters (LG Johnson & C Burjari) along the OL and part-time starter (RT Alexander) at Tackle. It's not as bad as some make it out to be. It just depends on how you look at it. Rutgers returns 2 starters (LT Lumpkin & RG Muller) and a part-time starter (RT Denman). The two new projected starters (LG Miller & C Nelson) have some experience, but Miller is not a lock. Red-shirt freshman Cole (6'6 335) has come on strong during the spring and may win the guard position Cole is an earth mover according to the coaches and the defense. There was a comment about the OL not being able to block the DL. It has a lot do with only having 8 healthy bodies for spring going every snap. Rutgers had several linemen out prior to spring and were held out to protect them from further injury. Come fall practice Rutgers should be up to 15 healthy scholarship linemen including 4 freshmen. Only Heeman remains questionable.

The battle for QB will go on through camp. Laviano was Nova's backup last year and saw action in half the games. Rettig is the LSU transfer who has shown flashes of great QB play just on instinct. Rettig biggest problem is still learning a new playbook. Right now Laviano knows the system and because of this he has been able to command the offense. Laviano can get the offense in and out of the right plays. Rettig on the other hand has freelance it with some success, but is still prone to major mistakes.

The DL is as deep as the RB unit. Rutgers returns 7 of the top 9 players from last year. Five of them earned starts last year. The real difference between last year and this year is the size of the line. In Rutgers' old conference the DT played smaller in the range of 270/275. This year the same guys who stand 6'4 and 6'5 are weighing in around 290+. Can't play in the Big Ten with small linemen. It became clear during the spring that Rutgers will likely play more (10) linemen that usual due to the depth. Keep an eye for this individual (Turay-Frosh All-American) who causes major problems. Turay wasn't even a starter and lead the team with 8 sacks last year. Turay ( 6'6, 245) is DE/LB who is starting to understand the game. Prior to his senior year in HS he was a basketball player with a few D1 offers. He led the state of NJ in sacks (19.5) in his only year of HS football. Turay has 1.5 sacks against Washington St last year while playing quarter of the plays on defense. Some publication list him as a preseason All-Big Ten player.

The LB unit returns, but the real question is depth. Rutgers went out and signed a JUCO MLB (Isaiah Johnson) and will have the services of a 5th year transfer (kaiwi Lewis) from South Carolina this fall. This is a steady unit

The secondary was young last year and everyone will be back 2016 too. They could have been helped 2014, but Rutgers maintain the red-shirt of 4 DB, 2 which were highly ranked. This year those DB replaced some of the more experience DB. Plus, Rutgers had a 4 star prep CB (Austin) who start spring practice alongside a 4 star U of Miami transfer (Kiy Hester). Of the 3 corners who started against Washington St., one is back on offense, another is a backup safety, and the last is a backup CB. Rutgers has gone bigger, faster, and more athletic in the secondary. On paper they look much better and during the spring played much better. Now we have to see how that translate in an actual game.

Overall, Rutgers is built to be middle of the pack Big Ten team and should win roughly 7 games based on how the schedule is built.

 

[kayak15]

Quick facts on Rutgers:

Rutgers returns all receivers from last year except Turzilli. Turzilli was a 5th year transfer from Kansas. He didn't come on until the middle of the season. Wasn't a factor in the Rutgers/Washington St. game. Rutgers will get Peele back who missed all of last year due to injury and suspension. He was the second leading receiver from 2013 season. Peele is listed as the 4th receiver because of last year's development of Andre Patton. Patton missed the first 7 games due to an kidney injury. He was the starter opposite of Carroo during fall camp. He came on strong at the end of the season with a few 100 yards games. Patton is the type of receiver Rutgers used to have a few years ago where size (6'4) and speed (4.48) was important. Rutgers is getting back to that with the development over the spring with Agudosi (6'6, 220). He has turned into a matchup nightmare. It only took 3 years to finally develop as a sleek receiver with deceptive speed for his size.

Paul James is back at RB. This is the deepest unit on the team. When james went down Rutgers went with Peoples and Goodwin. Peoples has some nices runs against Washington St. Goodwin started CB against Washington St. las year. Goodwin was the second leading rusher for Rutgers back in 2013. He is now 5th on the depth chart. Sophomores to be Robert Martin and Josh Hicks ran wild in the second half of the season once they passed Peoples and Goodwin. Each had a few 100 yards games. Hicks rushed for over 200 yards against North Carolina in the bowl game while Martin had 150 in the same game.

