Rutgers Football Game Preview - Week 4
Sep 27 | Football
TULANE (1-2) at RUTGERS (2-1)
Saturday, October 2 • 2:00 p.m. • ESPN3.com
Rutgers Stadium (52,454) • Piscataway, N.J.
Series: Rutgers leads, 3-1
TV: None
Internet Broadcast: ESPN3.com - Trey Bender (play-by-play), Eddie Robinson, Jr. (color)
Radio: Rutgers Radio Network
WOR-710 AM (New York City)
97.5 The Fanatic (Philadelphia)
ESPN 950-AM (Philadelphia)
WCTC-1450 AM (New Brunswick)
Chris Carlin (play-by-play), Ray Lucas (color), Anthony Fucilli (sideline)
Satellite Radio: Sirius channel 129
The Game
Rutgers (2-1) continues its season-long four-game homestand as Conference USA member Tulane (1-2) visits on Homecoming weekend in Piscataway and New Brunswick.
The action begins at 2 p.m. Saturday with live coverage on the Internet at ESPN3.com. Trey Bender (play-by-play) and Eddie Robinson, Jr. (color) have the call.
The Rutgers Radio Network begins pre-game coverage at 1 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 The Fanatic in Philadelphia and South Jersey.
Sirius Satellite Radio will broadcast the Rutgers Radio Network feed nationally on channel 129. In addition, WRSU has complete coverage of the game on 88.7 FM in New Brunswick.
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 is tied with Tom O'Brien (Boston College) as the fifth-winningest coach all-time in victories in the BIG EAST (57-56).
Schiano will tie former West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez for fourth place in BIG EAST history in coaching victories with three more victories.
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 Tulane are not ranked in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Top 25 polls.
Tulane Series
In a series that began in 1976, Rutgers and Tulane meet for the fifth time Saturday in series history. The Scarlet Knights hold a 3-1 series advantage.
It is the first game between the two schools since Oct. 24, 1998 when the Green Wave earned a 52-24 victory in Piscataway.
The series began in 1976 in the Louisiana Superdome as Rutgers earned a 29-20 victory en route to a perfect 11-0 season. The two teams met again in 1977 in Piscataway (47-8 Rutgers victory) and also in 1995 at Rutgers Stadium (45-40 Rutgers win).
Up Next
BIG EAST conference play begins with a visit from UConn on Friday, Oct. 8 at Rutgers Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. with national television coverage on ESPN.
Homecoming 2010
Rutgers looks to extend its Homecoming winning streak to seven with a victory Saturday vs. Tulane. The Scarlet Knights own a 52-25-1 all-time record in Homecoming games.
Under Greg Schiano, the Scarlet Knights are 8-1 on Homecoming.
Homecoming Results during Schiano Era
Texas Southern (10-10--09) W, 42-0
Connecticut (10-18-08) W, 12-10
Norfolk State (9-15-07) W, 59-0
Ohio (9-16-06) W, 24-7
Navy (10-29-05) W, 31-21
Temple (10-16-04) W, 16-6
Pittsburgh (10-18-03) L, 42-32
Army (9-14-02) W, 44-0
Navy (10-20-01) W, 23-17
Rutgers vs. Conference USA
The Scarlet Knights are 4-1 all-time vs. schools from Conference USA. In addition to the 3-1 all-time series record vs. Tulane, Rutgers is 1-0 vs. UCF after last season's 45-24 victory in the St. Petersburg Bowl.
In the Month of October
Rutgers is 17-17 (.500) overall under Greg Schiano in the month of October. Over the last five years - all seasons that concluded with bowl appearances - Rutgers is 13-6 (.680) in October.
Year-by-Year in October under Schiano
Year Overall
2001 1-2
2002 0-3
2003 1-3
2004 2-3
2005 3-1
2006 3-0
2007 2-2
2008 2-2
2009 3-1
Total 17-17
Rutgers-Tulane Connections
A pair of high school teammates will reunite Saturday at Rutgers Stadium. Rutgers freshman RB Jawan Jamison and Tulane sophomore RB Stephen Barnett were both backfield mates at The Bolles School in Jacksonville.
