Scarlet Knights Game Preview - USF
Oct 30 | Football
RUTGERS (4-3, 1-1 
) at USF (4-3, 1-2)
Wednesday, November 3 • 7 p.m. • ESPN2
Raymond James Stadium (65,857)
Tampa, Fla.
Rutgers leads 4-1
TV: ESPN2 Chris Fowler (play-by-play) Todd Blackledge (color) Rob Stone (sideline)
Internet Broadcast: ESPN3.com
Radio: Rutgers Radio Network
WOR-710 AM (New York City)
97.5 FM The Fanatic (Philadelphia)
WCTC-1450 AM (New Brunswick)
Chris Carlin (play-by-play), Ray Lucas (color), Anthony Fucilli (sideline)
Satellite Radio: Sirius
National Radio: BIG EAST ISP Network
The Game
BIG EAST play continues for Rutgers as the Scarlet Knights head south to Florida to face USF in a rare Wednesday night game on Nov. 3. ESPN2 will televise the mid-week contest from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa at 7 p.m.
Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (color) and Rob Stone (sideline) are the game announcers for ESPN2.
The Rutgers Radio Network begins pre-game coverage at 6 p.m. as Chris Carlin calls the action with former Rutgers QB Ray Lucas (color analyst) and Anthony Fucilli (sideline). The Rutgers Radio Network includes WOR-710 AM in New York City, WCTC-1450 AM in Central Jersey and 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia and South Jersey.
The Rutgers Radio Network feed is available nationally on Sirius Satellite Radio (TBA). In addition, WRSU has complete coverage of the game on 88.7 FM in New Brunswick and the BIG EAST ISP Radio Network has national coverage of the game with John Rooke and Peter Brock on the call.
Head Coach Greg Schiano
Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano (Bucknell '88) is in his 10th season with the Scarlet Knights. Schiano will be just the fourth coach in BIG EAST history to coach 10 seasons at the same school, joining Paul Pasqualoni (Syracuse, 14 years), Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech, 13 years) and Don Nehlen (West Virginia, 10 years). Schiano passed former Boston College head coach Tom O'Brien earlier in the season as the fifth-winningest coach all-time in victories in the BIG EAST (59-58).
Schiano will tie former West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez for fourth place in BIG EAST history in coaching victories with one more win.
The 2006 National and BIG EAST Coach of the Year, Schiano has guided Rutgers to a school-record five consecutive bowl appearances, including four straight bowl victories. Rutgers is just one of four schools in the nation to win four consecutive bowl games.
Rankings
Rutgers and USF are not ranked in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Top 25 polls.
USF Series
Rutgers has won four straight games vs. USF and leads the all-time series 4-1 against the Bulls. Last season, the Scarlet Knights shutout No. 23/24 USF 31-0 in an ESPN Thursday night primetime contest.
The Scarlet Knights are a perfect 2-0 at Raymond James Stadium. Last time in Tampa, Rutgers rolled to a 49-16 victory in 2008 over the Bulls.
Junior RB Joe Martinek has been a force in both of Rutgers' last two victories vs. USF. In 2008, Martinek rushed for 98 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns in the win. Last season, Martinek carried the ball 25 times for 128 yards and a touchdown.
Rutgers has averaged 169.6 rushing yards per game all-time in the series vs. the Bulls. The Scarlet Knights have rushed for over 100 yards in every game vs. USF, including 160 yards on the ground in last season's win. Greg Schiano is 4-1 all-time vs. USF.
Up Next
Rutgers returns home to Rutgers Stadium for the first time since Oct. 8 to face Syracuse on Saturday, Nov. 13.
LeGrand Injured in Army Victory
Rutgers junior defensive tackle Eric LeGrand suffered a spinal cord injury in the fourth quarter vs. Army. The injury was at the C3-C4 level and emergency surgery was performed by doctors throughout the night at Hackensack University Medical Center to stabilize the spine.
"We want to say thank you to everyone for all of your prayers, kind words, and well wishes," the LeGrand family said. "We appreciate every single thought. Eric is in good spirits and we are praying for a full recovery."
The "Eric LeGrand Believe Fund" has been established to assist the family. For more information, please visit ScarletKnights.com/Believe.
