Game 11: Football vs. No. 9 Penn State
Nov 14 | Football
RUTGERS (2-8, 0-7) vs. No. 9 PENN STATE (8-2, 6-1)
November 19, 2016 • 8:05 p.m. ET • Big Ten Network
High Point Solutions Stadium • Piscataway, N.J.
• Notes: Game 11
• Coach Ash News Conference
• Rutgers Statistics
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Big Ten Network (BTN2Go)
• Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst) and Lisa Byington (reporter) will have the call.
Radio: Rutgers IMG Sports Network
• The Rutgers IMG Sports Network pregame show begins at 11 a.m. with hosts Marc Malusis, Eric LeGrand and David Milewski. Game broadcast starts at noon with Chris Carlin and Ray Lucas in the booth, while Anthony Fucilli will provide sideline coverage.
• WOR 710-AM, WCTC 1450-AM, WENJ 97.3-FM, WNJE 920-AM, WRSU 88.7-FM (Student Radio)
• Satellite Radio: Sirius 135, XM 195 (* Home team broadcast)
ALL-TIME SERIES
• Rutgers and Penn State will meet for the 27th time in the teams' all-time history with 24 of those matchups occuring prior to Rutgers' entrance into the BIg Ten Conference.
• Rutgers has faced Penn State more than any other team in the conference. The Scarlet Knights trail in the series, 24-2.
• The 2014 Rutgers vs. Penn State game was a sellout which also set the High Point Solution Stadium attendance record at 53,774.
SENIOR DAY
• Rutgers is set to play its final home game of the season with the seniors taking the field at High Point Solutions Stadium for the last time.
• The senior class includes WR Carlton Agudosi, TE Nick Arcidiacono, DB Anthony Cioffi, OL J.J. Denman, P Tim Gleeson, RB Justin Goodwin, DL Darius Hamilton, LB Isaiah Johnson, LB Greg Jones, DL Quanzell Lambert, LB Kevin Marquez, WR Vance Matthews, OL Chris Muller, OL Derrick Nelson, DB Marcus Parker, WR Andre Patton and DL Julian Pinnix-Odrick.
SCARLET KNIGHTS VS. NITTANY LIONS
• Rutgers will host Penn State on campus for the fifth time in the 27th all-time meeting between the programs. The Nittany Lions previously visited Piscataway in 2014, 1955, 1953 and 1951, playing the Scarlet Knights at Giants Stadium on six other occasions.
• The 2014 game marked the first Big Ten game for Rutgers and was played before a stadium-record 53,774 fans at High Point Solutions Stadium. The teams also met last season in Pennsylvania for the other previous conference game.
• Rutgers started the series with a 26-3 win at Penn State in 1918 and also defeated then-No. 15 PSU, 21-16, at Beaver Stadium in 1988. In the last RU victory, Mike Botti ran for a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter and the defense clinched the game with a goal-line stand.
RANKED OPPONENT
• No. 9 Penn State will mark the fourth top-10 opponent in the latest AP poll for Rutgers this season. Others included at No. 2 Ohio State, versus No. 4 Michigan and at No. 7 Washington.
• Rutgers has played three ranked Big Ten opponents in each of its three seasons in the league and last squared off with four ranked teams in a year in 2007 (No. 20 Cincinnati, No. 2 USF, No. 6 West Virginia, at No. 16 Connecticut).
• The last time RU faced three teams ranked inside the top-10 at the time of the game was 2002 (at No. 3 Virginia Tech, No. 1 Miami, at No. 8 Notre Dame).
• Saturday's game marks the 10th contest versus a top-10 opponent on campus with fourth since the beginning of last season.
