Scarlet Knights Game Preview
Oct 20 | Football
RUTGERS (2-5, 1-2
) at PITTSBURGH (5-1, 2-0)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 25 3:30 PM
Site: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Stadium: Heinz Field
Rankings: Rutgers (NR-AP; NR-Coaches), Pittsburgh (17-AP; 20-Coaches)
Series Record: Pittsburgh leads, 19-6
Last Meeting: Rutgers 20, Pittsburgh 16 (2007)
Last Meeting at Pittsburgh: Rutgers 20, Pittsburgh 10 (2006)
Television: Nonn
Radio: The Rutgers Radio Network can be heard on WOR (AM-710) and WCTC (AM-1450) Chris Carlin (Play-by-Play), former Rutgers TE Tim Pernetti (Color Analyst) and Anthony Fuccilli (Sideline Reporter) on the call. Marc Malusis serves as the rre-game and post-game host. The game can also be heard on the Internet at www.scarletknights.com, the official athletics website of Rutgers University.
Satellite Radio: XM Channel 203
Student Radio: WRSU 88.7 FM
Internet: ESPN360.com , ScarletKnights.com (audio)
For the third time in four games, Rutgers hits the road in BIGEAST action Saturday at No. 17 Pittsburgh. The game will not be televised, but ESPN360.com will broadcast the game on the Internet.
The Rutgers Radio Network will begin its pregame coverage at 2:30 p.m. Chris Carlin (play-by-play), Tim Pernetti (analyst) and Anthony Fucilli (sidelines) will call the action. The game will also be available on XM satellite radio channel 203.
Going for Four Straight vs. Pitt
Rutgers looks to win its fourth straight game vs. Pittsburgh Saturday at Heinz Field. The three-game winning streak for the Scarlet Knights vs. the Panthers is the longest in series history for Rutgers.
Rutgers looks to win its second straight game in the Steel City for the first time in series history Saturday.
Stingy Defense
The Rutgers defense has held its last two BIG EAST opponents to a combined 23 points. The Scarlet Knights limited Cincinnati to 13 points in a narrow 13-10 defeat and held Connecticut to 10 points in the 12-10 victory over the Huskies. The 23 points allowed are tied for the fourth lowest combined point total in back-to-back games in Rutgers' 18-year history in the BIG EAST Conference.
Year (s) Opponents (Points) Combined Points
1992-93 Temple (10, 0) 10
1992 West Virginia (9), Temple (10) 19
1991 Pittsburgh (22), Temple (0) 22
2006 Pittsburgh (10), Connecticut (13) 23
2008 Cincinnati (13), Connecticut (10) 23
Stopping the Run
Since Greg Schiano's arrival at Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights have had success in limiting the Pittsburgh rushing attack. In seven games against Pitt, Schiano's defenses have yielded just 622 yards on 250 attempts - 2.5 yards per carry.
Year Attempts-Yards Avg. Per Rush
2001 38-154 4.1
2002 44-110 2.5
2003 34-113 3.3
2004 42-79 1.8
2005 25 (-11) -2.3
2006 26-67 2.6
2007 41-110 2.7
Back-to-Back BIG EAST Road Games
Rutgers has allowed 37 points in its first two BIG EAST road games, the second-lowest total for the Scarlet Knights in BIG EAST play after two road games. Only the 2006 squad allowed fewer points after two road games - 30 points.
| BRITT |
The Century Club
Junior WR Kenny Britt became Rutgers' all-time leader in career 100-yard receiving games with his eighth 100-yard game at West Virginia. Britt finished the contest with 151 yards on 12 catches.
Britt added to his school record with his ninth career 100-yard performance in the victory over UConn. The Bayonne, N.J., native caught nine passes for 107 yards vs. the Huskies.
Six of Britt's nine career 100-yard receiving games have come away from Piscataway.
Britt ranks seventh in the nation in receptions per game (7.7) and ranks 18th in the country in receiving yards per contest (95.2).