Rutgers has to replace 2 full time starters (LG Johnson & C Burjari) along the OL and part-time starter (RT Alexander) at Tackle. It's not as bad as some make it out to be. It just depends on how you look at it. Rutgers returns 2 starters (LT Lumpkin & RG Muller) and a part-time starter (RT Denman). The two new projected starters (LG Miller & C Nelson) have some experience, but Miller is not a lock. Red-shirt freshman Cole (6'6 335) has come on strong during the spring and may win the guard position Cole is an earth mover according to the coaches and the defense. There was a comment about the OL not being able to block the DL. It has a lot do with only having 8 healthy bodies for spring going every snap. Rutgers had several linemen out prior to spring and were held out to protect them from further injury. Come fall practice Rutgers should be up to 15 healthy scholarship linemen including 4 freshmen. Only Heeman remains questionable.

The battle for QB will go on through camp. Laviano was Nova's backup last year and saw action in half the games. Rettig is the LSU transfer who has shown flashes of great QB play just on instinct. Rettig biggest problem is still learning a new playbook. Right now Laviano knows the system and because of this he has been able to command the offense. Laviano can get the offense in and out of the right plays. Rettig on the other hand has freelance it with some success, but is still prone to major mistakes.

The DL is as deep as the RB unit. Rutgers returns 7 of the top 9 players from last year. Five of them earned starts last year. The real difference between last year and this year is the size of the line. In Rutgers' old conference the DT played smaller in the range of 270/275. This year the same guys who stand 6'4 and 6'5 are weighing in around 290+. Can't play in the Big Ten with small linemen. It became clear during the spring that Rutgers will likely play more (10) linemen that usual due to the depth. Keep an eye for this individual (Turay-Frosh All-American) who causes major problems. Turay wasn't even a starter and lead the team with 8 sacks last year. Turay ( 6'6, 245) is DE/LB who is starting to understand the game. Prior to his senior year in HS he was a basketball player with a few D1 offers. He led the state of NJ in sacks (19.5) in his only year of HS football. Turay has 1.5 sacks against Washington St last year while playing quarter of the plays on defense. Some publication list him as a preseason All-Big Ten player.

The LB unit returns, but the real question is depth. Rutgers went out and signed a JUCO MLB (Isaiah Johnson) and will have the services of a 5th year transfer (kaiwi Lewis) from South Carolina this fall. This is a steady unit

The secondary was young last year and everyone will be back 2016 too. They could have been helped 2014, but Rutgers maintain the red-shirt of 4 DB, 2 which were highly ranked. This year those DB replaced some of the more experience DB. Plus, Rutgers had a 4 star prep CB (Austin) who start spring practice alongside a 4 star U of Miami transfer (Kiy Hester). Of the 3 corners who started against Washington St., one is back on offense, another is a backup safety, and the last is a backup CB. Rutgers has gone bigger, faster, and more athletic in the secondary. On paper they look much better and during the spring played much better. Now we have to see how that translate in an actual game.

Overall, Rutgers is built to be middle of the pack Big Ten team and should win roughly 7 games based on how the schedule is built.

Thanks for the information. They seem to be developing into a legitimate Big10 team rather quickly. Sounds rather intimidating to be honest. Good luck to the Buffs- with the exception of one game, of course.

 

[YakiCoug]

Quick facts on Rutgers:

Rutgers returns all receivers from last year except Turzilli. Turzilli was a 5th year transfer from Kansas. He didn't come on until the middle of the season. Wasn't a factor in the Rutgers/Washington St. game. Rutgers will get Peele back who missed all of last year due to injury and suspension. He was the second leading receiver from 2013 season. Peele is listed as the 4th receiver because of last year's development of Andre Patton. Patton missed the first 7 games due to an kidney injury. He was the starter opposite of Carroo during fall camp. He came on strong at the end of the season with a few 100 yards games. Patton is the type of receiver Rutgers used to have a few years ago where size (6'4) and speed (4.48) was important. Rutgers is getting back to that with the development over the spring with Agudosi (6'6, 220). He has turned into a matchup nightmare. It only took 3 years to finally develop as a sleek receiver with deceptive speed for his size.

