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Fifth-year seniors Domenic Natale and Jabu Lovelace struggle
BY MIKE VORKUNOV
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
For anyone expecting the quarterback battle to be resolved following Rutgers' first scrimmage, don't hold your breath.
Domenic Natale had more passes hit the ground than land in his receivers' hands. Jabu Lovelace started his day off with an interception and added another later on.
However, D.C. Jefferson (photo) did show some sparks. The redshirt freshman had the best day of any quarterback, moving himself into the discussion for the backup role.
As for the scrimmage serving as an opportunity for coach Greg Schiano to find a starter, he was non-committal, only saying that he would go back to look at the tape. He described their performance as "not bad."
"They did a lot of things that aren't exciting but will win games," Schiano said. "There were some other things that didn't go so well offensively. We had a lot of stuff in and I thought they handled all the stuff in well."Natale started out 4/12 for 17 yards, also losing a fumble. Lovelace didn't fare much better. He was 5/10 passing for 98 yards. But two of those passes were intercepted, one by linebacker Damaso Munoz and another by safety Patrick Kivlehan.
Both fared better later on in the day during timed drives.
While some fans may be wondering when the starter will be named, Natale said that wait has not fazed him or left him antsy to know whether he will be the one.
"I can't really worry about it too much," Natale said. "Coach [Schiano] will make the decision the best he can and what's best for the team. All I can do is make sure he makes the right decision and that I'm ready to go and that it's the right decision"
Despite his underwhelming statistics, Natale came off looking better than his main competition, Lovelace.
Lovelace had several long completions, most of them to wide receiver Julian Hayes. The duo combined for plays of 33, 19 and 32 yards. But in addition to turning the ball over twice, he took two long sacks right off the bat, both by Jim Dumont.
Still the senior said that the poor start did not discourage him.
"It was disappointing but it happens, it happens," Lovelace said. "But you have to keep going."
While the two fifth year seniors were sputtering at times, Jefferson managed to impress. He completed five of his first six passes for 90 yards. He was also the only quarterback to lead a drive ending in touchdown, as the others all had to settle for field goals.
With Lovelace faltering, Jefferson said that he thinks he may have played well enough to rise up on the depth chart.
"I really don't know," Jefferson said. "At the end of the day it's the coach's decision but I feel like I did pretty good."
With one scrimmage under their belts, Rutgers moved closer to its season opener September 7, but no closer to knowing who will be under center when that day comes. The next opportunity for the quarterbacks to prove themselves will come this Saturday as Rutgers scrimmages again.
Follow Mike Vorkunov on Twitter for more Rutgers football news at Mike_Vorkunov