Britt's 100-yard receiving performances
Date Rec.-Yards-TD Opponent
10-13-07 6-176-1 at Syracuse
11-29-07 12-173-2 at Louisville
10-4-08 12-151-0 at West Virginia
1-5-08 6-125-1 vs. Ball State^
11-3-07 8-122-0 at Connecticut
9-15-07 4-121-2 vs. Norfolk State
12-2-06 10-119-0 at West Virginia
9-11-08 8-109-0 vs. North Carolina
10-18-08 9-107-0 vs. Connecticut
^ in Toronto, Ontario (International Bowl)
Britt Continues Assault on Record Books
Kenny Britt is now third in school history with 2,243 career receiving yards. Britt owns the single-season school record with 1,232 receiving yards set in 2007. Britt is seventh in Rutgers' career annals with 137 receptions.
Rutgers Career Receiving Yards Leaders
1. Tres Moses (2001-05) 2,522
2. Andrew Baker (1981-84) 2,268
3. Kenny Britt (2006-present) 2,243
4. Marco Battaglia (1992-95) 2,221
5. Jim Guarantano (1989-92) 2,065
Rutgers Career Reception Leaders
1. Brian Leonard (2003-06) 207
2. Tres Moses (2001-05) 192
3. Marco Battaglia (1992-95) 171
4. Jim Guarantano (1989-92) 158
5. Chris Brantley (1990-93) 144
6. Clark Harris (2003-06) 143
7. Kenny Britt (2006-present) 137
8. Andrew Baker (1981-84) 127
Britt in the Active Career Rankings
Kenny Britt is fourth among Football Bowl Subdivision active players with a career average of 16.4 yards per reception. He is 20th among active players nationally in career receiving yards (2,243).
Sack the Quarterback
Rutgers sacked Cincinnati's Chazz Anderson a season-high four times Oct. 11 at Nippert Stadium. Jamaal Westerman, Ryan D'Imperio and Alex Silvestro each recorded a sack while Damaso Munoz and George Johnson shared a sack.
Getting Defensive
Rutgers limited Morgan State to 109 yards of total offense on Sept. 27, the fewest yards ever allowed by a Rutgers squad under Greg Schiano. The Scarlet Knights limited the Bears to eight first downs and 32 yards rushing in the 38-0 victory.
It marked the third straight season RU has posted a shutout win.
Fewest Total Yards Allowed During Schiano Era
Date Opponent Total Yards Allowed
9/27/08 Morgan State* 109
9/16/06 Ohio 119
9/15/07 Norfolk State* 122
9/9/06 Illinois* 126
11/26/05 Cincinnati 146
11/9/07 at Army 152
10/14/06 at Navy* 161
12/28/06 Kansas State (Texas Bowl) 162
9/23/06 Howard 172
11/25/06 Syracuse 191
11/29/03 Syracuse 198
* Shutout victory
| YOUNG |
Welcome Back Kordell
Redshirt sophomore RB Kordell Young made his return from a torn ACL and earned the start at running back in the season-opener vs. Fresno State.
The West Deptford, N.J., native rushed for a career-high 94 yards on a career-high 26 carries in the season-opener vs. Fresno State.
He missed the next four games due to a sore knee before returning for the Cincinnati game.
Young started at UC and led all RU players with 78 yards rushing. He also threw the first touchdown pass of his career on a 17-yard TD pass to Jack Corcoran.
In three games this season, Young is averaging 84 yards per game.
Young, one of six starters from South Jersey on the roster, suffered his knee injury in the third game of the 2007 season vs. Norfolk State and was forced to miss the remainder of the year.
Slowing Down the Nation's Best
The Rutgers defense held the nation's leading rusher in Connecticut's Donald Brown to 107 rushing yards on 27 attempts, including just seven yards in the second half on Oct. 18. It was his lowest output of the season by 39 yards and was 70.8 yards below his per game average.
The game vs. UConn also marked the second time in 2008 Rutgers played against the nation's leading rusher. On Sept. 20 at Navy, the Scarlet Knights faced that week's national leading rusher in Shun White of Navy, who was held to 85 yards.
Slowing Down the Opponent
The Rutgers defense held Cincinnati (13) and Connecticut (10) to their lowest point totals of the season. Cincinnati is third in the BIG EAST in points per game (29.0) while UConn is fifth (24.4).
