Forza Azzurri
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It has been a tough few days (weeks?, months?) for those of us who bleed Orange...
I thought I would repost Al's 2014 Rutgers football preview...
Gotta love the eternal optimism...#3 in the country and #1 in the Big Ten...
Based on this, I'm still in shock that they lost to Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State by a combined 138-20...
Enjoy...
2014 sees Rutgers Football with its deepest, most mature, and most talented roster ever. Combine that with an upgraded group of coaching assistants, and Rutgers should enjoy its finest season.
Key differences from 2013 include:
- Ralph Friedgen is the new offense coordinator and has the strongest resume of any Big Ten Offensive Coordinator, as he has a national championshp and a super bowl appearance to his credit
- Rutgers lists zero freshman starters and only has a handful of true freshman on the two deep. Last year Rutgers had to play a number of freshman due to injury and attrition.
- Seasoned veteran Offensive Line Coach Mitch Browning will help Rutgers OL play its best
- Rutgers offensive line returns intact from 2013
- Rutgers QB Gary Nova has thrown for more passing yards than any other returning Big Ten QB.
- Rutgers had the #4 rush defense in the country in 2013
- Thx to veteran coaching, Rutgers players are going to demonstrate better attention to detail than they ever have, which will maximize their effectiveness.
Through his career, Quarterback Gary Nova has thrown for 6,407 yards and 51 touchdown passes. His performances have been up and down. He’s thrown game winning passes against Arkansas, SMU, and Temple, but struggled against Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF. According to Dan Duggan, During the offseason, Coach Friedgen corrected his mechanics, and he is now throwing the ball better than ever. I think Coach Fridge is also going to help him make better decisions and cut down on his mental mistakes. A good target for Gary Nova is for him to put up AJ McCarron Numbers. Last year, McCarron had 226 completions on 336 attempts, throwing for 3063 yards with 28 TDs and 7 interceptions. Similar numbers by Nova will at least get him to the New York Heisman ceremony, though he probably won’t win. In any case, just getting to the Heisman ceremony will be huge for Nova and Rutgers.
Paul James emerged in 2013 as a difference maker and Rutgers go to runner. He was the nations leading rusher, till he was injured against Arkansas, and had to be put on the shelf for a while. Nevertheless, he did end up with 881 rushing yards on the season and averaged 4.8 ypc against Notre Dame in our bowl game. This year Paul James alone should break 1,000 yards and with Desmond Peoples, Robert Martin, Mike Burton and Josh Hicks, the group should break 2,000 yards rushing.
The wide receivers are led by junior Leonte Carroo, who has Heisman potential, if he can stay healthy. When separates Carroo above all others is that he is an all arounder. Not only does he have great hands, he can get deep quickly, and he is also an effective blocker in the running game, which was missed when he was injured. Carroo had game winning catches against Arkansas, SMU, and Temple. The last wr to go to the Heisman Ceremony in New York was Marquise Lee, who had 118 receptions for 1,721 yards. Carroo is capable of eclipsing that production. Off course it doesn’t hurt that he is Gary Nova’s favorite target. Carroo is complemented by All American Candidate tight end Tyler Kroft, who is Rutgers leading returning receiver. He goes 6-6, 240 lbs, and was named first team All American Conference last year. They are joined by Janarion Grant, a Sammy Watkins clone, as long as he can demonstrate to consistently catch the ball. With Janarion, the talent is there, but the open question is whether he can demonstrate the consistency needed to be great. He is the type of player who is capable of scoring from anywhere on the field. He had a 100 yard touchdown return against Fresno State and a 58 yard kickoff return for a td against Arkansas.
