Nov 05 | Football
By Tom Luicci
ScarletKnights.com
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - There's no easy explanation for Rutgers' sudden inability to stop the run, a defensive trait that has long been a staple of the program, through good times and tough ones.
But there is a simple solution, say several players.
It comes down to a return to basics.
"It's definitely frustrating," strong safety Lorenzo Waters said of the recent run defense issues. "That's our No. 1 goal, stopping the run. When you can't do that it presents a wide array of problems."
For the bye week, fixing the run defense has become a top priority, and for good reason: During the recent three-game losing streak - one of the most challenging stretches in program history - the defense has yielded 914 rushing yards on 127 carries, a 7.2-yard per carry average.
For a school accustomed to being a consistent top 20 run defense it's almost unfathomable.
"It's just a matter of poor execution and a lack of attention to details," said fifth-year senior defensive end David Milewski. "We need to do a better job, starting with me and going across the board, to make sure there are no mental breakdowns and that when we're in a position to make plays we do the little things to make sure we secure those plays.
"You can't take bad angles you can't miss tackles, things like that. We need to clean those things up. This bye week it's good to be in pads and focus on those things. Throughout the normal weeks you don't get as much contact as you would like because you're trying to prepare for the game. So having some padded practices where you get to practice those fundamentals is really important."
The urgency to solve the run defense problems is heightened by the Scarlet Knights' next opponent and their ongoing quest for a sixth victory to become bowl eligible. Indiana visits on Nov. 15 in Rutgers' final home game of the season and features the Big Ten's current rushing leader in Tevin Coleman.
The 6-1, 200-pound junior has rushed for 1,300 yards (and has an 8.0-yard average per carry) and carries a streak of 10 straight 100-yard rushing games into the Hoosiers' game against Penn State on Saturday.
"It's critical," Milewski said of making the fixes quickly. "Time is one of our advantages with this game (because of the bye week). We have to make sure we utilize it to our best abilities. I think so far we've been doing a good job these last few practices."
Defensive end Djwany Mera said anger over what has happened has been replaced by a determination to make things right again against the run.
"It's just the little details in our defense," he said. "If one person is off it impacts the entire defense. That's one of the big things we're working on now. We need to get the small details corrected and that will take care of a lot of the problems.
"It's tough to accept what has been happening. But we know it can be fixed. We have the capability to be a good run defense. But there have been a lot of missed assignments and that causes problems. I've had a couple of missed assignments. It's something I'm going to get corrected."
For those arm chair defensive coordinators who claim to understand what the problem is, Waters said it really just comes down to "staying disciplined."
"A lot of people have tried to chalk it up to other reasons that it's not," he said. "Everyone comes up with their own theories but they're not the ones in the film room who get to dissect the film and see exactly what is going wrong. We've got to fit the gaps better. It's a matter of getting everyone on the same page and doing the same thing week to week. It really just comes down to executing."
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Head coach Kyle Flood said quarterback Gary Nova had "a scheduled day off," from practice today, adding that "we expect him to be back tomorrow."
"It was good to have him out there yesterday and now we'll give him another day to get closer to 100 percent and we'll bring him back out tomorrow for practice," said Flood.
Nova has been listed as probable on the injury report due to a lower body injury.
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With true freshman Josh Hicks moved from free safety back to running back, the competition has picked up at the position, where Desmon Peoples, Justin Goodwin and another true freshman, Robert Martin, are vying for carries.
"Four guys (are) getting reps," Flood said. "It will be good. I think there's going to be a role for everybody in this game coming up."
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Though Mera has not received much recognition for his defensive end play this season, Flood raved about the junior's consistency.
"If we had a plaque for my saying about consistency that there's nothing more valuable than to have consistency we'd put Djwany right on it," Flood said. "He is one of the rocks, the pillars, of our defense and somebody who just does a great job of doing his job.
"In his role sometimes it means production and sometimes it means production for other players. He's just a really consistent performer for us -- very valuable."