First Start for True Freshman Forst
True freshman RG Art Forst earned his first career start at Cincinnati. He was the first true freshman to start for the Scarlet Knights in 2008 and the first true freshman offensive lineman to start since Anthony Davis started against Ball State in the 2008 International Bowl last season. He is the third true freshman to start on the offensive line in the last five years. Former Scarlet Knight and current Tampa Bay Buccaneer Jeremy Zuttah started as a true freshman during the 2004 season.
Te Time
Redshirt freshman PK San San Te has connected on six of his last seven field goal attempts, including a career-long 50-yard field goal at Cincinnati on Oct. 11. The North Carolina native is 6-for-9 on field goal attempts on the season.
Te is one of seven freshmen nationally to make a field goal from 50 yards or longer in 2008.
| D'IMPERIO |
D'Imperio Manning the Middle
Junior MLB Ryan D'Imperio has manned the middle of the Rutgers' defense in 2008 and has been one of the team's top defenders. He is tied for fourth in the BIG EAST with 7.6 tackles per game. D'Imperio recorded 11 tackles in the 12-10 victory over Connecticut on Oct. 18.
On the season, D'Imperio has 53 tackles, 5.5 for loss and one sack.
Rutgers Stadium Sold Out for 2008
For the second consecutive season, Rutgers is sold out for its entire home schedule. With the seven home games sold out for 2008, it moves Rutgers' consecutive sell-out streak at Rutgers Stadium to 17 games, the longest streak in the BIG EAST.
The most fans in school history - 349,306 - entered the gates at Rutgers Stadium in 2007. Rutgers averaged a school-record 43,663 fans per game in 2007.
| BROOKS |
The Freshman 100
Jourdan Brooks became the eighth freshman during Greg Schiano's tenure at Rutgers to rush for 100 yards in a game with his 134-yard performance at Navy.
Below is the list of freshmen who have eclipsed the 100-yard mark in a game under Schiano at Rutgers:
Player Att.-Yards-TD Opponent (Date)
Ray Rice 27-217-0 at UConn (10-22-05)
Ray Rice 24-195-2 Cincinnati (11-26-05)
Brian Leonard 33-184-2 at UConn (11-8-03)
Justise Hairston 31-161-4 vs. Navy (9-27-03)
Ray Rice 26-158-0 USF (11-5-05)
Brian Leonard 37-138-1 Syracuse (11-29-03)
Jourdan Brooks 22-134-2 at Navy (9-20-08)
Brian Leonard 16-132-1 at Army (9-13-03)
Markis Facyson 32-129-1 Army (9-14-02)
Justise Hairston 27-115-1 at WVU (10-11-03)
Ray Rice 15-114-0 Pittsburgh (9-30-05)
Ray Rice 20-108-0 Arizona St. (12-27-05)
Jason Nugent 26-106-1 at BC (11-30-02)
Marcus Jones 30-105-1 at WVU (11-3-01)
Clarence Pittman 31-104-0 at Tennessee (9-28-02)
Comparing First Starts at Running Back
With 134 yards at Navy, Jourdan Brooks is among elite company in Rutgers history for rushing yards by a player in their first career start.
Player Opponent Att.-Yards-TD
Terrell Willis at Army (10-16-93) 37-221-4
Jourdan Brooks at Navy (9-20-08) 22-134-2
"JJ" Jennings vs. Colgate (11-20-71) 21-108-3
Bruce Presley vs. West Virginia (11-14-92) 27-105-0
Kordell Young vs. Fresno State (9-1-08) 26-94-0
Mason Robinson vs. North Carolina (9-11-08) 16-82-0
Ray Rice at Illinois (9-3-05) 12-55-0
Brian Leonard vs. Buffalo (8-30-03) * 6-11-0
* started at fullback
Finding the End Zone
Jourdan Brooks scored a career-high three touchdowns against Morgan State. It was the most rushing touchdowns by a Rutgers freshman since Sept. 27, 2003, when Justise Hairston scored four touchdowns vs. Navy. Brooks scored all three of his touchdowns in the first half against the Bears.
| MALAST |
34 On the Tackle
Senior LB Kevin Malast has been as steady as they come in the BIG EAST at linebacker since becoming a starter in 2007. After finishing second on the team with 92 tackles as a junior, Malast leads RU and is tied for second in the BIG EAST in tackles in 2008. He has 54 tackles on the season and ranks second in the league with 7.7 tackles per game.