Paul James is back at RB. This is the deepest unit on the team. When james went down Rutgers went with Peoples and Goodwin. Peoples has some nices runs against Washington St. Goodwin started CB against Washington St. las year. Goodwin was the second leading rusher for Rutgers back in 2013. He is now 5th on the depth chart. Sophomores to be Robert Martin and Josh Hicks ran wild in the second half of the season once they passed Peoples and Goodwin. Each had a few 100 yards games. Hicks rushed for over 200 yards against North Carolina in the bowl game while Martin had 150 in the same game.

Rutgers has to replace 2 full time starters (LG Johnson & C Burjari) along the OL and part-time starter (RT Alexander) at Tackle. It's not as bad as some make it out to be. It just depends on how you look at it. Rutgers returns 2 starters (LT Lumpkin & RG Muller) and a part-time starter (RT Denman). The two new projected starters (LG Miller & C Nelson) have some experience, but Miller is not a lock. Red-shirt freshman Cole (6'6 335) has come on strong during the spring and may win the guard position Cole is an earth mover according to the coaches and the defense. There was a comment about the OL not being able to block the DL. It has a lot do with only having 8 healthy bodies for spring going every snap. Rutgers had several linemen out prior to spring and were held out to protect them from further injury. Come fall practice Rutgers should be up to 15 healthy scholarship linemen including 4 freshmen. Only Heeman remains questionable.

The battle for QB will go on through camp. Laviano was Nova's backup last year and saw action in half the games. Rettig is the LSU transfer who has shown flashes of great QB play just on instinct. Rettig biggest problem is still learning a new playbook. Right now Laviano knows the system and because of this he has been able to command the offense. Laviano can get the offense in and out of the right plays. Rettig on the other hand has freelance it with some success, but is still prone to major mistakes.

The DL is as deep as the RB unit. Rutgers returns 7 of the top 9 players from last year. Five of them earned starts last year. The real difference between last year and this year is the size of the line. In Rutgers' old conference the DT played smaller in the range of 270/275. This year the same guys who stand 6'4 and 6'5 are weighing in around 290+. Can't play in the Big Ten with small linemen. It became clear during the spring that Rutgers will likely play more (10) linemen that usual due to the depth. Keep an eye for this individual (Turay-Frosh All-American) who causes major problems. Turay wasn't even a starter and lead the team with 8 sacks last year. Turay ( 6'6, 245) is DE/LB who is starting to understand the game. Prior to his senior year in HS he was a basketball player with a few D1 offers. He led the state of NJ in sacks (19.5) in his only year of HS football. Turay has 1.5 sacks against Washington St last year while playing quarter of the plays on defense. Some publication list him as a preseason All-Big Ten player.

The LB unit returns, but the real question is depth. Rutgers went out and signed a JUCO MLB (Isaiah Johnson) and will have the services of a 5th year transfer (kaiwi Lewis) from South Carolina this fall. This is a steady unit

The secondary was young last year and everyone will be back 2016 too. They could have been helped 2014, but Rutgers maintain the red-shirt of 4 DB, 2 which were highly ranked. This year those DB replaced some of the more experience DB. Plus, Rutgers had a 4 star prep CB (Austin) who start spring practice alongside a 4 star U of Miami transfer (Kiy Hester). Of the 3 corners who started against Washington St., one is back on offense, another is a backup safety, and the last is a backup CB. Rutgers has gone bigger, faster, and more athletic in the secondary. On paper they look much better and during the spring played much better. Now we have to see how that translate in an actual game.

Overall, Rutgers is built to be middle of the pack Big Ten team and should win roughly 7 games based on how the schedule is built.

This is very good information. This is a program that's gone bowling many times over the past decade - a fact many WSU fans discounted. Still, WSU was a fumbled punt return away from winning a year ago. My gut feeling is this game will be quite a tussle.

 

[cubuffsdoug]

Thanks for the information. They seem to be developing into a legitimate Big10 team rather quickly. Sounds rather intimidating to be honest. Good luck to the Buffs- with the exception of one game, of course.

Rutgers will have a fighter chance every year because of the depth of NJ high school talent. Ohio St., Penn St., and Michigan St. can cherry pick, but there is usually enough left for Rutgers to do well. Indiana, Minnesota, and Iowa don't produce as many D1 players, so Rutgers has that one built in advantage. I wouldn't call them intimidating, but more like a junkyard dog. They keep coming.

I'm hoping CU can at least win 5 games this year just show they are moving in the right direction.