RUTGERS (5-2) at CONNECTICUT (4-3)
Saturday, October 31 12:00 p.m.
Rentschler Field East Hartford, Conn.
Series Record: Rutgers leads, 19-9
Last Meeting: Rutgers 12, Connecticut 10
Television: BIG EAST Network (Locally on SNY in New York City and WPVI-ABC 6 in Philadelphia and South Jersey; Nationally on ESPN GamePlan PPV) AFFILIATE STATIONS CHART
Internet: ESPN360.com
Radio: Rutgers Football Radio Network
Affiliates: WOR 710-AM (New York City); WPEN 950-AM (Philadelphia/South Jersey); WCTC 1450-AM (Central Jersey)
Live Statistics: ScarletKnights.com
Student Radio: WRSU 88.7 FM
Satellite Radio: Satellite Radio: Sirius Channel 158; XM Channel 203
Regional rivals meet for the 29th time in series history as Rutgers travels to Connecticut for a BIG EAST conference game Saturday at noon. The game will air on the BIG EAST Network as the BIG EAST Game of the Week. Viewers in the New York metropolitian area can watch the game on SNY while fans in Philadelphia and South Jersey can view the game on WPVI-ABC6. Saturday’s game is also available nationally on ESPN GamePlan PPV and ESPN360.com.
Complete local affiliates carrying the Rutgers-UConn game are available here.
Saturday’s game on the BIG EAST Network has Mike Gleason (play-by-play), John Congemi (color analyst) and Quint Kessenich (sidelines) on the call.
The Rutgers Radio Network has pre-game coverage at 11 a.m. Chris Carlin, Ray Lucas and Anthony Fucilli will call the action on WOR-710 AM in New York City, WCTC-1450 AM in Central Jersey and WPEN-950 AM in Philadelphia and South Jersey.
The Rutgers radio feed is also available nationally on satellite radio. Sirius will carry the game on channel 158 and XM will broadcast the game on channel 203.
Close Calls in UConn Series
Rutgers and UConn have played seven times since 2001 and six of the seven games have been decided by 10 points or less. Three of the games have been decided by two points or less, including last season’s 12-10 victory for the Scarlet Knights at Rutgers Stadium. Last year’s win propelled Rutgers to a seven-game winning streak to close out the 2008 season.
Rutgers has won three of the previous four games vs. the Huskies. The lone win for UConn over the streak was a 38-19 victory in 2007 at Rentschler Field.
The two universities are separated by just 174 miles, the closest conference foe for both schools on the gridiron in the BIG EAST.
Rutgers leads the all-time series, 19-9. The 19 victories are the most for the Scarlet Knights vs. any conference opponent.
Coming Home to the Constitution State
Two Connecticut natives on the Rutgers roster return home this week. True freshman WR Mark Harrison (Stratford) and redshirt freshman WR Marcus Cooper (Bloomfield) both have seen playing time in the wide receiver rotation for the Scarlet Knights in 2009.
Harrison hauled in the first two receptions of his career in last week’s victory at Army. He finished the game with two receptions for 48 yards. One of the top recruits in Connecticut as a senior, Harrison finished his senior season with 61 receptions for 1,673 yards and 17 touchdowns at Bunnell High School.
Cooper, who grew up 10 miles from East Hartford in Bloomfield, finished his high school career ranked second in Connecticut state history with 3,014 career receiving yards. He also finished his career second in state history in TD receptions (43) and consecutive games with a touchdown (13).
Trick or Treat
Rutgers is 9-7-1 all-time on games played on Halloween (Oct. 31). The Scarlet Knights have won four of their last five Halloween games, including one of the most memorable victories in school history.
The last time Rutgers played on Oct. 31, the Scarlet Knights downed Temple 21-10 in 1998. The first time RU played on Oct. 31 was in 1874 with a 6-0 victory over Stevens.
The most memorable victory in school history on Oct. 31 came in 1992. On Homecoming at Rutgers Stadium vs. Virginia Tech, the Scarlet Knights rallied from a 42-30 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to defeat Virginia Tech 50-49.
