Blogger Q&A: Rutgers Edition

Another Blogger Q&A, coming right up! Jon from the Rutgers blog, Bleed Scarlet, decided to answer some questions about the Scarlet Knights season. If you don't read this, then you, sir, are worse than The Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust. Enjoy!


1. How will Greg Schiano replace Ray Rice?

The leading candidates to start right now are Kordell Young and Mason Robinson. Neither has Rice's power or ability to move the chains, but they both probably have a little more burst on long runs. Young is coming off a knee injury. Jordan Brooks will also see some carries in short yardage situations. More of a worry than the backs is the inexperience on the offensive line. There are a lot of highly-touted recruits there, but it will be a challenge for OL Coach Kyle Flood to get them ready in time for the game with Fresno State. If the line holds up, I don't know if they'll match Rice's production, but between them, they'll probably be capable at least. They'll also miss Rice's pass protection and receiving ability out of the back field.


2. Are you confident that Mike Teel can carry the offense?

I'm very confident in Teel, more than most. During the past few days, Coach Schiano has repeatedly emphasized the severity of Teel's thumb injury last season. There were several games (Army, Pitt) where he was so ineffective that he had to be removed. Even taking that into account, statistically he had a good season in 2007. What's important to remember is that Rutgers likes to throw the football downfield. By design, the team uses a lot of go routes to Britt and Brown, and those plays don't have a high percentage of success. When the attack is slumping, it can be painful to watch. At the end of the game though, the result is just as good as a dink and dunk attack, if not better.


3. How will the defense perform without Eric Foster?

Eric Foster has been a huge part of the team's success over the past few years. It looks like he is going to end up on a NFL roster, to give an idea of the amount of talent Foster has. It's not just about talent though; Foster's affable personality, which really endeared him to the fans the past few seasons, also made him one of the most vocal leaders in the locker room. As hard as it will be to replace him on the field, it'll be even more of a challenge off.

The team does have Pete Tverdov returning at one of the DT spots, and he played very well in 2007. The other starting spot may have very well gone to true sophomore Justin Francis. However, he was suspended for the season as a result of his arrest a few months back. Right now, it looks like the other starter will be another true sophomore, Alex Silvestro. He was one of the team's better recruits in their 2007 recruiting class. He saw time on the two-deep last year, and is another one of the undersized pass rushers that the team has used in the middle during the past few seasons. On Saturday, Coach Schiano specifically singled out Charlie Noonan in the DT rotation, a player who missed all of 2007 due to injury. Also in the mix will be redshirt freshmen Desmond Wynn and Wayne Thomas, who at 270+ lbs have a lot more beef than we're used to seeing. There's a chance that true freshman Scott Vallone might play too, but he's currently recovering from a leg injury suffered last season. During the spring, DE Jamaal Westerman saw some snaps inside, but he's moved back out to DE.

Overall, it's a talented but inexperienced group. The team is lucky that it has a lot of experience at DE, to hopefully take the burden off of this relatively young group.


4. Does Rutgers have the best set of WRs in the Big East?

I have to give a lot of credit to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Marcus Barnett tremendously impressed me last season, and you can bet that Brian Kelly will get the most out of that group once he finds a QB. Pitt's passing attack was beset by injuries last year, but they have four solid veterans returning, along with possibly the best incoming freshman in the conference in Jon Baldwin. I think Rutgers has the best corps in the conference though, and one of the better groups in the country. There aren't enough adjectives in the English language to describe how pleased I was with Kenny Britt last year. Phenomenal. Amazing. Electrifying. The only downside is that he will likely leave for the NFL after his junior season. Tiquan Underwood had more of an up and down season. He started off very well, but seemed to start hearing footsteps as the year went on, and that made him drop some catches that he should have made. You'll also see a lot of Timmy Brown, a smurf that can really race down the field.


5. How much magic will carry over from 2006? Do you see this team competing for the Big East crown?

Some will describe the 2006 season as magical. I saw it more as luck, momentum, and continued improvement throughout the season. On paper, the 2007 roster was absolutely better than the 2006 roster, but they didn't win as many games. On paper, the team looks stronger right now than they did a year ago. Can they go on another run? That's why they play the games. If they can win two very tough OOC games to start out the year, if they can control the line of scrimmage like they did in 2006, they have a winning streak in them. That's a lot of ifs though, and they have some tough teams in the schedule that are definitely capable of getting in the way.

At the moment, they look like they're the third or fourth best team in the conference. Intuitively, the prognosticators have it mostly right. It's a talented roster, and if the OL gels and they get a few breaks, they could be in the mix for the conference title. I'm less concerned with that, their final record, or what bowl they go to, and more with continued growth and progress as a program. Rutgers fans got a little cocky last year, so it's best to temper expectations right now, which will make any unexpected success a pleasant surprise.