While no Scarlet Knights hail from Louisiana, Tulane has two Garden State products on its roster - junior DE Dezman Moses (Willingboro) and freshman OL Adam Skidmore (Bayville).
Shutout in Five Straight Seasons
Rutgers is the only team in the nation to record a shutout in each of the last five seasons.
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)
Scoring Defense Leaders
Rutgers is second nationally (first in the BIG EAST) in scoring defense, allowing 10.3 points per game. Last season, Rutgers finished the year 16th in the nation and also led the conference allowing just 17.9 points per game.
NCAA Scoring Defense Leaders
Rank Points per game
1. Alabama 9.8
2. Rutgers 10.3
3. Arizona 11.0
3. Oregon 11.0
5. Iowa 12.0
5. LSU 12.0
Return to Sender
The return game has provided excellent results over the first part of the season for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers ranks 25th nationally (first in the BIG EAST) in kickoff returns, averaging 25.7 yards per return.
Senior DB Joe Lefeged is tied for 26th in the NCAA and second in league play with an average return of 28 yards.
Rutgers is 27th nationally in punt returns (12.5). Last season, the Scarlet Knights averaged just 5.9 yards per punt return.
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 seventh in the nation in third down defense. The Scarlet Knights have limited the opposition to 15-of-45 conversions (33.3 %) on third down this season.
Rutgers' week two opponent - FIU - leads the nation in third down efficiency defense.
Not Moving the Chains
Rutgers has allowed the fewest amount of first downs in the nation with 37 this season. The Scarlet Knights rank fourth nationally, allowing just 12.3 first downs per game.
NCAA First Downs Allowed
Rank First downs per game
1. West Virginia 11.5
2. Iowa 12.0
3. Ohio State 12.25
4. Rutgers 12.33
5. Wisconsin 12.75
Cover That Kick!
The Scarlet Knights have covered kickoffs extremely well in 2010, allowing just 14.1 yards per kickoff return.
Rutgers is second nationally in kickoff yardage allowed, trailing only BYU.
NCAA Kickoff Return Yardage Defense
Rank Yardage per return
1. BYU 10.3
2. Rutgers 14.1
3. UAB 14.4
Freshmen Debuts
Six true freshmen have seen the field for the Scarlet Knights in 2010:
True freshmen (6)
OL Betim Bujari (Secaucus, N.J.)
WR Jeremy Deering (Tampa, Fla.)
QB Chas Dodd (Lyman, S.C.)
WR J.T. Tartacoff (Montgomery, N.J.)
RB Jordan Thomas (Endicott, N.Y.)
DE Marcus Thompson (Oakland Park, Fla.)
Turnover On Downs
The Rutgers defense has played some of its best football on fourth down in 2010. The Scarlet Knights lead the nation in fourth down efficiency defense after holding the opposition to an 0-for-5 conversion rate on fourth down.
Rutgers and Colorado are the only schools in the nation to not allow a fourth down conversion in five attempts.
NCAA Fourth Down Efficiency Defense
Rank Attempts Conversions
1. Rutgers 5 0
1. Colorado 5 0
1. Texas 4 0
Nine other schools have not allowed a first down with three or less fourth down attempts.
Protecting the Pigskin
Rutgers is +32 in turnover differential over its last 23 games (18-5). The Scarlet Knights gained 34 turnovers in 2009, including at least one in 12 of the 13 games. Rutgers finished second in the nation in turnover margin in 2009 (+1.54). Over the last 22 games, Rutgers has gained a total of 57 turnovers.
In 2010, the Scarlet Knights lead the conference and are 13th in the nation in turnover margin at +1.33 per game. Rutgers has gained at least one turnover in every game this season.
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 46 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 21-14 under Schiano when blocking a kick in a game.