The Scarlet Knights scored on the game’s final play as QB Bryan Fortay found WR Chris Brantley on a 15-yard pass as time expired to defeat the Hokies.
Fortay finished the day with 338 yards and four touchdowns - all to Brantley. Brantley ended the afternoon with 124 yards receiving and the four scores.
Rutgers finished the remarkable comeback with 606 yards of total offense.
Rutgers Director of Athletics Tim Pernetti and Rutgers Radio color analyst Ray Lucas both played in the win.
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SAVAGE
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First BIG EAST Road Start for Savage
True freshman quarterback Tom Savage will make his first start on the road in BIG EAST action Saturday at UConn.
Savage looks to become the first true freshman QB in school history to win a BIG EAST road game. Savage already has the most wins of any true freshman QB in school history as a starter with four.
First Career BIG EAST Road Starts
Ryan Hart, at Boston College (11-30-02) L, 44-14
16-of-30, 115 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
Ryan Cubit, at #1/2 Miami (9-8-01) L, 61-0
6-of-17, 47 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Mike McMahon, at Temple (11-1-97) L, 49-7
11-of-21, 82 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Playing on Natural Grass
Rutgers is 7-1 in its last eight games played on natural grass, dating back to the start of the 2006 season. The only loss during the streak was at UConn in 2007.
The Scarlet Knights have won three straight games on natural grass, including their only appearance this season, a 34-13 victory at Maryland.
Rutgers has averaged 32 points and 391 yards of total offense per game on grass since 2006.
Playing on Natural Grass Fields since 2006
Date Opponent Result
9-26-09 at Maryland W, 34-13
11-15-08 at USF W, 49-16
10-25-08 at #17/20 Pitt W, 54-34
11-3-07 at #16/20 UConn L, 38-19
12-28-06 vs. Kansas St. (Texas Bowl) W, 37-10
10-21-06 at Pitt W, 20-10
9-29-06 at USF W, 22-20
9-2-06 at North Carolina W, 21-16
Protecting the Pigskin
Rutgers is +22 in turnover differential over its last 14 games (12-2). The Scarlet Knights have gained 21 turnovers this season, including at least one in every game. In total, Rutgers has forced a turnover in 13 straight games.
Rutgers ranks second nationally and leads the BIG EAST in turnover differential (2.0).
In 2009, Rutgers is +14 in turnover differential (21 turnovers, 7 giveaways).
Over the last 14 games, Rutgers has gained a total of 38 turnovers.
12-2
Rutgers has won 12 of its last 14 games, dating back to the 2008 season. The Scarlet Knights are 5-0 on the road during the streak.
Over the last 14 games, Rutgers has held seven opponents to under 300 yards of total offense, including a low of 126 yards of total offense vs. Texas Southern. Last week at Army, the Black Knights gained just 213 total yards of offense.
Rutgers Rewind: Last Year vs. UConn (10-18-08)
A third quarter safety by defensive tackle Blair Bines proved to be the difference, as Rutgers defeated Connecticut 12-10 at Rutgers Stadium. The Scarlet Knights held UConn to a season-low 117 rushing yards, including just 11 yards in the second half, to earn the win before a 14th-straight sellout crowd.
1 2 3 4 Final
Connecticut 3 0 0 7 10
Rutgers 3 0 9 0 12
First Quarter
UCONN - FG Ciaravino 19 yd, 7:16
RU - FG Te 18 yd, 0:43
Third Quarter
RU - Young 6 yd run (Te kick), 10:24
RU - Bines safety, 1:38
Fourth Quarter
UCONN - Moore 47 yd pass from Frazer (Ciaravino kick), 8:33
Rutgers Rewind: Last Time at UConn (11-3-07)
Special teams proved to be the difference maker as a blocked punt and kickoff return for a touchdown provided No. 16 Connecticut (8-1, 4-0 BIG EAST) the momentum to defeat Rutgers (5-4, 2-3 BIG EAST) 38-19 at Rentschler Field. The Scarlet Knights outgained the Huskies 511-396 in the loss.
