newjerseynewsroom.com

BY SAM HITCHCOCK

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

COMMENTARY

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have now climbed to 20th in the latest AP poll rankings, a very impressive feat. However, for a team with much bigger aspirations, the next four games will be pivotal in determining this season’s direction.

Two of their next four games are within the conference, and more importantly, they will be favored in all four of them. A large part of being a great team and building a great program is winning the games that you are expected to win. If the Knights hope to maintain consistency, they will need to continue being a run-based team whose squad is led by their defense -- a defense that capitalizes on field position and winning the turnover battle. Their adversary for Saturday’s noon tilt at High Point Stadium is University of Syracuse, a team coming off an ugly 14-13 victory over the mutable Pittsburgh Panthers.

The Orange victory snapped an 8-game FBS winless streak, and for their only offensive touchdown they used a well-balanced attack. Syracuse utilized the no-huddle with quarterback Ryan Nassib, and the signal-caller beat the Panthers’ secondary with quick strikes and a swift ground game led by Jerome Smith and Prince-Tyson Gulley. The Orange would go up two touchdowns on a Dyshawn Davis fumble return, but the Panthers would storm back. Syracuse barely held onto the victory, their first in Big East play.

Nassib has been the only weapon for the Orange this season, leading the offense against a deadly out of conference schedule comprised of Northwestern, USC, and Minnesota.

While the quarterback has been one of the few ‘Cuse bright spots, Nassib’s game against Pittsburgh was the nadir of his season statistically speaking. In his previous game against Minnesota, he coupled a touchdown with a pair of picks, and has been inconsistent with his decision-making. The problem with Nassib’s precipitous drop in production is that, if the Orange are going to generate any points, they will need to do so on the Knights’ secondary.

Rutgers’ front seven has been a logjam for opponents, ranking second nationally against the run, fifth in scoring defense, and 15th in the country in total defense. Linebackers Steve Beauharnais and Khaseem Greene, along with defensive tackle/nose tackle Scott Vallone and defensive end/defensive tackle Jamil Merrell, have been the leaders of the blockade. The group has flooded the A-gap and flown off the edge with increasing proficiency, made more impressive due to the season-ending injury to nose tackle Ike Holmes.

While Rutgers has not been able to accrue many sacks this season (nine), opposing signal-callers have been left with an acrimonious taste of turf on their tongue. The Knights’ frenetic rushers have achieved consistent pressure from the point of attack, forcing quarterbacks to move out of the pocket and cough up turnovers or take the punishment.

Offensively, head coach Kyle Flood will go with a healthy dose of Jawan Jamison carrying the rock, with addendum ball-carrier Savon Huggins bringing the chance of pace. Jamison is 13th nationally, averaging 120.2 rushing yards per game, and he more and more appears to be the Baltimore Raven’s (and former Knight) Ray Rice doppleganger.

With Syracuse’s defensive end Brandon Sharpe, a Bronko Nagurski Trophy candidate, lining up on the opposite side, Jamison may see another 30-plus carries to try to placate the pressure Sharpe can bring on quarterback Gary Nova. When the Panthers fell behind 14-0 last week, Sharpe went bananas for the Orange, finishing with a surfeit amount of sacks (four) and tackles for loss (six).

Nova will unquestionably have some passing attempts to balance the offense, but look for those throws to come as bubble screens to their gigantic wide receivers. They implemented this same strategy against UConn last week as a way to neutralize the pass rush off the edge and get the ball in their playmakers’ hands.

If Rutgers’ defense can maintain its aggressiveness and physicality, and the offense can mix in play-action with their ground and pound, then Rutgers should be able to avoid a trap-game and stave off an inferior Big East opponent.