Sunshine State Streak
Rutgers has won four consecutive games in the state of Florida, dating back to the 2006 season. The Scarlet Knights defeated FIU 19-14 in Miami earlier this season along with last season's victory over UCF (45-24) in the St. Petersburg Bowl in St. Petersburg.
Road wins in Tampa at USF in 2008 and 2006 are also included during the three-game winning streak in Florida. The last loss for Rutgers in Florida was Nov. 22, 2003 at No. 14/13 Miami (34-10).
Fifteen Scarlet Knights who hail from Florida return home to face the Bulls.
Welcome Back to Tampa
Two Tampa natives return home this week when the Scarlet Knights visit USF. Senior DE Jonathan Freeny and true freshman WR Jeremy Deering have been two key performers this season for Rutgers.
Freeny has started all seven games at defensive end and has 22 tackles, 4.5 TFLs and four quarterback hurries on the season.
Deering has appeared in all seven games, including four starts, at wide receiver in his first season "On the Banks." He leads the team in yards per reception (20.9) and ranks third on the squad in receiving yards (251) and receptions (12). Last year, Deering announced on live local television in Tampa his pledge to Rutgers over Florida State prior to National Signing Day.
Inside the USF Series
Rutgers leads, 4-1 (h:2-1-0, a:2-0-0)
2005 hL L 31-45
2006 aW 22-20
2007 hW 30-27 (USF ranked 2/3)
2008 aW 49-16
2009 hW 31-0 (USF ranked 23/24)
Rankings denote AP/Coaches
Non-Saturday Appearances on ESPN
Rutgers is 10-5 over its last 15 appearances on ESPN or ESPN2 on non-Saturday games. The Scarlet Knights have played on Sunday, Thursday and Friday on the ESPN family of networks over the last five seasons.
On the NFL Stage
For the third straight game, Rutgers will play in an NFL stadium this week as the Scarlet Knights visit the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday vs. USF.
Rutgers played the first college football game between Football Bowl Subdivision members at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Oct. 16 in a 23-20 overtime victory over Army.
Last week at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Rutgers fell 41-21 to the host Panthers.
Since the start of the 2006 season, Rutgers is 6-1 in games played at NFL stadiums.
Super Bowl Venues
For the 13th time in school history, Rutgers will play a game in a stadium that has hosted the Super Bowl Wednesday at USF.
The Scarlet Knights are 5-6 all-time in Super Bowl venues, including a 2-0 mark at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Darnell Stapleton, a former Rutgers center from 2005-06 and the older brother of current starting LT Desmond Stapleton, started on the offensive line for Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa as the Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals for the championship. Desmond was in the stands to watch his brother win a Super Bowl ring.
Louisiana Superdome - New Orleans, La. (2-0)
Site of Super Bowl XII, XV, XX, XXIV, XXXI, XXXVI
Orange Bowl - Miami, Fla. (0-6)
Site of Super Bowl II, III, V, X, XIII
Raymond James Stadium - Tampa, Fla. (2-0)
Site of Super Bowl XXXV, XLIII
Reliant Stadium - Houston, Texas (1-0)
Site of Super Bowl XXXVIII
The Comeback Kid
Rutgers true freshman QB Chas Dodd has rallied the Scarlet Knights in the fourth quarter for two victories this season. Even more impressive, the two fourth quarter comebacks came in Dodd's first two career starts.
Dodd was 16-of-22 (72.7%) passing for 285 yards and three touchdowns in the victories over UConn and Army in the fourth quarter and overtime. Dodd was 7-of-9 passing for 151 yards and a touchdown vs. UConn in the fourth quarter on Oct. 8 before going 8-of-12 for 128 yards and two scores vs. Army in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Fourth Quarter Comebacks Under Schiano
Yr. Opponent, QB 4th Q Deficit Final Score
2010 Army (Dodd) 3-17 23-20 OT*
2010 UConn (Dodd) 17-24 27-24*
2010 at FIU (Savage) 13-14 19-14
2009 at UConn (Savage) 21-24 28-24*
2008 NC State (Teel) 19-23 29-23
2006 Louisville (Teel) 22-25 28-25*
2006 at USF (Teel) 13-14 22-20
2004 at Vanderbilt (Hart) 16-34 37-34*
* Game-winning drive with less than two minutes remaining
Fourth Quarter Magic
After trailing 17-3 to start the fourth quarter, Rutgers scored 14 points in the final stanza to force overtime and earn the 23-20 OT victory over Army on Oct. 16. The 14-point fourth quarter deficit was the largest Rutgers' has rallied from for a victory since trailing at Vanderbilt 34-16 on Oct. 9, 2004. Rutgers responded with a 37-34 victory at Vandy for the largest fourth quarter comeback in school history.