• The Scarlet Knights own nine victories over a ranked opponent in their history. The highest ranked opponent beaten was No. 2 USF in 2007. List of wins over ranked teams:
11/2/46 at No. 17/NR Harvard, 13-0
11/3/79 at No. 17/NR Tennessee, 13-7
11/10/84 vs. No. 19/18 West Virginia, 23-19
9/10/88 at No. 15/14 Michigan State, 17-13
9/24/88 at No. 15/13 Penn State, 21-16
11/9/06 vs. No. 3/4 Louisville, 28-25
10/18/07 vs. No. 2/2 USF, 30-27
10/25/08 at No. 17/20 Pittsburgh, 54-34
11/12/09 vs. No. 23/24 USF, 31-0
BATTLE AT THE BIRTHPLACE
Longstanding New Jersey wrestling rivals Rutgers and Princeton will add a new chapter to their history at the first ever "Battle at the Birthplace," presented by Autoland, on Saturday inside High Point Solutions Stadium. The historic dual-meet event will occur at 11 a.m. prior to Rutgers football versus Penn State in the evening, as the Scarlet Knights look to shatter their total attendance of 17,464 from the 2015-16 season in a single match. RU earned a ranking of No. 10 nationally in the latest poll.
LAST TIME OUT
• Rutgers fell behind by three touchdowns in the first quarter and could not recover in a road loss to Michigan State last Saturday.
• Defensively, Deonte Roberts picked up a career-high 17 tackles with a forced fumble, as Damon Hayes made his first career start and totaled 10 stops.
JONES, GRANT AND LAMBERT OUT
• Fifth-year senior linebacker Greg Jones, senior wide receiver Janarion Grant and fifth-year senior defensive end Quanzell Lambert will all miss the remainder of the 2016 season due to injury. Grant and Lambert each sustained leg injuries during the Scarlet Knights' game against Iowa, while Jones suffered a neck injury at Ohio State.
• In 42 consecutive game appearances, Grant amassed 270 rushing yards and 895 receiving. He is fourth all-time in the Rutgers record books with 4,251 all-purpose yards and first with 2,606 kickoff return yards. Grant is tied for first in NCAA FBS history with eight career kick return touchdowns (five kickoff, three punt).
• Lambert went down with an injury to his right leg in the fourth quarter against Iowa. He had five tackles and a half sack before leaving the game. Lambert recorded 15 tackles, including 1.5 for loss in four games this season. He appeared in 40 career games with 15 starts at defensive end. For his career, Lambert has 86 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and two pass deflections. Academically, he was named a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy.
• Jones started the first five games of the season at strong-side linebacker after winning a position battle over the offseason. He picked up 20 tackles, including eight in the victory over New Mexico with one for a six-yard loss. Jones also had a sack and a pass break-up at Washington in his first start at Rutgers.
NEWS AND NOTES
• Rutgers has played 1,323 games, the most in major college football. The program is in its 148th year and 147th season of action.
• Rutgers has overcome a deficit of at least 21 points and rallied to win a game in three-straight seasons. RU came back from down 21 versus New Mexico in week three this season and won after down 25 points at Indiana in 2015 and at Maryland in 2014. The 25-point rally is the school record.
• Rutgers played eight consecutive games to start a season without a bye for the first time since 2008.
• Rutgers is 33rd nationally in fewest penalties committed per game (5.40) and 18th in fewest penalty yards surrendered per game (44.10).
• Rutgers last played an overtime game in 2013 at SMU (triple-overtime win) and is 5-6 all-time in overtime games.
ASH EARNS FIRST WIN AS HEAD COACH
• Chris Ash earned his first win as a collegiate head coach by beating Howard, 52-14. The Scarlet Knights scored 52 unanswered points and held the Bison to five yards of total offense in the second half.
• It was the seventh consecutive home opener won by the Scarlet Knights, as the team improved to 102-36-10 all-time in its first home game of the season.