1 2 3 4 Final
Rutgers 3 13 3 0 19
Connecticut 18 7 7 6 38
First Quarter
UConn - Team Safety, 13:55
UConn - Brouse 2 yd pass from Lorenzen (Ciaravino kick failed), 10:11
RU - FG Ito 30, 6:59
UConn - FG Ciaravino 43, 4:52
UConn - Jeffers 34 yd pass from Lorenzen (Ciaravino kick), 1:18
Second Quarter
RU - FG Ito 28, 9:14
UConn - Branch 97 yd kickoff return (Ciaravino kick), 8:59
RU - Rice 4 yd run (Ito kick), 4:24
RU - FG Ito 28, :00
Third Quarter
RU - FG Ito 27, 8:52
UConn - Brown 33 yd run (Ciaravino kick), 6:02
Fourth Quarter
UConn - FG Ciaravino 30, 14:14
UConn - FG Ciaravino 26, 10:16
A Continuing Trend
Rutgers is on track to allow under four yards per rush for the fourth time in five seasons. While four games remain in the season, Rutgers’ opponents have averaged just 3.3 yards per rush on 226 attempts through seven games.
Rutgers leads the BIG EAST and ranks 21st nationally in total defense.
Against the Run Under Schiano
Year Attempts Yards Yards Per Carry
2009 226 746 3.3
2008 469 1,763 3.8
2007 513 2,076 4.0
2006 447 1,313 2.9
2005 483 1,596 3.3
2004 460 1,960 4.3
2003 462 1,957 4.2
2002 525 2,484 4.7
2001 473 2,535 5.4
Under 100 = W
Rutgers has won four consecutive games when passing for less than 100 yards in a game.
The last two times Rutgers has been held under 100 yards passing - 42 at Maryland this season and 42 at Army in 2007 - the Scarlet Knights won both games by a combined score of 75-19 and rushed for 611 yards in the two victories.
Rutgers also won two games in 2006 when passing for less than 100 yards - 72 at Pittsburgh and 83 vs. Ohio.
Game #100 is in the Win Column
Greg Schiano became the fourth coach in 140 years of Rutgers football to coach at least 100 games for the Scarlet Knights. John Bateman guided the Scarlet Knights for 13 seasons and has coached the most games in school history - 124.
Schiano’s 100th game was a 23-15 victory over Florida International. The game was also the first for Schiano vs. a former assistant in Mario Cristobal of FIU. Cristobal served on Schiano’s staff at Rutgers from 2001-03.
Schiano won his 50th game at Rutgers in impressive fashion in a 42-0 shutout of Texas Southern Oct. 10. Schiano is one of five coaches in school history to win 50 or more games.
Rutgers Head Coaches with 100 Games
Head Coach Record Years at RU Games
John Bateman 73-51 1960-72 124
Frank Burns 78-43-1 1973-83 122
Harvey Harman 74-44-2 1938-41. 46-55 120
Greg Schiano 51-53 2001-present 104
Inside the 100
Greg Schiano has had a remarkable turnaround during his tenure at Rutgers. After starting 15-35 overall in his first 50 games, Schiano is 36-18 in his last 54 games, including four consecutive bowls for the Scarlet Knights.
Overall BIG EAST
Games 1-50 15-35 4-24
Games 51-100 33-17 16-12
Games 101- 2-1 0-1
Total 51-53 20-37
Shutout in Four Straight Seasons
Rutgers is one of two teams in the nation to record a shutout in each of the last four seasons. In 2006, Rutgers blanked Illinois and Navy. In 2007, Norfolk State was shutout and Morgan State was held scoreless in 2008. In 2009, Rutgers shutout Texas Southern 42-0.