The Scarlet Knights moved to 2-4 all-time in overtime games with the win vs. Army.
Game-Winning Field Goal
For the second time under Greg Schiano, Rutgers converted a game-winning field goal with less than 30 seconds remaining in the 27-24 victory over UConn.
Junior PK San San Te drilled a 34-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining to secure the three-point victory. He was named the BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 11 for his performance vs. UConn.
The only other game-winning field goal with less than 30 seconds to play came via the right foot of Jeremy Ito in 2006 vs. No. 3 Louisville. Ito booted a 28-yard field goal - with also 13 seconds remaining - to give Rutgers a thrilling 28-25 victory over Louisville.
A Debut for the Ages
Chas Dodd had one of the greatest debuts of any QB in school history with his 322-yard performance in the 27-24 victory over Connecticut on Oct. 8.
Dodd was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week by the league office and the BIG EAST Player of the Week by Rivals.com following the UConn game.
He completed six passes of 20 yards or longer in the contest. Dodd had career-bests in completions (18), yards (322) and touchdowns (2), while he completed a career-long pass of 52 yards.
Dodd threw for the third-highest yardage total in a single-game by a true freshman QB in school history.
The 322 passing yards for Dodd were the most ever by a quarterback making their first career start in the Greg Schiano era. It was the second-most passing yards by a quarterback in his first career start in school history, trailing only Mike McMahon with his 386 yards on 26-for-42 passing at Army in 1997.
It also marked the first 300-yard passing performance since Mike Teel (319 yards) against NC State in the PapaJohns.com Bowl on Dec. 29, 2008.
The 322 yards passing by Dodd were also the most by any player in the BIG EAST in 2010 at the time of the game.
Notable First Starts for Rutgers QBs
Year Player Opponent C-A-I Yards TD Long
2010 Chas Dodd* Connecticut 18-29-0 322 2 52
2009 Tom Savage* Howard 8-13-0 223 2 68
2009 Domenic Natale Cincinnati 8-12-3 108 0 20
2005 Mike Teel at Syracuse 13-27-2 203 2 37
2002 Ryan Hart* #1/1 Miami 9-23-2 110 0 40
2002 Ted Trump Buffalo 16-38-3 166 1 22
2001 Ryan Cubit* at Buffalo 11-23-2 157 2 39
1997 Mike McMahon* at Army 26-42-1 386 1 40
1981 Jacque LaPrairie* at Boston College 2-16-2 38 0 N/A
*True freshman
Fourth-Highest Rated True Freshman QB in the Nation
Chas Dodd is the fourth-ranked true freshman quarterback in the nation in passing efficiency (124.66). On the season, Dodd is 58-of-110 passing for 817 yards and five touchdowns in six games.
NCAA True Freshman Passing Efficiency Leaders (Min. 15 attempts/game)
Player Comp.-Att.-INT-Yards-TD Efficiency
1. Pete Thomas, Colorado State 170-251-9-1,751-8 129.67
3. Ryan Williams, Memphis 94-159-6-1,126-7 125.59
4. Jeff Godfrey, UCF 56-91-3-669-1 120.33
4. Chas Dodd, Rutgers 58-110-3-817-5 124.66
Best Two-Game Start for QB During Schiano Era
Chas Dodd's first two starts were better than any quarterback during the Greg Schiano era at Rutgers. Dodd is 36-for-59 for 573 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in his first two starts against Connecticut and Army to begin his career "On the Banks".