FIRST COLLEGIATE ACTION
• First career start (10): LT Tariq Cole *, DL Darnell Davis, WR Jawuan Harris, CB Damon Hayes, LB Greg Jones *, LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams, LB Trevor Morris *, QB Giovanni Rescigno, RT Kamaal Seymour, NT Kevin Wilkins
• Collegiate debut (19): LB Talib Abdur-Ra'oof, DB Sandy Anya *, WR Dacoven Bailey *, PK David Bonagura *, DL Ron'Dell Carter, DB K.J. Gray, TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart, WR Jawuan Harris *, DB Damon Hayes, OL Jonah Jackson *, LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams *, QB Tylin Oden, WR Ntwademela Perry, QB Giovanni Rescigno, OL Kamaal Seymour, PK Jared Smolar *, RB Trey Sneed *, RB Charles Snorweah, DB Lawrence Stevens *
• Rutgers debut with previous collegiate experience (4): QB Zach Allen, DB Zane Campbell, DB Ross Douglas *, DB Marcus Parker
• True freshman in action (8): WR Dacoven Bailey *, DB K.J. Gray, DB Damon Hayes, LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams *, QB Tylin Oden, PK Jared Smolar *, DB Lawrence Stevens *, RB Trey Sneed *
• True freshman to start (2): CB Damon Hayes (at Michigan State), LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams (last five games since Michigan contest)
* - occurred in season opener
OFFENSE
• Rutgers has transitioned to the spread offense in 2016 under offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer. He is the youngest play caller in the power five conferences at 28 years old.
• Rutgers has reached at least 350 yards of total offense in 4-of-7 Big Ten games, with a high of 385 versus Illinois.
• The school record for offensive plays run from scrimmage in a game is 95 set three times: 9/14/91 at Duke, 11/11/95 at Tulane, 10/1/11 at Syracuse (3OT). The season-high in 2015 was 83 against Kansas and Indiana. RU snapped the ball 88 times in the season opener at Washington and 80 versus Illinois.
• Rutgers has scored on 16-of-22 trips inside the red zone this season with a touchdown eight times.
• Thirteen of the 17 touchdown scoring drives have lasted under three minutes, with five under one minute. The longest touchdown-scoring drive of the season was a 15-play, 90-yard trek over 6:31 at Minnesota that ended in scoring pass from Giovanni Rescigno to Jawuan Harris.
• Rutgers has generated 12 plays from scrimmage of at least 30 yards.
Quarterbacks
• Five different players have thrown a pass this season: Chris Laviano, Janarion Grant, Giovanni Rescigno, Tylin Oden and Zach Allen.
Giovanni Rescigno
• Started the last three games at quarterback.
• Threw for a career-best 258 yards versus Indiana with one passing and one rushing score. Has accounted for seven touchdowns this season (five passing, two rushing).
• Made first career start at Minnesota and went 22-for-38 with 220 passing yards and three touchdowns. It was the most passing yards by a RU quarterback in their first career start since Chas Dodd had 322 versus Connecticut in 2010. Became just the eighth different quarterback to start a game for the Scarlet Knights since the start of the 2006 season (excluding the wildcat formation).
• Completed passes to seven different receivers and also gained 63 yards rushing (26 net).
• Went 10-for-18 with 120 yards in the second half against Illinois. Also ran for 37 yards on 12 carries.
• Threw first career touchdown pass to Nick Arcidiacono on a jump throw.
• Ran for a 42-yard touchdown on first collegiate carry versus Howard.
Chris Laviano
• Started the first seven games of the season and has 18 career starts.
• Has 21 career touchdown passes and needs four more to join program top-10 list.
• Played in all 12 games last season with 11 starts last season and went 187-for-307 passing for a 60.9 completion percentage - the best by an RU quarterback since Mike Teel in 2008 - and 16 touchdown passes.
• Totaled 2,247 passing yards to mark the eighth-most in a year in school history and placed seventh in the Big Ten with a 131.8 passing efficiency rating (third among returning Big Ten quarterbacks).
• Threw for a career-best 386 yards at Indiana, tied for the fifth-best mark in school history and sixth-best mark by a Big Ten quarterback last season. Went 7-of-8 for 105 yards in the fourth quarter to help engineer first career last-quarter comeback.
• Owns two career 300-yard passing games.
Tylin Oden
• Saw action as the backup quarterback against Howard and in four Big Ten games.
• Led the team with 40 rushing yards at Michigan State.
• Recorded first career pass completion to Trey Sneed at Minnesota.
• Had three rushes with a long of 12 yards against Iowa and ran nine times with four passing attempts at Ohio State.
• Made career debut against Howard with 10 rushes for 58 yards (5.8 average), including a long of 30 yards.
