2011 Bowl Game: 27-13 W vs. Iowa State @ Pinstripe Bowl
Head Coach: Kyle Flood
Odds to win Big East: +600
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Offense
The Scarlet Knights brought in a new offensive coordinator in Dave Brock. Brock has a lot of experience in running a pro-style offense, something Rutgers tried to employ last season, with mixed results.
QB will be something to be resolved. Flood is not high on using two QBs, so it’s up to Chas Dodd and Gary Nova to settle who is going to be the starter this fall. Flood simply commented, “I think a football team is best served having one quarterback.” It’s a simple statement, but it’s hard to disagree with him. For the sake of continuity and cohesiveness, it only makes sense for receivers to adjust to the arm of one quarter back rather than two. So, we’ll keep an eye on who wins the job between Dodd and Nova.
What Dodd or Nova will have going for them is a great core of receivers. Brandon Coleman is as good as any in the Big East and averaged 32.5 yards per catch last year on his 17 receptions. Mark Harrison, Quron Pratt, Tim Wright, and Jeremy Deering only further strengthen a group around Coleman that will have the Scarlet Knights going with a strong aerial assault.
At tailback, the duties will be split between Savon Huggins and Jawan Jamison. Jamison rushed for nearly 900 yards last season and should be a fixture for the Knights when they aren’t throwing the ball.
Defense
The secondary of the Knights is strong: Linebackers Khaseem Greene and Steve Beauharnais and nose tackle Scott Vallone are all among some of the best defenders in the Big East. They also have a strong group of linebackers outside of Greene, but Greene is the star, as he earned the Big East co-defensive player of the year with 141 tackles last year. It was the fifth highest in school history and Beauharnais is a fourth year starter in his own right.
The secondary is one of the nation’s best, to be sure. Corners Logan Ryan and Brandon Jones are possible All-Big East selections this year, and the same could be said about safety Duron Harmon. The trio all started every game last year for the Knights. Sophomore Lorenzo Waters could see a starting role as well, after a strong freshman campaign.
They are going to have to work on generating a more effective pass rush this year, though. Last season, they contained the pass just fine, ranking 9th nationally allowing only 172.3 yards per game, but the lack of defensive pressure seemed to cause instability in preventing opposing team’s ground game, as opponents rushed for 141.9 yards per game against the Knights, which was 7th in the Big East. Still, overall, the Knights ranked 14th in the nation defensively overall, allowing only 314.2 yards per game.
Defense remains a strength of this Rutgers squad.
Special Teams
Justin Doerner is a good kicker and averaged 40.3 yards per kick. Deering averaged 31.2 yards on kick off returns as well, using his quick feet and excellent direction changing to throw defenses off, which also enabled him to return one for 98 yards and a score. The return of these two should help immensely. The biggest concern will be placekicker, where they will be relying on a true freshman in Kyle Federico.
Outlook
Rutgers is a contender for the Big East, but even with a strong defense, they may have trouble catapulting South Florida and Louisville. Having a new coach rarely helps. Expectations remain high, but it will be up to Brock to maximize the offensive talent while Flood attempt to build some cohesion and unity within a team that could be very dangerous this year if things fall into place.