Malast led all players in the Fresno State game with nine tackles and has posted at least seven stops in five games this season.
Rutgers on ESPN360.com
Rutgers will play on ESPN360.com for the first time in school history Saturday at Pittsburgh. The game will mark the second BIG EAST conference game to be shown on ESPN360.com. In 2005, ESPN360.com produced the Pittsburgh-USF game.
ESPN360.com is ESPN's online home for live sports. The broadband sports TV network gives fans a 24/7 online destination delivering more than 3,000 live, global sports events annually. The service is available at no cost to approximately 18 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks (those with ".edu" and ".mil" domains).
It is also available residentially to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider, and is currently available in nearly 24 million homes nationwide via more than 20 Internet service providers nationwide including AT&T, Verizon, RCN, Insight, Frontier, Cavalier, Charter, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications and more.
Welcome to Rutgers
Here is the list of Scarlet Knights who have made their first career appearances this season:
Player Year Pos.
Marvin Booker Fr. LB (special teams)
Jourdan Brooks R-Fr. RB
Marcus Cooper Fr. WR
Teddy Dellaganna R-So. P (starter)
Art Forst Fr. RG (starter)
Patrick Kivlehan Fr. DB (special teams)
Al-Ghaffaar Lane R-Fr. LB (special teams)
Eric LeGrand Fr. DE/FB
Joe Martinek R-Fr. RB
Marlon Romulus R-So. OL
David Rowe Fr. DB
Caleb Ruch R-Fr. RG (starter)
San San Te R-Fr. PK (starter)
Wayne Thomas R-Fr. DL (special teams)
Scott Vallone Fr. DL
Rutgers Stadium Expansion
The Board of Governors of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, approved a plan in January of 2008 to expand Rutgers Stadium.
The $102 million project, which will increase the stadium's seating capacity to 56,000, will be funded entirely by the revenue generated from ticket sales for the 14,000 new seats and from private donations. Rutgers students will continue to have access to football tickets free of charge.
The first phase of the project - a new mezzanine level with club seats and loge boxes - opened to rave reviews Sept. 1 at the Fresno State game.
Airing it Out
Senior QB Mike Teel set a school record with 20 touchdown passes in 2007. He also finished second in single-season school history with 3,147 yards passing.
Teel is the second player in Rutgers history with three consecutive 300-yard passing games. Ryan Hart (2002-05) holds the school record for consecutive 300-yard passing games with seven during the 2004 season.
Teel is second in Rutgers history with six, 300-yard passing games.
The senior from Oakland, N.J. is 23-13 as Rutgers' starting quarterback. He has started 33 consecutive games under center.
| TVERDOV |
Tough Up the Middle
Senior captain and DT Pete Tverdov is one of the team's defensive anchors in 2008. He is second in the BIG EAST in tackles for loss per game with 1.29 TFLs per contest. Tverdov has recorded a TFL in all six games he has played in this season.
Dating back to 2007, Tverdov has registered a TFL in nine straight games.
He started the season in strong fashion in the first game of the year vs. Fresno State. Tverdov was all over the field in the opener, finishing with seven tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one QB hurry and a pass breakup.
Spanning Three Centuries
Rutgers Football, now in its 139th season, has played only three opponents in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. The three - Army, Navy and North Carolina - are all on the 2008 schedule.
Three Straight Bowls for Rutgers
For the first time in school history, the Scarlet Knights played in a bowl for the third consecutive season with their appearance in the 2008 International Bowl.
Rutgers won its second straight bowl - another first in school history - with a 52-30 victory over Ball State in the International Bowl.
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 seven seasons at the helm of the program, Schiano has guided Rutgers to three straight bowl games.
