NCAA Football Preview - Rutgers Scarlet Knights

*** NCAA Football Preview - Rutgers Scarlet Knights ***

From The Sports Network By Pat Taggart, College Football Staff Writer 2003 SEASON IN REVIEW: Greg Schiano has managed only eight wins in 35 games during his three-year tenure at Rutgers, poor numbers to say the least. Things appear to be headed in the right direction, however, as the Scarlet Knight posted a 5-7 record in '03 to revive what was a sorry program. It can certainly be argued, however, that several of those five wins came against less than stellar competition, including Buffalo, Army and Temple. All three of those victories came by double figures though, as did triumphs over Navy and Syracuse. Even in defeat, the Scarlet Knights were often competitive, as their losses to Boston College, Pittsburgh and Connecticut all came by 10 or fewer points. The 2003 Rutgers team was a young one, but the strong play has raised the expectation level of the program considerably. 2004 ANALYSIS: OFFENSE: Perhaps the man most responsible for the strong showing by Rutgers last season was first-year offensive coordinator Craig Ver Steeg, who guided his unit to the second-highest totals for yards and points in the history of the program. Ryan Hart was outstanding under center as a sophomore, as he set school records with 2,714 passing yards and 234 completions. Although the junior is only 195 pounds, he is willing to stand in the pocket and take a hit. His weapons on the outside are tremendous, as Tres Moses and Shawn Tucker caught 52 and 50 passes last year, respectively. Moses is a possession-type receiver with sure hands, while Tucker is bigger with some serious playmaking ability. The leading returning receiver is Brian Leonard, the team's fullback who made 53 grabs for 488 yards and five scores in 2003. Add his 880 rushing yards and nine touchdowns to those totals and Leonard was one of the most productive freshmen in the nation a year ago. Justise Hairston, another sophomore, is a talented tailback waiting to make a name for himself, and the line returns three starters. DEFENSE: Eight starters are back in place for the defense, and a great deal of improvement is expected. The Scarlet Knights allowed only 10 points to Buffalo in the 2003 opener and just seven points to Syracuse in the finale. In between, however, Rutgers gave up more than 30 points seven times. Three of the four starting defensive linemen from a year ago are back, and although Raheem Orr will be missed, Ryan Neill returns after missing last season with a knee injury. The linebackers were hit hard by injury in '03, but five of the top six 'backers are back and healthy. William Beckford, Will Gilkison and DeVraun Thompson will be the starters, and their ability to stay out of the training room will be a key to the season. The front seven should be solid, but the same can't be said about the secondary. Jarvis Johnson is fresh off a 97-tackle campaign, but no one else is proven at this point. Hopefully, enough pressure will be put on the opposing quarterback to keep the pressure off the defensive backs. SPECIAL TEAMS: After averaging nearly 40 yards per punt as a freshman a year ago, Joe Radigan should be even better this season. He is enormous at 6-5, 240 pounds, and could be a difference maker. Ryan Sands certainly has the potential to be a solid placekicker, but he missed nine of his 21 attempts a year ago. Still, he did nail a 49-yarder and figures to be a better option than true freshman Jeremy Ito. As for the return game, the talented Moses figures to handle both kickoffs and punts. OUTLOOK: Now that Miami and Virginia Tech have moved on to the ACC, Rutgers has a chance to make some noise. There is not a single team in the Big East that this group of Scarlet Knight can't beat, including the West Virginia team that is getting a bit more preseason love than it probably deserves. Rutgers will put up plenty of points, and even average play by the defensive backs could land Schiano's crew in a bowl game.