Year Player Opponent C-A-I Yards TD Long
2010 Chas Dodd (Fr.) Army 18-30-1 251 2 53
2010 Chas Dodd (Fr.) Connecticut 18-29-0 322 2 52
Total 36-59--1 573 4 53
2009 Tom Savage (Fr.) FIU 11-28-0 185 0 35
2009 Tom Savage (Fr.) Howard 8-13-0 223 2 68
Total 19-41-0 408 2 68
2002 Ted Trump (Jr.) Army 16-23-1 230 3 31
2002 Ted Trump (Jr.) Buffalo 16-38-3 166 1 22
Total 32-61-4 396 4 31
2005 Mike Teel (R-Fr.) at Connecticut 10-22-2 176 0 38
2005 Mike Teel (R-Fr.) at Syracuse 13-27-2 203 2 37
Total 23-49-4 379 2 48
2002 Ryan Hart (Fr.) Temple 14-27-1 155 2 53
2002 Ryan Hart (Fr.) #1/1 Miami 9-23-2 110 0 40
Total 23-50-3 265 2 53
2001 Ryan Cubit (Fr.) at #1/2 Miami 6-17-0 47 0 18
2001 Ryan Cubit (Fr.) at Buffalo 11-23-2 157 2 39
Total 17-40-2 204 2 39
Dodd Joins Savage Among Single-Game True Frosh Leaders
Chas Dodd has one of the three 300-yard passing games in school history as a true freshman. Dodd's 322 yards vs. UConn were the third-highest total in a single game by a true freshman in school history.
1997 Mike McMahon at Army 26-42-1 386 1 40
2001 Ryan Cubit Navy 13-20-1 327 3 91
2010 Chas Dodd Connecticut 18-29-0 322 2 52
2009 Tom Savage UCF 14-27-1 294 2 65
1997 Mike McMahon Pittsburgh 19-38-1 269 2 34
2010 Chas Dodd Army 18-30-1 251 2 53
In the Month of November
Rutgers is 11-20 overall under Greg Schiano in the month of November. Over the last five years - all seasons that concluded with bowl appearances - Rutgers is 10-6 (.600) in November, including a 5-1 mark over the last years.
Year-by-Year in October under Schiano
Year Overall
2001 0-4
2002 0-4
2003 1-3
2004 0-3
2005 1-2
2006 2-1
2007 2-2
2008 3-0
2009 2-1
2010 0-0
Total 11-20
Shutout in Five Straight Seasons
Rutgers and Boise State are the only teams in the nation to record a shutout in each of the last five seasons. Here is a look at Rutgers' shutouts over the last five years:
2006: Illinois (33-0); Navy (34-0)
2007: Norfolk State (59-0)
2008: Morgan State (38-0)
2009: Texas Southern (42-0); USF (31-0)
2010: Norfolk State (31-0)
Return to Sender
The return game has provided excellent results over the first part of the season for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers ranks 10th nationally (first in the BIG EAST) in kickoff returns, averaging 26.04 yards per return.
Senior DB Joe Lefeged is 18th in the NCAA and second in league play with an average return of 27.9 yards. Lefeged had a season-long 75-yard kickoff return to setup at touchdown in the victory over UConn.
The 26.04 yards per return average in 2010 is the best in school history.
Single-Season Kickoff Return Yards Per Return
Rank Year Yards per Kickoff Return
1. 2010 26.04
2. 2005 24.8
3. 1988 24.0
4. 1991 23.9
5. 2009 23.8
6. 1960 23.1
Stingy Third Down Defense
One year after finishing 10th in the nation in third down efficiency defense (54-of-178, 30.3 %), the Scarlet Knights have continued to play well on third down in 2010.
Rutgers is eighth in the nation in third down defense. The Scarlet Knights have limited the opposition to 28-of-93 conversions (30.1%) on third down this season.
NCAA Third Down Efficiency Defense
Rank Percent
1. West Virginia (23-of96) 23.96
2. TCU (24-of-100) 24.0
3. Penn State (22-of-86) 25.58
4. Texas A&M (31-of-114) 27.19
5. Utah (28-of-101) 27.72
6. NC State (27-of-94) 28.72
7. Boise State (23-of-80) 28.75
8. Rutgers (28-of-93) 30.1
9. Arizona State (30-of-99) 30.3
10. Ohio State (31-of-102) 30.39
Jack of All Trades
Sophomore WR and Wild Knight QB Mohamed Sanu joined an impressive list of Scarlet Knights who have totaled 190 yards or more of all-purpose yards during the Greg Schiano era. Sanu rushed for 121 yards and totaled 70 yards receiving vs. Tulane on Oct. 2.
