RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS (East Division)
Location: Piscataway, NJ
Stadium: High Point Solutions Stadium (52,454)
Coach: Chris Ash (1st
Year): first time as a head coach
2015 Rutgers
Scarlet Knights (4-8)(1-7) 2016
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
63 Norfolk
State 13 S3 at Washington
34 Washington
State 37 S10 Howard
3 at Penn State 28 S17 New Mexico
27 Kansas 14 S24 Iowa
24 Michigan
State 31 O1 at Ohio State
55 at Indiana 52 O8 Michigan
7 Ohio State 49 O15 Illinois
10 at
Wisconsin 48 O22 at Minnesota
16 at
Michigan 49 O29
14 Nebraska 31 N5 Indiana
31 at Army 21 N12 at Michigan State
41 Maryland 46 N19 Penn State
N26 at Maryland
Rutgers’ 2015 football season broke a four year bowl game
streak and was also only the second time in ten years they did not go to a bowl
game. Rutgers went 4-8, and had just one conference win over Indiana. It was a
turbulent season wrought with scandals including arrests, suspensions, and
consequently a mass scale cleaning of house in both the football program and
athletic department as a whole. Chris
Ash is the 26th head football coach in Rutgers’ long history. He was brought in
to enact wholesale changes while the athletic department did the same with new
AD Pat Hobbs. When asked about these changes, a change in “culture” is the
answer that Ash provides the most, so Rutgers fans are eager to see what this
translates to on the field.
The Knights had an interesting duel at QB during the spring
that will continue up until the opening game.
Graduate transfer Zach Allen from TCU has been thrown into the ring with
Chris Laviano, who started 11 games last season, Hayden Rettig, a cannon arm
senior, who transferred from LSU two years ago, and Giovanni Rescigno, a junior
who redshirted in previous seasons. Practice camp started this week and as of
now Laviano and Allen are at the forefront, but there’s still a ways to
go. Laviano completed over 60 percent of
his throws for almost 2300 yards and 16 touchdowns against 12
interceptions. The good news for Rutgers
is the return of juniors Robert Martin and Josh Hicks at RB. The tandem did well last year with Martin
gaining 763 yards and six touchdowns and Hicks garnering 674 yards and four
scores. They figure to get a heavy
workload behind an offensive line that returns four starters, including the
leader of the group, senior center Derrick Nelson. Classmates Chris Muller and J.J. Denman also
provide much needed experience at RG and RT respectively. Junior Dorian Miller will be back after
starting at LG all last year, as well.
The newcomer to a starting role figures to be sophomore LT Tariq
Cole. The search for a playmaker in the
receiving corps to replace do-it-all Leonte Caroo will not come easy, but the
Knights will have three seniors with some game experience to step up in Carlton
Agudosi, Andre Patton and Janarion Grant.
Of the trio, Grant has the most receptions with 35 (352 yards and a
touchdown) and Patton has the most yardage with 432 (34 receptions and a
score). Agudosi caught 17 passes for 313
yards and a touchdown in 2015. Senior TE
Nick Arcidiacono has shown his ability as a receiver and he will be back after
garnering 12 receptions for 92 yards.
Coach Ash brought in Jay Niemann from Northern Illinois as
defensive coordinator to renovate a defense that allowed 462 yards per game
last season. He’ll build the Rutgers
defensive line around standout senior DT Darius Hamilton, who returns from a
knee injury that hampered him throughout last season. Hamilton had six sacks and 11.5 tackles for
loss in 2014. Also back is senior DE
Quanzell Lambert after chipping in 43 tackles and providing a strong, bull-rush
capability with his 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Juniors Sebastian Joseph and Kemoko Turay
will look to fill in at NT and the other DE spot. Joseph was in opposing backfields quite a
bit, as his 5.5 tackles for loss will attest (22 tackles) and Turay played well
as a backup last year, with nine stops, three TFLs, two sacks, and a fumble recovery. The back seven will be inexperienced,
however, as Rutgers will need to replace all the starting linebackers, but they
figure to have a good one in sophomore Deonte Roberts at MLB. Roberts made the most of his time as a backup
in 2015, with 11 tackles. Sophomore Eric
Margolis and senior Isaiah Johnson appear to have locked down the OLB positions
in spring practice. Both saw limited
playing time at their positions a year ago, each managing one TFL. The secondary features three sophomores and
will need to reply on them to shore up what was a leaky defense against the
pass. Senior FS Anthony Cioffi will be
back there to lead this group. He is
coming off a good season in 2015 where he managed 45 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1.5
sacks, and four interceptions. During spring practice, three sophomores emerged
that the defensive coaches are excited about.
As of now, Kiy Hester looks to take over at SS. In his seven starts, he garnered 36 tackles
and provided good run support. Isaiah
Wharton and Blessaun Austin have earned starting roles at the CB positions. Wharton was fourth on the team with 57
tackles and Austin chipped in 33.
The specialists will take over full-time for the departed
Kyle Federico and Joey Roth. Junior
David Bonagura looks to take over the kicking duties, while sophomore Michael
Cintron will take over the punting chores full time. He averaged 51.7 yards on his three punts
last year.
New Coach Chris Ash could be in for a rude awakening right
from the start, as the Knights travel to Washington and the first three
conference games against Iowa, Ohio State, and Michigan could ensure Rutgers
having a brutal first half of the season before having a tough road test at
Michigan State. It will be interesting
to see, however, how the new, run-heavy offense develops and how Ash’s experience
as defensive coordinator under Urban Meyer at Ohio State will help the defense
along.
PROJECTION: 3-9 (1-8) 7th
in East Division
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