Rutgers - (2006: Illinois and Navy; 2007: Norfolk State; 2008: Morgan State; 2009: Texas Southern)
Boise State - (2006: Sacramento State; 2007: New Mexico State and Utah State; 2008: New Mexico State; 2009: Miami, Ohio)
Savage Era Begins in Impressive Fashion
Tom Savage was the fifth quarterback in school history to start as a true freshman for the Scarlet Knights and became just the second true freshman QB to win a game for the Scarlet Knights in RU’s 45-7 win over Howard. He joined Ryan Hart (2002/4 starts), Ryan Cubit (2001/11 starts), Mike McMahon (1997/5 starts) and Jacque LaPrairie (1981/1 start) as the only true freshmen to start at quarterback in school history for Rutgers.
True Freshman Quarterbacks During the Schiano Era
Greg Schiano has played three true freshmen at quarterback during his tenure as head coach - Tom Savage in 2009, Ryan Cubit in 2001 and Ryan Hart in 2002.
Savage made his Scarlet Knight debut vs. Cincinnati in the season-opener. The true freshman was 15-of-23 passing for 135 yards and a touchdown vs. the Bearcats.
Savage, a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter at quarterback for head coach Dan Algeo at Cardinal O’Hara High School, was rated as the No. 3 pro style quarterback in the nation by Tom Lemming -MaxPreps.com and the No. 8 pro style quarterback nationally by SuperPrep Magazine.
Record-Setting First Start for Savage
Tom Savage finished the Howard game 8-for-13 for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Savage set a Rutgers school record for yards per completion by a true freshman QB with 27.8 yards per completion. He broke the single-game record set by Ryan Cubit vs. Navy in 2001, when Cubit passed for an average of 25.1 yards per completion vs. the Mids (13-of-20, 327 yards).
The 223 yards passing was the fifth-best single-game total in school history by a true freshman.
In Rare Company
Tom Savage is one five players who have earned time at quarterback as true freshmen for the Scarlet Knights. Savage is 4-1 as a starter, the most victories already by a true freshman QB in school history.
True Freshman QB W-L Record as Starting QB
Quarterback, Year Overall Record BIG EAST Record
Tom Savage, 2009 4-1 0-1
Ryan Hart, 2002 0-4 0-3
Ryan Cubit, 2001 2-9 0-7
Mike McMahon, 1997 0-5 0-3
Jacque LaPrairie, 1981 0-1
Strong Performance in BIG EAST Opener
Tom Savage recorded career-highs in completions (23), attempts (39) and passing yards (248) in his first career BIG EAST start Oct. 16 vs. Pitt. Savage’s 248 yards passing were the second-highest total by a true freshman QB in school history in a BIG EAST game. Mike McMahon holds the school record for single-game passing yards vs. a BIG EAST opponent with 269 yards vs. Pitt in 1997.
Key Production on Third and Fourth Down
Tom Savage has performed best under pressure this season when passing on third and fourth down. Below is a breakdown of Savage’s statistics on third and fourth down:
Third Down
Comp. Att. Pct. First Downs TD
33 51 64% 19 0
Fourth Down
Comp. Att. Pct. First Downs TD
5 6 83% 4 2
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BROWN
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What Can Brown Do for You?
Tim Brown has continued to get better and better as his career has progressed at Rutgers. The senior WR leads the team with 649 yards receiving in 2009. Brown also leads RU in yards per reception (20.3) and receiving yards per game (92.7).
Brown also ranks third in the conference in receiving yards per game. Below is a year-by-year breakdown of Brown’s receiving yards per game:
Tim Brown Year-by-Year
Year GP Rec. Yards Avg. TD Yards Per Game
2006 10 8 202 25.2 3 20.2
2007 12 24 340 14.2 2 28.3
2008 13 27 565 20.9 6 43.5
2009 7 32 649 20.3 3 92.7
Touchdown Brown
Tim Brown is sixth in school history with 14 career touchdown receptions. He is also 10th in RU history with 1,756 career receiving yards.
Brown has averaged 39.9 yards on his 14 career touchdowns. Labeled the “most dangerous deep threat in the BIG EAST” by Lindy’s, Brown finished second on the team in 2008 with 27 receptions for 565 yards.