• Led a season-long eight minute drive in the fourth quarter versus the Bison that resulted in a field goal.
• First true freshman quarterback to see action since Gary Nova in 2011.
Running Backs
Justin Goodwin
• Leads team with 886 all-purpose yards overall this season. Averaging 110.7 yards per conference game.
• Owns 1,280 career rushing yards, with a high this season of 97 at Minnesota.
• Leads the team with 349 rushing yards in conference games.
• Led the team with six receptions at Minnesota for 52 yards. The six catches were the most by a Rutgers running back since Jawan Jamison had eight versus Kent State in 2012, while the 52 receiving yards were the most from the position since Goodwin himself had 73 at SMU in 2013.
• Led all running backs with 13 receptions and 93 receiving yards in 2015. Has 45 catches out of the backfield in his career.
• Had 175 yards on nine kickoff returns against Michigan, including a long of 38.
• Started the season opener at Washington and had 95 all-purpose yards (49 rushing, 46 receiving).
• Owns three career games with at least 100 yards rushing, including 149 rushing yards and three total touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving), adding the winning 17-yard run in triple overtime, in first extended action at SMU as a freshman in 2013.
Josh Hicks
• Had a game-high 70 yards rushing at Washington on 14 attempts.
• Averaging 5.3 yards per carry during career over 231 attempts, tied for the third-best mark in program history with a minimum of 100 rushes.
• Has three tackles on special teams this season.
• Picked up a first down on 9-of-11 carries on third down last season.
• Rushed for 202 yards in the 2014 Quick Lane Bowl to become sixth Scarlet Knight in program history to reach 200 yards in a game.
• Owns four career games with at least 100 yards rushing.
Robert Martin
• Leads the team with 68.4 rushing yards per game.
• Rushed for 24 first downs this season.
• Has five career 100-yard games. Leads all players on the roster with 1,744 career rushing yards.
• Reached 106 rushing yards against Iowa to top the century mark for the second-straight week.
• Had career highs with 21 rushes for 169 yards in win over New Mexico, including a personal-best 80-yard touchdown dash. It was the longest rush for Rutgers since Mohamed Sanu had a school-record 91-yard carry in 2010 versus Tulane. The 80-yard run is also the second-longest by a Big Ten player this season.
• Made season debut with 83 yards rushing on 16 carries versus Howard.
• Led the team with 763 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns and 141 rushing attempts in 2015. Ranked 10th in the Big Ten with 63.6 rushing yards per game.
• Picked up 5.41 yards per carry to rank sixth in the conference and 58th nationally. Averaged 5.0 yards on first down and 6.7 on second down.
• Led Rutgers with seven rushing touchdowns as a freshman, the most for a Rutgers true freshman since Justise Hairston had eight in 2003.
Wide Receivers
Jawuan Harris
• Led the team in receiving yards in six of the 10 games.
• Registered first career 100-yard game with 118 yards on a career-high eight catches against Indiana. Also forced a fumble on special teams.
• Scored third touchdown of the season at Minnesota to match his number of home runs hit in the spring for the baseball team.
• Had a 75-yard touchdown reception against New Mexico, the longest by a Scarlet Knights since Andrew Turzilli had an 80-yard catch and score versus Michigan in 2014.
• Had first two receptions of career against Howard, including a 29-yard touchdown catch.
• Named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team as a baseball player this past spring after stealing 37 bases, a total that led the league and ranked fifth nationally.
• First Rutgers athlete with a home run and a touchdown in the same calendar year since Jim Cann in 1989.
Andre Patton
• Leads the team with five receiving touchdowns on the season, including a career-long 68-yard score versus Indiana.
• Notched a first down or touchdown on 17-of-23 receptions this season and 25-of-34 last year.
• Ranks eighth in the Big Ten and 90th nationally with 15.74 yards per catch in 2016.
• Has 10 career receiving touchdown. Needs three more to move into program top-10 list.
• Leads active players on the roster with 1,066 career receiving yards.
• Recorded at least one touchdown reception in each of the last four seasons.