The Scarlet Knights are one of 34 teams to play in three consecutive bowls. Among BCS members, Rutgers is one of 25 schools to play in three straight bowl games and just one of three BIG EAST programs to play in three consecutive bowls (Rutgers, West Virginia, USF). All-time, Rutgers is 2-2 in postseason play.
Block Party
Junior CB Devin McCourty has been one of the team's top special teams standouts throughout his career. McCourty has blocked four career kicks, including the third punt block of his career vs. Navy on Sept. 20. All four of McCourty's blocked kicks have led to Rutgers touchdowns.
McCourty has also scored two touchdowns in his career on a pair of interception returns. He returned a pick 36 yards for a touchdown vs. Cincinnati in 2007 and returned an INT 38 yards for a score his freshman year in 2006 vs. Illinois.
| MARTINEK |
Joe Mart
Redshirt freshman Joe Martinek made the most of his first extensive action of his career Sept. 20 at Navy. Martinek recorded his first career rushing attempt, gaining seven yards on a 1st and 10 at the 12-yard line in the first quarter. One play later, he posted his first career touchdown on a five-yard rush with 5:22 to play in the first quarter.
Martinek finished with career-highs in attempts (8) and rushing yards (61) against the Midshipmen.
Martinek was the 2006 Gatorade New Jersey State Player of the Year and is the all-time leading rusher in New Jersey high school football history with 7,589 rushing yards and 80 touchdowns.
He finished his high school career as the No. 38 rusher in high school history with 7,589 rushing yards.
Martinek also made one of the season's best special teams plays with a tackle on UConn's opening kickoff return of the second half, tackling the kick returner at the one-yard line.
| BINES |
From LB to DT
Junior DT Blair Bines started the spring at linebacker and moved to defensive tackle in preseason camp. Only three games into the season at Navy, Bines earned his first career start at DT for an injured Pete Tverdov.
One of the most versatile players on the roster, the New York native has also lined up at fullback this year for the Scarlet Knights.
Bines recorded Rutgers' first safety since 2005 as he tackled UConn's Donald Brown in the end zone in the 12-10 win over the Huskies. It marked the second game-winning safety in Bines' career. He also won a game on a safety during his senior year in high school at William Floyd HS on Long Island.
Comeback in the Kitchen
Junior SS Zaire Kitchen has been one of the best stories of the season for the Scarlet Knights. Kitchen has overcome three ACL surgeries during his career, including two at Rutgers, and has made it all the way back into the starting lineup Sept. 20 at Navy. In his first career start vs. the Mids, Kitchen tallied two tackles.
Kitchen played in nine games in 2007 before his season was cut short with a torn ACL against Pittsburgh. During his freshman campaign in 2006, Kitchen played in 11 games before an ACL injury ended his year prematurely.
In 27 career games, the hard-hitting Kitchen has 38 tackles. The Hightstown native also has one career interception, which secured the victory over No. 2 USF in 2007.
Not in a Rush
Since Greg Schiano took over as defensive coordinator for the Scarlet Knights, Rutgers' defense has limited the opposition to less than 100 yards rushing 16 times, including three games with negative yards rushing.
Ten times during Schiano's tenure as defensive coordinator, the Rutgers defense has yielded less than 200 yards of total offense to an opponent.
The "Chop Shop"
A school-record crowd of 44,267 were in attendance as the Scarlet Knights upset No. 2 USF 30-27 last season The Scarlet Knights have posted the eight largest crowds in school history over the last two seasons.
Currently, the growing waiting list for season tickets is over 12,000 as the Scarlet Knights have played in front of 13 straight sellout crowds at Rutgers Stadium, the longest current streak in the BIG EAST.
South Jersey Scarlet Knights
South Jersey has become a hot spot for Rutgers' recruiting in recent years as the Scarlet Knights have six starters from the southern part of the Garden State.