The group I’m most excited about is our offensive line, which could be the best in the country. According to Dan Duggan, new coach Mitch Browning noticed that they were playing too high last year, and has corrected that for this season. Last year, the group was up and down, as it was integrating three new starters. It turned in its best performance against Notre Dame, and helped Paul James to average 4.8 ypc. This year the group should be able to play with maximum effectiveness from Game 1 onwards. Keith Lumpkin is a 6’8” 320 lbs behemoth who moves like a tight end. He reminds me of former Miami Great Bryant McKinnie, and could be the best left tackle in the country. I hope to keep him for another two years, but wouldn’t be surprised if he opts for the draft after this season. He is joined by left guard, Kaleb Johnson, who received a decent NFL draft grade, but opted to return to boost his draft stock. Johnson pulls and traps as well as any college guard. Center Betim Bujari is a Rimington Award Candidate for good reason. He’s had a number of key blocks which sprung big plays, and should be playing Sundays next year, as long as he can stay healthy. Right Guard Chris Muller was up and down last season, as it was his first time starting. He is exceptionally strong, and should vie for All Conference honors this year. 5th year senior Right Tackle Taj Alexander rounds out the group. If he continues to get better, there’s no reason why he can’t be playing Sundays next year. I do want to mention JJ Denman and Dorian Miller, reserves with unlimited potential, who will shine, once given their opportunity.
This year, The Rutgers DL should be one of the best in the country. Led by All American Candidate Darius Hamilton, son of one of the greatest NY Giants Defensive Linemen Keith Hamilton, the line played well last year, and was a big reason why Rutgers was #4 against the run. Hamilton is joined by seniors David Milewski, Ken Kirksey, and Djwany Mera. Kirksey has been slowed by injury in previous seasons, but is now ready to shine. Milewski and Mera have gotten better every season, and are now ready to be exceptional. Reserves Sebastian Joseph, Darryl Stephenson, Julian Pinnix-Odrick, and Kemeko Turay will also probably see extensive action. Many are excited about Kemeko Turay, who some think has Jadeveon Clowney type potential. I’m ready to bestow the “Rutgers Sack Exchange” label on the Rutgers Defensive Line, once their performance warrants it.
I’m especially excited about the Rutgers LB corp, which will be among the best in the country. They are incredibly fast, strong, smart, and productive. WLB Steve Longa and SAM Quinton Gause have a great chance to be All Americans. They showed their ability against Notre Dame, registering 12 and 9 tackles, respectively. Kevin Snyder had 7 tackles. On the year, Longa had a ridiculous 123 tackles and Snyder had 96. Despite limited action Gause still notched 53 tackles. This year, given the Big Tens predilection for running the ball, all three could total more than 100 tackles.
There’s nowhere to go but up, for Rutgers much maligned secondary, which notched the #120th ranked pass defense in 2013. The biggest reason for this less than stellar ranking, is that we played five freshman, who went through a huge learning curve. It seemed that one day they were at there senior prom and the next day they’re facing first round picks Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, and high round draft pick Derek Carr. The second biggest reason, which many overlooked, was conditioning. From the Houston game onwards, the freshman seemed a step slower, and I think that they simply weren’t ready to play as much as they did. This resulted in missed assignments, poor tackling, and bad technique overall. I was happy to see however, that the secondary had its best game against Notre Dame, which helped keep Rutgers competitive till the very end. With a full year of S&C under its belt, I expect Rutgers secondary to make significant strides. We had the #39 pass defense in 2012, and there’s NO reason why we can’t have a Top 50 pass defense in 2013.
So there you have it. After inspecting Rutgers and other Big Ten Rosters, I’m projecting Rutgers to go 11-1, losing to Wisconsin. Rutgers competitive advantage lies in the maturity and experience of its offensive and defensive lines. Seasoned Juniors and Seniors of Rutgers, with NFL futures will be going against first time starters for many of our opponents, and that simply isn’t a fair fight. I don’t care how highly ranked the players for our opponents were as recruits. Rutgers 2 and 3 star recruits have been developed into 4 and 5 star college football players, and that’s what matters most. Another important competitive advantage for Rutgers is our balanced offensive attack. We're going to throw for 3,000 yards and rush for 2,000 yards. Whereas, our opponents are mostly one dimensional offensively.