Brown is also tied for second in school history with seven career 100-yard receiving games.
In 2009, 25 of Brown’s 32 receptions have resulted in a first down or touchdown. On third downs, 12 of his 15 receptions have moved the chains.
Rutgers Career 100-Yard Receiving Game Leaders
1. Kenny Britt (2006-08) 14
2. Tres Moses (2001-05) 7
2. Marco Battaglia (1992-95) 7
2. Tim Brown (2006-present) 7
4. Tiquan Underwood (2005-08) 6
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SANU
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Sensational Start for Sanu
Mohamed Sanu became the first true freshman to start at wide receiver for the Scarlet Knights in his first game in the Greg Schiano era. Sanu is also the only player on the current roster to start as a true freshman in his first game as a Scarlet Knight.
Sanu caught the most passes by a true freshman WR in his first career start at Rutgers with 10 receptions for 101 yards vs. Cincinnati.
Sanu is just the fourth true freshman to start at wide receiver for Rutgers since Greg Schiano became head coach in 2001.
Sanu is second on the team in receptions (28) and receiving yards (254).
Balanced Ground Attack
Rutgers has four players on the 2009 roster with 100-yard games in their career, including three different 100-yard rushers this season.
It is the first time since the 2002 season that Rutgers has had a 100-yard rushing performance by three different running backs in the same season.
Joe Martinek, Jourdan Brooks, De’Antwan Williams and Kordell Young have each posted 100-yard games during their career. Martinek, Brooks and Williams have surpassed the century mark this season.
Rutgers is 5-0 this season when a player rushes for 100 yards in a game.
100-Yard Rushers on 2009 Roster
Player Opponent Att. Yards TD
Jourdan Brooks Howard (‘09) 17 124 3
Jourdan Brooks at Navy (‘08) 22 134 2
Jourdan Brooks Louisville (‘08) 11 124 1
Joe Martinek FIU (‘09) 23 121 0
Joe Martinek at Maryland (‘09) 19 147 2
Joe Martinek at Army (‘09) 25 147 2
De’Antwan Williams Texas Southern (‘09) 19 132 1
Kordell Young Syracuse (‘08) 29- 143 1
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MARTNEK
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Back-to-Back
Sophomore running back Joe Martinek became the first Scarlet Knight since Ray Rice in 2007 to rush for 100 yards in two consecutive games. Martinek went over the century mark for the first time in his career with 121 yards vs. Florida International. He eclipsed his career-high with 147 yards rushing, including 130 in the fourth quarter, including two touchdowns in the 34-13 victory over Maryland.
Martinek continued his fourth quarter heroics with nine rushes for 82 yards and a touchdown at Army en route to 147 yards in the Rutgers win.
Starting a Bowl Tradition
Before Greg Schiano’s arrival at Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights played in one bowl game in 131 seasons of football. In his first eight seasons at the helm of the program, Schiano has guided Rutgers to four consecutive bowl games.
The Scarlet Knights are one of 31 teams to play in four consecutive bowls. Among BCS members, Rutgers is one of 21 schools to play in four straight bowl games and just one of three BIG EAST programs to play in four consecutive bowls (Rutgers, West Virginia, USF).
All-time, Rutgers is 3-2 in postseason play.
The “Chop Shop”
A school-record crowd was in attendance on Labor Day as the Scarlet Knights opened the season vs. Cincinnati.
Over the last three years, Rutgers is 18-7 at home. Since taking over as head coach in 2001, Greg Schiano’s teams are 27-23 at Rutgers Stadium.
Top Crowds in Rutgers Stadium History
1. Cincinnati 47, Rutgers 15 (9/7/09) 53,737
2. Pitt 24, Rutgers 17 50,296
3. Rutgers 42, Texas So. 0 (10/10/09) 50,169
4. Rutgers 23, FIU 15 (9/19/09) 45,273
5. Rutgers 30, #2 USF 27 (10/18/07) 44,267
Three Freshmen On ESPNU Top 150 List
Rutgers was the only school in the BIG EAST to have three of the nation’s top 150 recruits on the ESPNU150 Class of 2009. Freshman CB Darrell Givens was rated as the nation’s No. 61 recruit, Tom Savage was rated No. 125 and freshman DT Antwan Lowery was No. 134 on the top 150 list nationally.
