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by
Joel Welser
#16 Rutgers
Scarlet Knights
Big East
2006 Record: (11-2, 5-2)
Coach: Greg Schiano (30-41 at Rutgers, 30-41
overall)
Starters Returning: 14 (7 offense, 6 defense,
1 specialist)
Offensive Starters Lost: FB Brian Leonard, TE
Clark Harris, OL Darnell Stapleton, OL Cameron Stephenson
Offensive Starters Returning: QB Mike Teel,
RB Ray Rice, WR Kenny Britt, WR Tiquan Underwood, OL Mike Fladell, OL Pedro
Sosa, OL Jeremy Zuttah
Defensive Starters Lost: DT Ramel Meekins, DE
William Beckford, LB Quintero Frierson, LB Devraun Thompson, CB Derrick Roberson
Defensive Starters Returning: DT Eric Foster,
DE Jamal Westerman, LB Brandon Renkart, CB Jason McCourty, S Ron Girault, S
Courtney Greene
Starting Specialists Lost: P Joe Radigan
Starting Specialists Returning: K Jeremy Ito
The Scarlet Knights had 14 All-Big East selections
in 2006. While some key pieces are gone, Rutgers returns eight of those
all-conference players from a team that went a surprising 11-2 last season. The
most important person returning to New Brunswick, New Jersey might be Coach Greg
Schiano. Now in his seventh season, Coach Schiano is looking to continue the
success and reach an elite status in the Big East.
Offense:
Quarterback Mike Teel will not blow anybody away
with his numbers. Starting all 13 games last year, Teel threw for 2,135 yards,
12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. However, he does have big game experience
and will play within himself and not jeopardize his team’s chances of winning.
And luckily, Teel does not have to force the issue with the talent around him,
most notably running back Ray Rice. Rice rushed for 1,794 yards as a sophomore
last year and is just 200 yards away from being atop the all-time rushing leader
list at Rutgers.
While the Scarlet Knights will concentrate on the
running game, Teel will have some quality receivers to throw to. The wide
receivers took a back seat to the now departed fullback Brian Leonard and tight
end Clark Harris in the pass catching game last year, but Kenny Britt, Tiquan
Underwood and Tim Brown have the experience and skill to occasionally stretch
the opposing defense.
Defense:
Rutgers held their opponents to just 252 yards per
game in 2006. And led by First Team All-American tackle Eric Foster, the numbers
should not change much this season. End Jamaal Westerman burst onto the scene in
2006 earning eight sacks and 13.5 tackles-for-loss. The line does lose two
starters and George Johnson is ready to step into the vacated end spot, but
there are more concerns at tackle. Pete Tverdov and youngsters Chenry Lewis and
Gary Watts will have a tough job replacing Ramel Meekins and Joe Giacobbe.
Like the line, the secondary returns plenty of
talent. Safeties Ron Girault and Courtney Green will prove to be one of the best
tandems in the conference, if not the nation. Cornerback Jason McCourty returns
to his starting position and it may be McCourty’s twin brother, Devin, that mans
the other corner. The loss of linebackers Devraun Thompson and Quintero Frierson
is what could end up really hurting the Rutgers defense. Brandon Renkart will be
the leader of the group, but he will need some help from a handful of less
experienced players to even come close to reaching the production levels of last
years linebackers.
The Bottom Line:
Last year was not a fluke. Rutgers is developing
talent and has been picking up better recruits during Coach Schiano’s reign.
Even with the loss of players like Leonard, the Scarlet Knights are here to
stay. However, without the services Leonard, more pressure will be put on the
quarterback and Teel must improve over last year if Rutgers has BCS dreams.
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