That’s why I have Rutgers ranked #3 in the Country, #1 in the Big Ten.
I thought I would repost Al's 2014 Rutgers football preview...
Gotta love the eternal optimism...#3 in the country and #1 in the Big Ten...
Based on this, I'm still in shock that they lost to Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State by a combined 138-20...
Enjoy...
2014 sees Rutgers Football with its deepest, most mature, and most talented roster ever. Combine that with an upgraded group of coaching assistants, and Rutgers should enjoy its finest season.
Key differences from 2013 include:
- Ralph Friedgen is the new offense coordinator and has the strongest resume of any Big Ten Offensive Coordinator, as he has a national championshp and a super bowl appearance to his credit
- Rutgers lists zero freshman starters and only has a handful of true freshman on the two deep. Last year Rutgers had to play a number of freshman due to injury and attrition.
- Seasoned veteran Offensive Line Coach Mitch Browning will help Rutgers OL play its best
- Rutgers offensive line returns intact from 2013
- Rutgers QB Gary Nova has thrown for more passing yards than any other returning Big Ten QB.
- Rutgers had the #4 rush defense in the country in 2013
- Thx to veteran coaching, Rutgers players are going to demonstrate better attention to detail than they ever have, which will maximize their effectiveness.
Through his career, Quarterback Gary Nova has thrown for 6,407 yards and 51 touchdown passes. His performances have been up and down. He’s thrown game winning passes against Arkansas, SMU, and Temple, but struggled against Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF. According to Dan Duggan, During the offseason, Coach Friedgen corrected his mechanics, and he is now throwing the ball better than ever. I think Coach Fridge is also going to help him make better decisions and cut down on his mental mistakes. A good target for Gary Nova is for him to put up AJ McCarron Numbers. Last year, McCarron had 226 completions on 336 attempts, throwing for 3063 yards with 28 TDs and 7 interceptions. Similar numbers by Nova will at least get him to the New York Heisman ceremony, though he probably won’t win. In any case, just getting to the Heisman ceremony will be huge for Nova and Rutgers.
Paul James emerged in 2013 as a difference maker and Rutgers go to runner. He was the nations leading rusher, till he was injured against Arkansas, and had to be put on the shelf for a while. Nevertheless, he did end up with 881 rushing yards on the season and averaged 4.8 ypc against Notre Dame in our bowl game. This year Paul James alone should break 1,000 yards and with Desmond Peoples, Robert Martin, Mike Burton and Josh Hicks, the group should break 2,000 yards rushing.
The wide receivers are led by junior Leonte Carroo, who has Heisman potential, if he can stay healthy. When separates Carroo above all others is that he is an all arounder. Not only does he have great hands, he can get deep quickly, and he is also an effective blocker in the running game, which was missed when he was injured. Carroo had game winning catches against Arkansas, SMU, and Temple. The last wr to go to the Heisman Ceremony in New York was Marquise Lee, who had 118 receptions for 1,721 yards. Carroo is capable of eclipsing that production. Off course it doesn’t hurt that he is Gary Nova’s favorite target. Carroo is complemented by All American Candidate tight end Tyler Kroft, who is Rutgers leading returning receiver. He goes 6-6, 240 lbs, and was named first team All American Conference last year. They are joined by Janarion Grant, a Sammy Watkins clone, as long as he can demonstrate to consistently catch the ball. With Janarion, the talent is there, but the open question is whether he can demonstrate the consistency needed to be great. He is the type of player who is capable of scoring from anywhere on the field. He had a 100 yard touchdown return against Fresno State and a 58 yard kickoff return for a td against Arkansas.
