Perfect season continues for Scarlet Knights

By Kristian Dyer  |   Wednesday, October 25, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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For the third time in three straight road games, Rutgers entered the field as an underdog and was picked to have their dream season come to an end. The darlings of the media and the feel-good story of 2006, the Scarlet Knights still hadn't earned the respect of the college football community or the pundits who couldn't believe that the once-maligned Scarlet Knights were now in the BCS picture. Standing at 7-0 on the year and off to a 2-0 start within the conference, Rutgers is no longer the pushover of yesteryear.

The start is the best in the school's history since the team went 11-0 in 1976 and is the Scarlet Knights' best start since joining the Big East in 1991. The team is a perfect 4-0 on the road. Now, ranked 16th in both polls, the Rutgers bandwagon is suddenly getting very crowded.

Consider this, for the first time since moving into their new stadium in 1994, the Scarlet Knights will sell out back-to-back home games. Last week in its stunning 34-0 win at Navy, Rutgers sold out the stadium in Annapolis in one of the largest crowds in the Academy's history. For the game against sixth-ranked Louisville, the team will be adding additional seating to augment the sold-out stadium. For the first time in nearly 30 years, there is a buzz about Rutgers.


On the field, Rutgers is doing it mainly through a rushing offense that is among the best in the nation and a team defense that is among the best in the country. Rutgers is second in total defense, allowing a measly combined offensive total of 223.4 yards per game. Third in points allowed and second against the pass, the defense is night and day from a unit that last year, ranked among the nation's worst in nearly every category.

Versus the Pitt Panthers, Tyler Palko - who led the nation in passing efficiency heading into the game - was held to 169 yards in the air, nearly 70 yards less then his season average. Pitt, which is now 5-2 on the season, was held to a season-low 10 points by a stingy Rutgers defensive unit.

The win over Pitt underscored the effectiveness of an offensive unit that relies on the ground game to move the chains. In his fourth career 200-yard outing, sophomore tailback Ray Rice also ran for his 12th touchdown of the season. His 225 yards on the ground is the third-best tally in the program's history. Ranked eighth nationally in rushing offense, Rutgers is gaining just shy of 205 yards a game on the ground. After his performance against Pitt, Rice is now a legitimate Heisman candidate.

Consider the telling statistic of time of possession as an indicator of Rutgers' dependence on the running game to key the offense. In the game against Pitt, the Scarlet Knights held the ball almost nine minutes more then their opponent did. All told, Rutgers rattled off 66 plays compared to Pitt's 52, a clear indicator of the visiting team's ability to hold onto the ball. And when they had the ball, the Scarlet Knights were clearly more efficient. Rutgers' offense did not turn the ball over once and, yet, gained 5.2 yards per play, as compared to Pitt's 4.5.

Now, bowl eligible at its earliest juncture ever, there is a sense of optimism that Rutgers has stopped being a humorous anecdote and that the state of Rutgers has finally been established. Now, in the rich recruiting turf of the Garden State, coach Greg Schiano has built a program that is ready to cultivate some of New Jersey's best prospects. The prospects for an 8-0 start are strong, with a weaker then expected UConn visiting the Scarlet Knights this weekend.

It doesn't bode well for the struggling Huskies, who themselves got pummeled by the same Navy team that Rutgers ran off the field two weekends ago. Rutgers is 3-0 on the season at home, and 7-2 since 2005. The defense has yielded only 14 points all season at home through three games. Further, the last four teams visiting Rutgers have combined for just 85 yards in rushing offense. The defense has swarmed for 18 sacks during that same period.

The Huskies limp into the game, having been trounced by West Virginia 37-11 before a sellout crowd in East Hartford. Now 3-4 on the year and without a win in Big East play, UConn was down 20-3 at halftime. All-time, Connecticut has lost all eight matchups with ranked teams, a trend that does not bode well when the Huskies face Rutgers on Sunday night in a nationally televised night game on ESPN.

Kristian R. Dyer is a columnist for ESPN and Rivals. He also appears regularly in Blitz! magazine. He can be reached for comment at KristianRDyer@yahoo.com
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