DEFENSE
• Rutgers has 16 sacks to top last year's total of 12.
• Rutgers picked up a season-high 13 tackles-for-loss against Indiana, tied for the 12th-most nationally in an FBS game this season.
• Rutgers leads the Big Ten with 12 stops in the red zone this season, including three against Indiana. The Scarlet Knights are 16th nationally in red zone defense (.727).
• The defense has two touchdowns: Damon Hayes 55-yard interception return at Minnesota, Darnell Davis 75-yard fumble return versus Indiana.
• The passing defense is allowing 193.2 yards per game in the air so far to rank 23rd nationally, down from an average of 275.9 last season. RU had a season-high seven pass break-ups against Indiana.
• Rutgers forced four turnovers in a game against Indiana for the first time since the 2012 game versus Syracuse.
• Rutgers finished tied for third in the Big Ten with 13 interceptions last season. The Scarlet Knights have a pick in seven of the first 10 games.
• Rutgers implements the rugby-style tackling technique.
Defensive Line
Darnell Davis
• Leads the team with two fumbles forced and two recovered.
• Returned a fumble for a 75-yard touchdown against Indiana, the longest by a Scarlet Knight since Paul Rivers' 100-yard scoop-and-score versus Pittsburgh in 1995.
Darius Hamilton
• Leads current team with 49 games played, 153 tackles, 27 for loss and 11 sacks. Set to become the 22nd player in program history to play in 50 career games at Rutgers.
• Changed uniform number to 75 for Illinois game to honor his father, Keith, who wore it for the New York Giants.
• Had a career-high 10 tackles versus New Mexico and against Indiana.
• Leads the defensive line with 42 tackles against the run this season.
• The first three-time captain in Rutgers football history and one of nine actively at the FBS level.
• Named to the preseason Outland Trophy watch list.
Julian Pinnix-Odrick
• Leads the team with 4.5 sacks.
• Led the game with a career-high 12 tackles versus New Mexico, adding 1.5 sacks and a pass break-up.
• Had two sacks against Howard for first career multiple-sack game. Also tied the team high with a six tackles, adding a pass break-up and quarterback hurry.
• Named a team captain.
Linebackers
• Rutgers graduated all three of its starting linebackers from 2015, with Deonte Roberts (one start) returning as the only player with starting experience.
Trevor Morris
• Had a career-high 15 tackles at Minnesota.
• Leads the team with 84 tackles on the season with 69 against the run.
• Ranks third in the conference with 10.1 tackles per Big Ten game and seventh overall at 8.4 per game.
Deonte Roberts
• Had a team-season-high 17 tackles at Michigan State, adding a forced fumble.
• Ranks eighth in the conference with 9.1 tackles per Big Ten game.
• Notched first career interception versus Indiana.
Secondary
Blessuan Austin
• Ranks second in the Big Ten and fourth nationally with 1.6 passes defended per game (13 pass break-ups, one interception). Leads the league with 1.8 per conference game.
• Intercepted an Illinois pass in the endzone. Had a 50-yard pick-six last season at Wisconsin.
• Deflected three passes against Michigan and Indiana and has 17 break-ups over the last two years.
Anthony Cioffi
• Recorded eighth career interception at Ohio State. Needs two more to move into program top-10 list in the category.
• Tied career high with nine tackles against Michigan and second on the active roster with 152 career stops.
• Tied for third in the Big Ten with four interceptions last season.
Isaiah Wharton
• Has 13 career pass break-ups over the last two seasons.
• Has three career games with multiple pass deflections, with a high of four against Maryland in 2015.
SPECIAL TEAMS
• Since 2009, Rutgers has blocked 47 kicks (field goals & punts) on special teams, the most by any team in the NCAA during that span. The Scarlet Knights have blocked multiple kicks every year since 2007, including three this season. The three blocks are tied for 11th-most nationally in 2016.
• Sebastian Joseph and Isaiah Wharton both blocked field goals versus Indiana to make it 19 rejected field goals since 2009. It was the first game with two field goal blocks since 2012 versus Army.