The group I’m most excited about is our offensive line, which could be the best in the country. According to Dan Duggan, new coach Mitch Browning noticed that they were playing too high last year, and has corrected that for this season. Last year, the group was up and down, as it was integrating three new starters. It turned in its best performance against Notre Dame, and helped Paul James to average 4.8 ypc. This year the group should be able to play with maximum effectiveness from Game 1 onwards. Keith Lumpkin is a 6’8” 320 lbs behemoth who moves like a tight end. He reminds me of former Miami Great Bryant McKinnie, and could be the best left tackle in the country. I hope to keep him for another two years, but wouldn’t be surprised if he opts for the draft after this season. He is joined by left guard, Kaleb Johnson, who received a decent NFL draft grade, but opted to return to boost his draft stock. Johnson pulls and traps as well as any college guard. Center Betim Bujari is a Rimington Award Candidate for good reason. He’s had a number of key blocks which sprung big plays, and should be playing Sundays next year, as long as he can stay healthy. Right Guard Chris Muller was up and down last season, as it was his first time starting. He is exceptionally strong, and should vie for All Conference honors this year. 5th year senior Right Tackle Taj Alexander rounds out the group. If he continues to get better, there’s no reason why he can’t be playing Sundays next year. I do want to mention JJ Denman and Dorian Miller, reserves with unlimited potential, who will shine, once given their opportunity.
This year, The Rutgers DL should be one of the best in the country. Led by All American Candidate Darius Hamilton, son of one of the greatest NY Giants Defensive Linemen Keith Hamilton, the line played well last year, and was a big reason why Rutgers was #4 against the run. Hamilton is joined by seniors David Milewski, Ken Kirksey, and Djwany Mera. Kirksey has been slowed by injury in previous seasons, but is now ready to shine. Milewski and Mera have gotten better every season, and are now ready to be exceptional. Reserves Sebastian Joseph, Darryl Stephenson, Julian Pinnix-Odrick, and Kemeko Turay will also probably see extensive action. Many are excited about Kemeko Turay, who some think has Jadeveon Clowney type potential. I’m ready to bestow the “Rutgers Sack Exchange” label on the Rutgers Defensive Line, once their performance warrants it.
I’m especially excited about the Rutgers LB corp, which will be among the best in the country. They are incredibly fast, strong, smart, and productive. WLB Steve Longa and SAM Quinton Gause have a great chance to be All Americans. They showed their ability against Notre Dame, registering 12 and 9 tackles, respectively. Kevin Snyder had 7 tackles. On the year, Longa had a ridiculous 123 tackles and Snyder had 96. Despite limited action Gause still notched 53 tackles. This year, given the Big Tens predilection for running the ball, all three could total more than 100 tackles.
There’s nowhere to go but up, for Rutgers much maligned secondary, which notched the #120th ranked pass defense in 2013. The biggest reason for this less than stellar ranking, is that we played five freshman, who went through a huge learning curve. It seemed that one day they were at there senior prom and the next day they’re facing first round picks Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, and high round draft pick Derek Carr. The second biggest reason, which many overlooked, was conditioning. From the Houston game onwards, the freshman seemed a step slower, and I think that they simply weren’t ready to play as much as they did. This resulted in missed assignments, poor tackling, and bad technique overall. I was happy to see however, that the secondary had its best game against Notre Dame, which helped keep Rutgers competitive till the very end. With a full year of S&C under its belt, I expect Rutgers secondary to make significant strides. We had the #39 pass defense in 2012, and there’s NO reason why we can’t have a Top 50 pass defense in 2013.
So there you have it. After inspecting Rutgers and other Big Ten Rosters, I’m projecting Rutgers to go 11-1, losing to Wisconsin. Rutgers competitive advantage lies in the maturity and experience of its offensive and defensive lines. Seasoned Juniors and Seniors of Rutgers, with NFL futures will be going against first time starters for many of our opponents, and that simply isn’t a fair fight. I don’t care how highly ranked the players for our opponents were as recruits. Rutgers 2 and 3 star recruits have been developed into 4 and 5 star college football players, and that’s what matters most. Another important competitive advantage for Rutgers is our balanced offensive attack. We're going to throw for 3,000 yards and rush for 2,000 yards. Whereas, our opponents are mostly one dimensional offensively.
That’s why I have Rutgers ranked #3 in the Country, #1 in the Big Ten.
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