2009 Recruiting Class Ranked Among Nation’s Top 25
Rutgers 2009 recruiting class was ranked as the best in the BIG EAST and the No. 21 class nationally according to ESPN’s Scouts, Inc.
Nine members of that recruiting class have played as true freshmen for the Scarlet Knights in 2009:
Steve Beauharnais, LB (Saddle Brook, N.J.)
Ka’Lial Glaud, LB (Atco, N.J.)
Duron Harmon, DB (Magnolia, Del.)
Mark Harrison, WR (Stratford, Conn.)
Quron Pratt, WR (Palmyra, N.J.)
Mohamed Sanu, WR (South Brunswick, N.J.)
Tom Savage, QB (Springfield, Pa.)
Tony Trahan, TE (Coppell, Texas)
De’Antwan Williams, RB (Woodbridge, Va.)
2009 First Time Starters
A total of 15 Scarlet Knights have made their debut in the starting lineup in 2009. Eight of the 15 are freshmen, including four true freshmen:
Player, Year, Position
Brandon Bing, Jr., CB
Marcus Cooper, R-Fr., WR
Mark Harrison, Fr., WR
D.C. Jefferson, R-Fr., TE
Eric LeGrand, So., DT
Antonio Lowery, Jr., WLB
Domenic Natale, 5th-Sr., QB
Charlie Noonan, R-Jr., DT
David Rowe, So., CB
Mohamed Sanu, Fr., WR
Tom Savage, Fr., QB
Desmond Stapleton, R-Fr., OL
Tony Trahan, Fr., TE
Scott Vallone, R-Fr., DT
Desmond Wynn, R-So., OG
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VALLONE
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New Starters Making Their Mark on Defense
Two first-year starters - redshirt freshman DT Scott Vallone and junior WLB Antonio Lowery - have continued to get better and better as the year has progressed.
Vallone has been a disruptive force on the Rutgers defensive line, totaling 17 tackles, 6 TFLs and 0.5 sacks in 2009. He has six QB hurries, third-most on the team.
Lowery is second on the team with 35 tackles to go along with 3.5 TFLs, two pass breakups, one interception (returned for a TD) and a forced fumble. He ended the Pitt game with a career-high 12 tackles.
Coming of Age
Junior defensive end Jonathan Freeny has played his best football of his career in 2009. The Tampa native registered multiple sacks in consecutive games vs. Howard and FIU, becoming the first Scarlet Knight since Eric Foster in 2007 to do so.
Freeny is tied for 18th in the nation and is tied for second in the BIG EAST with 0.93 sacks per game. He leads RU in both sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (8.5).
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McCOURTY
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From Defense to Offense
Rutgers has scored a defensive touchdown in three games in 2009.
With the first-quarter interception return for a touchdown by David Rowe vs. Texas Southern, Rutgers has four defensive touchdowns in seven games this season – the most since 2006, when RU posted four defensive touchdowns in 13 games.
The Scarlet Knights have six starters on defense who have scored touchdowns in their career. Senior CB Devin McCourty leads the way with two touchdowns.
Devin McCourty 2 INT TD returns
Ryan D’Imperio 1 INT TD return
George Johnson 1 Fumble TD return
Joe Lefeged 1 Fumble TD return
Antonio Lowery 1 INT return
David Rowe 1 INT TD return
Finding His Home at DT - and on Special Teams
Sophomore defensive tackle Eric LeGrand has come into his own this season for the Scarlet Knights. After playing defensive end, defensive tackle and fullback as a true freshman in 2008, LeGrand has been one of the team’s top defensive linemen in 2009 with 19 tackles, including 4.5 TFLs.
A versatile athlete, he also leads the team with eight tackles on kickoff coverage in 2009 for the Scarlet Knights.