• Tyreek Maddox-Williams blocked a punt against Howard to make it 22 deflected punts since 2009.
• Dacoven Bailey and T.J. Taylor lead the team with five special teams tackles this season.
• Opponents have made just 6-of-14 field goals against.
Kickers
David Bonagura
• Has made 10-of-12 field goals for a .833 mark, sixth in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally.
• Converted a 39-yard field goal to give Rutgers the lead in the fourth quarter at Minnesota.
• Made all three attempts versus New Mexico, including a career-long of 41 yards.
• Made 19-of-20 extra point attempts this season.
• Had seven points in his first game at Washington, the most by a Rutgers kicker in their collegiate debut since Jeremy Ito had 13 in a 2004 win over Michigan State. Had a long field goal of 38 yards.
Michael Cintron
• Knocked three inside the 20-yard line at Michigan State, with his fifth punt of at least 50 yards this season.
• Had a long of 53 yards on eight attempts at Washington in first action as the starting punter. Booted a career-long 61-yard punt against Michigan.
• Downed a punt at the one-yard line versus New Mexico.
• Boomed a 57-yard punt in first career attempt last season at Wisconsin.
BIG TEN BATTLE IN THE BRONX
The Rutgers University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced Sept. 13 it will host the "Big Ten Battle in the Bronx," a football and wrestling doubleheader between the Scarlet Knights and Maryland, at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017. The wrestling match, which will be the first in the history of the Stadium, will take place first, before head coach Chris Ash leads the football team into action later that day. "Never before has a doubleheader such as this taken place at a venue so iconic," said Director of Athletics Patrick Hobbs. "We are thrilled to provide our fans this one-of-a-kind experience while enhancing the Big Ten brand in the world's media capital. This is certain to be a very special day. We are thankful to the New York Yankees, the Big Ten Conference and the University of Maryland for helping to make it possible."
ASH ANNOUNCES 2016 TEAM CAPTAINS
Rutgers football head coach Chris Ash announced that fifth-year seniors Darius Hamilton, Chris Muller, Derrick Nelson and Julian Pinnix-Odrick will serve as 2016 team captains for the Scarlet Knights. Hamilton earns the honor for the third-straight year, making him the first three-time captain in the history of Rutgers football dating back to 1869.
THE HUNT
Throughout the Rutgers football facilities are signs that read "The Hunt." "'The Hunt' is really the theme of the team," said Ash. We're basically chasing the other teams in the Big Ten. We can't make any secret about that. To chase them, we gotta go hunt every single day. Whether it's in the weight room, out in the indoor (bubble) with our special workouts or in practice.''
SCARLET KNIGHTS WORK TO BE 10 STRONG
One of the mantras seen around the Rutgers football program is "10 Strong" which refers to the 10 position groups on the team: Quarterback, running back, tight end, wide receiver, offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, cornerback, safety and specialist. Head coach Chris Ash stresses the importance of all those units working at a high level in unison to reach peak performance. "That really is one of the ultimate goals of the program," said Ash. "We're not going to talk about winning, we're not going to talk about championships, we're not going to talk about red-letter games and things like that. We're going to talk about the process of getting 10 strong. We have 10 position groups of the football team when you count the offense, defense and the specialists together. If we can get 10 units operating at maximum capacity, then we're going to have a chance for success. That's really what it's all about for us."
LIFE BEYOND THE GAME
Rutgers head coach Chris Ash instituted the "Life Beyond the Game" program, designed at preparing football players for their careers after their college playing days have ended. "The percentage of our guys going to the NFL is very small," said Ash. "Even if you do go to the NFL, your lifespan there could be very short and then what are you going to do for the rest of your life? Universities have programs set up to help the general students population with alumni, but I think it's our obligation to help student-athletes in their life after football.''
PLAYER NUTRITION
Upon taking over the Rutgers football program, head coach Chris Ash hired Allison Kreimeier, the team's first full-time director of performance nutrition who's responsible for making sure players understand the do's and don'ts of eating right and staying hydrated. "There is so much that we're putting into sports science and nutrition. We're trying to promote the right type of lifestyle that helps you maximize performance."