Sanu also recorded the longest run in school history - 91 yards - when he scored on the game's second offensive play.
The South Brunswick native leads Rutgers in rushing yards (286), rushing touchdowns (4), receiving yards (341), receptions (33) and all-purpose yards (627).
Below is the list of players under Schiano who have recorded at least 190 all-purpose yards in a game:
Single-Game All-Purpose Yardage Leaders (Schiano era)
Rank All-Purpose Yards
1. Ray Rice vs. Ball State (1-5-08) 295
2. Ray Rice at Army (11-9-07) 255
3. Tiquan Underwood vs. Buffalo (8-30-07) 248
4. Ray Rice at Syracuse (10-13-07) 225
4. Ray Rice at Pittsburgh (10-21-06) 225
6. Ray Rice vs. Navy (9-7-07) 215
7. Ray Rice at North Carolina (9-2-06) 214
8. Kenny Britt vs. Army (11-22-08) 213
9. Ray Rice vs. Buffalo (8-30-07) 205
10. Ray Rice at USF (9-29-06) 202
11. Brian Leonard at Illinois (9-3-05) 193
12. Mohamed Sanu vs. Tulane (10-2-10) 191
Everyone Loves a Block Party
Greg Schiano has always preached the importance of special teams and the results have shown over his coaching career in Piscataway. Rutgers has blocked 47 kicks during the Schiano era, including two in the first game of the 2010 season by Brandon Bing against Norfolk State.
Joe Lefeged followed that effort up with two blocked punts of his own in the victory at Florida International.
Rutgers is 21-15 under Schiano when blocking a kick in a game.
NCAA Blocked Kick Leaders (Since 2002)
1. Fresno State 52
2. Rutgers 47
3. Texas 46
4. Louisiana-Lafayette 41
5. Florida 39
Sweet Te
Rutgers junior PK San San Te is 15th among active career kickers in the nation with 40 made field goals. The 40 field goals also place Te third in school history in career field goals made. The North Carolina native is 10-for-14 on the season.
Representing the 305
Antonio Lowery, a native of Miami, has been all over the field in 2010. Lowery leads the team in tackles (69) and ranks second in the BIG EAST and tied for 24th nationally with 9.8 tackles per game.
Lowery totaled a career-high 19 tackles in the 23-20 overtime victory over Army. It was the most tackles by a Scarlet Knight during the Greg Schiano era and the most tackles by any player in the BIG EAST this season. The active linebacker has also recovered three fumbles and forced one fumble this season.
No Ordinary Joe
Joe Lefeged has been a man on a mission in 2010 for the Scarlet Knights. The Germantown, Md., product has been all over the field on defense and special teams this season and was named a Mid-Season All-America by Phil Steele.
Lefeged became the first player in BIG EAST history to be named the Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week, in the same week, the league office announced Sept. 13. Lefeged earned the two awards after an incredible performance in the victory at FIU.
The senior strong safety blocked two punts, forced two fumbles, recorded one interception, broke up a pass and had six tackles in the win.
It marked the second time in two weeks a Scarlet Knight was named Special Teams Player of the Week after Brandon Bing earned the award on Sept. 6.
Lefeged was also named the Jim Thorpe National Defensive Back of the Week for his amazing performance at FIU. The Maryland product is second on the squad with 51 tackles and leads Rutgers with five pass breakups.
28-5
Under head coach Greg Schiano, Rutgers is 28-5 when rushing for 175 yards or more in a game. Since the start of the 2006 season, the Scarlet Knights are 20-2 when going over the 175-yard mark on the ground in a game.
Rutgers is 1-0 when rushing for more than 175 yards in a game in 2010. The Scarlet Knights totaled 268 rushing yards in the 31-0 victory over Norfolk State.
Captains Named for 2010 Season
Howard Barbieri, Joe Lefeged and Charlie Noonan have been named team captains for the 2010 season. Barbieri and Noonan have been part of Rutgers' four consecutive teams that have won bowl games while Lefeged has played in the previous three bowl victories for the Scarlet Knights.