Below are six South Jersey standouts who are currently the starter or co-starter at their respective position:
Center - Ryan Blaszczyk (Medford Lakes)
Running Back - Kordell Young (West Deptford)
Fullback - Jack Corcoran (Atlantic City)
Defensive End - George Johnson (Glassboro)
Defensive Tackle - Alex Silvestro (Gibbstown)
Middle Linebacker - Ryan D'Imperio (Sewell)
| UNDERWOOD |
Off the Field Honors for Underwood
Due to his tremendous work and volunteer time away from the football field, Tiquan Underwood has been nominated for the 17th annual Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Underwood has been heavily involved in Rutgers' community service programs, including volunteer work with Special Olympics New Jersey. He is just one of several Scarlet Knight football players who have offered their time.
Underwood has spent time speaking to children about the importance of education at several area local schools, including MacAfee Elementary School, Linwood Middle School, Notre Dame Elementary School, Franklin High School and Somerset Middle School.
On the field, Underwood was a First Team All-BIG EAST selection in 2007. He finished second in Rutgers history with 1,100 yards receiving and tied for third in the BIG EAST with 7.1 receptions per game.
| DELLAGANNA |
Teddy D
Redshirt sophomore P Teddy Dellaganna played a large role in Rutgers' 12-10 victory over Connecticut. His second half opening kickoff pinned UConn to start from its own one-yard line. He also pinned UConn inside its own 10-yard line to start three other drives in the second half, starting from the 3, 2 and 10-yard lines.
In the second half, UConn's seven drives started inside their own 24-yard line, including five inside the 15.
Natale Makes Debut at QB
Redshirt junior QB Domenic Natale made his first career appearance in the first quarter Oct. 18 vs. UConn. He registered his first career pass and first career completion in the quarter. Natale finished the game 2-for--5 for 26 yards, including a long pass of 19 yards.
Natale transferred to Rutgers from Michigan State in 2006. He missed all of 2007 with an elbow injury.
Career Numbers vs. Pittsburgh
Below are select player career statistics vs. Pittsburgh:
Kenny Britt (3 rec., 82 yards, 1 TD)
3 rec. for 82 yards, including a 53-yard TD in 2007
Courtney Greene (20 tackles)
Started all three years vs. Pitt
Kevin Malast (11 tackles)
11 tackles in first career start last year vs. Pitt
Devin McCourty (8 tackles)
Jason McCourty (6 tackles, 2 PBU)
Damaso Munoz (10 tackles, FF)
Mike Teel (15-for-30, 213 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT)
Missed most of last year's game due to injury
Jamaal Westerman (7 tackles, 2.5 sacks)
| TEEL |
Teel in the Record Books
Mike Teel has a chance to own Rutgers' all-time records for career passing yards and career touchdowns.
Career Passing Yards
1. Ryan Hart (2002-05) 8,482
2. Mike Teel (2005-present) 7,327
3. Scott Erney (1986-89) 7,188
Career Touchdowns
1. Ryan Hart (2002-05) 52
2. Ray Lucas (1992-95) 43
3. Scott Erney (1986-89) 41
Mike McMahon (1997-00) 41
5. Mike Teel (2005-present) 37
Career Attempts
1. Ryan Hart (2002-05) 1,217
2. Scott Erney (1986-89) 1,128
3. Mike McMahon (1997-00) 974
4. Mike Teel (2005-present) 960
Career Completions
1. Ryan Hart (2002-05) 735
2. Scott Erney (1986-89) 614
3. Mike Teel (2005-present) 554
Career Yards of Total Offense
1. Ryan Hart (2002-05) 8,149
2. Scott Erney (1986-89) 7,320
3. Mike Teel (2005-present) 7,163
After the UConn win, Teel moved into eighth place in BIG EAST history and passed former Boston College quarterback Glenn Foley with 537 career completions. Teel is also seventh in BIG EAST history with 960 career attempts, moving ahead of former West Virginia quarterback Marc Bulger (933 attempts) and Syracuse's Donovan McNabb (938 attempts).
| WESTERMAN |
Racking Up The Sacks
Senior DE Jamaal Westerman ranks fourth in school history in career sacks with 23. Westerman totaled 50 tackles and finished second on the squad with 14 tackles for loss in 2007. He led the team with eight sacks and posted 11 quarterback hurries.