Year-by-Year Blocked Kicks in Schiano Era
2001 1
2002 6
2003 6
2004 5
2005 6
2006 5
2007 3
2008 4
2009 6
2010 4
NCAA Blocked Kick Leaders (Since 2002)
1. Fresno State 50
2. Rutgers 46
2. Texas 46
4. Louisiana-Lafayette 41
5. Florida 39
Senior Silvestro Stepping it Up
Rutgers senior DE Alex Silvestro is saving his best football of his career for his final season in Piscataway. The South Jersey native is tied for second in the BIG EAST and is tied for 66th nationally with 2.0 tackles-for-loss per game.
In 40 career games played (second most on team), Silvestro has 105 tackles, including 25 behind the line of scrimmage. The 25 TFLs are the most of any player on the roster.
Tough Against the Run
Rutgers has held seven opponents since 2009 to less than 50 yards rushing in a game, going 7-0 in those contests. The Scarlet Knights ranked 14th nationally and second in the BIG EAST in 2009 allowing just 94.3 rushing yards per game.
The Scarlet Knights have held the following opponents under 50 yards rushing over their last 16 games:
Opponent (Date) Rushing Yards Allowed
FIU (9/19/09) 42
at Maryland (9/26/09) 28
Texas Southern (10/10/09) -25
#23/24 USF (11/12/09) 30
at Louisville (11/27/09) 48
vs. UCF (12/19/09) 35
Norfolk State (9/2/10) 25
Fewest Rushing Yards Allowed (Schiano Era)
1. -25 yards vs. Texas Southern (10/10/09)
2. -23 yards vs. Cincinnati (11/26/05)
3. -11 yards vs. Pittsburgh (9/30/05)
4. -6 vs. Ohio (9/16/06)
5. 10 vs. Norfolk State (9/15/07)
6. 25 vs. Norfolk State (9/2/10)
7. 28 at Maryland (9/26/09)
8. 30 vs. Kent State (9/18/04)
8. 30 vs. #23/24 USF (11/12/09)
10. 31 vs. Kansas State (12/28/06)
11. 32 vs. Morgan State (9/27/08)
12. 37 vs. Syracuse (11/29/03)
Fewest Total Yards Allowed (Schiano Era)
1. 109 vs. Morgan State (9/27/08)
2. 119 vs. Ohio (9/16/06)
3. 122 vs. Norfolk State (9/15/07)
4. 126 vs. Texas Southern (10/10/09)
4. 126 vs. Illinois (9/9/06)
6. 146 vs. Cincinnati (11/26/05)
7. 152 at Army (11/9/07)
8. 156 vs. Norfolk State (9/2/10)
9. 159 vs. #23/24 USF (11/12/09)
10. 161 at Navy (10/14/06)
11. 162 vs. Kansas State (12/28/06)
12. 168 vs. Syracuse (11/8/08)
13. 172 vs. Howard (9/23/06)
14. 191 vs. Syracuse (11/25/06)
15. 198 vs. Syracuse (11/29/03)
Under 100 = W
In an odd statistical twist, Rutgers has won five consecutive games when passing for less than 100 yards in a game. At FIU on Sept. 11, the Scarlet Knights threw for 96 yards in the 19-14 victory.
Prior to the FIU game, Rutgers defeated Maryland 34-13 in 2009 after passing for 42 yards in the victory. Rutgers also threw for less than 100 yards in winning efforts versus Army in 2007 (42 passing yards), at Pittsburgh in 2006 (72 passing yards) and home against Ohio in 2006 (83 passing yards).
Sweet Te
Rutgers junior PK San San Te is tied for 13th among active career kickers in the nation with 37 made field goals. The North Carolina native is 7-for-11 on the season.
With his next field goal, Te will tie Alex Falcinelli (1980-82) for third place in school history with 38 career field goals.
Representing the 305
Antonio Lowery, a native of Miami, has been all over the field through three games in 2010. Lowery leads the team in tackles (23) and ranks fifth in the league with 7.67 tackles per game.
The active linebacker has also recovered two fumbles and forced one fumble this season.
Lowery is the older brother of Antwan Lowery, Rutgers' starting right guard.
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.
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.
