This is a major blow to Rutgers' run defense that is ranked number one in the nation. Holmes was having a great year so far, taking on double teams and pushing the line of scrimmage back, while disrupting the path of opposing running backs and freeing up his teammates to make plays. It sucks anytime you lose a player for the year, and you have to feel terrible for Holmes, as he was having a breakout season, but Rutgers must move forward with out him.
Rutgers came into this season with a lot of depth on the defensive line, but that has dwindled quickly in the early part of the year. In addition to Holmes' injury, back up nose tackle Al Page has yet to play a game and will be out indefinitely with a lower body injury, Daryl Stepenson suffered a season ending injury in camp, Kenneth Kirksey missed the first four games with a injury, and Michael Larrow was suspended. Thankfully Kirksey and Larrow will be back for the UConn game tomorrow, but some reshuffling will still have to be done to replace Holmes.
Scott Vallone will likely move from his three technique spot back to nose tackle, which he played last year, with a number of guys potentially taking over Holmes' place in the starting lineup. True freshman Darius Hamilton has backed up Vallone and seen a lot of playing time early on, but early indications point to him not starting. From Kyle Flood's comments, it appears that either Jamil Merrell or Michael Larrow will draw the start. Both players have primarily been used at end in their college careers, but they both saw some time at three technique during spring ball. Larrow is just coming back from a four game suspension, so his snaps will probably be very limited as he gets into game shape, making Merrell the likely choice to get the starting nod. Kirksey and Max Issaka are possibilities as well, but they are most likely to be used in a reserve role, as Kirksey is coming off an injury and Issaka has not played tackle before.
Flood has made it clear that Vallone will still be used in both tackle spots, so red shirt freshman Marquise Wright will see a boost in playing time as the back up nose tackle, and the former 4 star prospect can provide the unit with some much needed size now that Holmes is out. Wright will need to be able to hold double teams to free up his teammates to make plays, and he could be a very important player against physical teams that like to run the ball (Pitt and UConn for example), when they can not afford to play with an undersized line. Vallone is a capable nose tackle, but he's better as a 3 tech., where he is able to make more plays himself, so Wright emerging as a quailty players is probably the ideal situation
Holmes and Vallone were a menace for opposing offense, and although I don't think Rutgers will be able to replicate that, they have enough depth at the position to get by. Merrell will probably be the new starter, but in name only. I think Wright will see a lot of time in running downs and Hamilton will continue to get time in passing downs, with Merrell still playing mostly end. There are a lot of options, and it might take a few games to figure out what role all of them will play, and like with Michael Burton's injury, it will take multiple players to fill the void left by Holmes.
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