Career Sacks
1. Nate Toran (1973-76) 52
2. Dan Gray (1975-77) 29
3. Dino Mangiero (1976-79) 26
4. Jamaal Westerman (2005-present) 23
Consistent Courtney
Since he arrived on campus as a freshman in 2005, Courtney Greene has started at free safety for the Scarlet Knights. The New Rochelle, N.Y., native, has started 45 consecutive games and is sixth in Rutgers history with 348 career tackles.
Greene tied Devraun Thompson (2003-06) for fourth place on the Rutgers all-time assisted tackles list and has 153 assisted tackles in his career after posting eight assisted tackles against Connecticut.
| GREENE |
Career Tackles
1. Tyronne Stowe (1983-86) 533
2. Jim Dumont (1979-83) 448
3. Brian Sheridan (1993-97) 389
4. Pat Udovich (1986-89) 363
5. Aaron Brady (1995-98) 354
6. Courtney Greene (2005-present) 348
Best Three-Year Run in BIG EAST Play
Since the BIG EAST Football Conference was formed in 1991, Rutgers has enjoyed its best three-year stretch from 2005-07.
The Scarlet Knights won 12 conference games from 2005-07, equaling their total of 12 victories combined from 1993-2004.
Eight Wins "On the Banks"
Rutgers finished the 2007 season with an 8-5 record after the International Bowl victory vs. Ball State. For just the second time since 1980, the Scarlet Knights recorded an eight-win season. It was also the 12th time in 138 seasons of football at Rutgers the Scarlet Knights reached the eight-win plateau.
Rutgers in the NFL
As of Oct. 12, 13 former Scarlet Knights are on NFL rosters, including the captains of the previous two Super Bowl winners - Shaun O'Hara with the New York Giants and Gary Brackett of the Indianapolis Colts. Of the 13 players currently in the NFL from Rutgers, 12 were coached by Greg Schiano at Rutgers.
Player (Letters at RU) NFL Team
Gary Brackett (1999-02) Indianapolis
Last Game: Started at MLB; 12 tackles, FF vs. Packers
Eric Foster (2003-07) Indianapolis
Last Game: Started at DT, 3 tackles, TFL vs. Packers
Gary Gibson (2001-04) Carolina
Last Game: Did not play vs. Saints
Nate Jones (2000-03) Miami
Last Game: Appeared on special teams vs. Ravens
Brian Leonard (2003-06) St. Louis
Out for the season with a shoulder injury
Ryan Neill (2001-02, 04-05) Buffalo
Last Game: Started at LS in victory over Chargers
Shaun O'Hara (1997-99) N.Y. Giants
Last Game: Started at C in win vs. 49ers
Joe Porter (2003-06) Green Bay
Last Game: Member of the practice squad
Ray Rice (2005-07) Baltimore
Last Game: 160 total yards in win vs. Dolphins
Derrick Roberson (2003-06) Baltimore
Last Game: Member of the practice squad
L.J. Smith (1999-02) Philadelphia
Last Game: Bye week
Darnell Stapleton (2005-06) Pittsburgh
Last Game: Started at RG in win vs. Bengals
Jeremy Zuttah (2004-07) Tampa Bay
Last Game: Did not play vs. Seahawks
No. 3 Nationally in APR
The Rutgers football team was ranked No. 3 in the nation in the Academic Progress Rate according to the latest APR figures released by the NCAA. The Scarlet Knights have a four-year APR score of 977, which covers the academic years of 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07.
The top five Football Bowl Subdivision schools in terms of APR are Stanford (986), Navy (979), Rutgers (977), Duke (977) and Air Force (976). For the second consecutive year, Rutgers football has the best APR mark of any state university in the nation.
The Rutgers football team was one of only six Football Bowl Subdivision programs to be ranked in the top 10 percent in the APR scores. Rutgers is the lone state university on the list and the only institution to have its football team ranked in the top 10 percent of the APR and to have won a bowl game last season.
Top Five Football Bowl Subdivision APR Scores
1. Stanford (986)
2. Navy (979)
3. Rutgers (977)
Duke (977)
5. Air Force (976)