With Rutgers trailing 7-3 in the second quarter, Lefeged picked off FIU quarterback Wes Carroll and raced 29 yards on the interception return down to the FIU 32-yard line. Four plays later, Mohamed Sanu found D.C. Jefferson on a 24-yard touchdown pass to give the Scarlet Knights a 10-7 advantage.
Lefeged's second punt block set up a 24-yard touchdown run by Sanu on the next play for the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Rutgers trailed 14-13 in the fourth quarter when Lefeged broke through for his second blocked punt of the game.
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 third on the squad with 20 tackles and leads Rutgers with two forced fumbles.
Jersey Joe
Rutgers junior RB Joe Martinek has become a steady force in the backfield for the Scarlet Knights. The New Jersey native leads the team with five career 100-yard games, including 109 yards on 20 carries in the season-opening victory against Norfolk State.
For his career, Martinek has rushed for 1,538 yards in 29 career games, including an average of 4.8 yards per rush. He has scored 14 rushing touchdowns during his time "On the Banks."
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.
Watch Out for These Knights
Three Scarlet Knights have been included on the preseason watch list for several individual awards.
Sophomore quarterback Tom Savage was named to the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award, recognizing the nation's top player, and the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's best quarterback.
Sophomore wide receiver Mohamed Sanu was named to the preseason watch list for the Paul Hornung Award, given to the nation's most versatile player.
Redshirt sophomore tight end D.C. Jefferson was named to the preseason watch list for the John Mackey Award, honoring the nation's top tight end.
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.
Howard Lending a Helping Hand Off the Field
Howard Barbieri was selected to the 19th annual Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. The team honors the distinguished group of college football players who stand out for the positive influence they have in their communities by the Allstate Insurance Company and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).
Barbieri is just one of several Scarlet Knights who are active in giving back to their local communities. The New Jersey native is active in Special Olympics New Jersey, Read Across America and visiting children in local hospitals in the New Brunswick area. Last year, defensive back Billy Andrerson was named to the team while Tiquan Underwood earned the AFCA Good Works Team accolades in 2008.
Overtime Record
Rutgers is 1-4 all-time in overtime games. In their last overtime game, the Scarlet Knights lost 41-39 in triple overtime at West Virginia on Dec. 2, 2006. Four of the five overtime games have come versus BIG EAST competition. The lone overtime win in school history for the Scarlet Knights was a 24-21 victory over Syracuse (11/13/99).
Two First Round Selections in 2009 NFL Draft
For the first time in school history, Rutgers had two student-athletes selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft in April. Junior offensive tackle Anthony Davis became the highest-drafted Scarlet Knight in history after being selected with the 11th overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers. Senior cornerback Devin McCourty followed Davis in the first round by going 27th overall to the New England Patriots.
Rutgers was the first BIG EAST school with two first round picks in the same draft since Miami and Virginia Tech in 2004.
For the second straight year, Rutgers had a player taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. Former All-America wide receiver Kenny Britt was the first player in school history to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft after the Tennessee Titans chose the New Jersey native with the 30th pick in last year's draft.
Davis was the third player in the Schiano era at Rutgers to leave school early and be selected in the NFL Draft.
Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice left Rutgers following his junior season in 2007 and was a second round draft selection of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2008 NFL Draft. Britt declared for the 2009 NFL Draft and was a first round pick of the Tennessee Titans.
Freshman All-America QB Tom Savage
Tom Savage was named Rutgers' offensive MVP following the 2009 season. Savage, a FWAA First Team Freshman All-America selection, finished the season with 2,211 passing yards and 14 touchdown passes. He finished sixth in Rutgers single-season history with 2,211 passing yards.
Savage joined an impressive list of quarterbacks who have been named the quarterback of the FWAA Freshman All-America squad. Some of the past FWAA Freshman All-America quarterbacks include Sam Bradford in 2007, Colt McCoy in 2006, Chad Henne in 2004 and Ben Roethlisberger in 2001.
He threw for the most yards by a true freshman in BIG EAST single-season history in 2009. He finished the season second nationally among all true freshman quarterbacks in passing yards and touchdowns.
