It is unbelievable that Rutgers’ brutal home loss to Illinois Saturday--and their 1-3 start in general-- could be so perfectly encapsulated by a singular moment. As the Scarlet Knights moved into Illini territory onto the fringe of field goal range with under 2 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter and the score tied at 20, Big 10 Network broadcaster J Leman declared “I don’t know how Rutgers could let Vedral throw the ball here.” No less than 10 seconds later, Rutgers QB Noah Vedral threw a pass well behind Bo Melton into the waiting arms of Illinois cornerback Nate Hobbs. It was Vedral’s third interception of the day and his 7th thrown in 4 games this season.
While the Scarlet Knights have been better than expected, beating Michigan State and staying reasonably competitive in contests against top 10 teams Indiana (this felt weird to type) and Ohio State, Vedral, who was named the starting QB after a camp competition, has been a clear issue for the Knights and this performance likely cost them this game against Illinois. Vedral may seem like an upgrade for a team that passed for under 100 yards in 5 of 12 games during the 2019 season, but that does not mean he is good. And he probably does not give Rutgers its best chance of winning in 2020. In addition to throwing more interceptions (7) than touchdowns (5), Vedral is averaging a measly 5.5 yards per attempt, which ranks dead last in the Big 10.
As we have seen with Rutgers football over the last decade or so, demanding the starting QB to be benched is low hanging fruit and not always a solution to the problem. This season is different though, for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Rutgers finally has a competent offensive coordinator/quarterback coach. Under Kyle Flood and Chris Ash, Rutgers had difficulty finding (or keeping) good offensive coordinators and Sean Gleeson has a track record of success at both Princeton and Oklahoma State, inspiring confidence that the offense is well managed and headed in the right direction. Gleeson has done a good job maximizing Rutgers talent on offense despite the talent disadvantages they are usually facing, and his initial game scripts have led to Rutgers scoring in all 4 games on either their first or second possession. Further, Rutgers has pass-catchers far superior to what they have had in recent years. Bo Melton was a 4 star recruit who is finally breaking out in his senior season now that he is receiving better coaching, Aron Cruickshank is an explosive player, and senior wideout Shameen Jones is a solid option as well. The offensive line has been mostly solid pass blocking as well, and the run game has been pretty good, so it isn’t like the QB is set up to fail like they were in previous seasons.
My assumption is that Vedral won the camp QB competition because he is the best dual-threat option Rutgers has. In addition to his issues throwing the football, Vedral has not made much of an impact as a runner. Removing sacks from the equation (side note: Rutgers’s offensive line has only allowed 1 sack in the last 2 games) Vedral has carried the ball 28 times for 136 yards, including just 40 rushing yards in the last two games. Gleeson has not called many runs for Vedral, and Vedral is extremely hesitant to take off and run on pass plays We have seen a number of times where he has time to throw and hangs onto the ball too long and either forces a pass or takes a sack. Those are instances in which he should use his legs to pick up yards. With his running ability either being negated or not fully on display, Vedral has been mostly a passer for the Knights this season and he is not having much success in that capacity. Vedral has struggled with his accuracy (his completion percentage is pretty good, but he a. makes a lot of short throws and b. Does not set his receivers up to gain yards after the catch) and the turnovers are a major issue. Verdal is not being asked to do too much or forced to make too many throws under pressure or miscommunicating with his receivers. His interceptions are fully on him making bad throws and bad decisions and that is hurting Rutgers right now. A change is needed.
The issue of course is….are any of the other quarterbacks realistically a better option? I’m inclined to believe yes. Art Sitkowski had a disastrous freshman season, but he is now two years removed from that, receiving better coaching, and probably the most talented passer on the roster. There is no guarantee he will be better than Vedral, but it is probably worth a shot. Sitkowski also has two years of eligibility left beyond 2020 to Verdal’s one, so it could be a better move for the long term outlook for Rutgers. Greg Schiano seemingly has a strong distaste for Chris Ash’s recruits (understandably so!) but Sitkowski likely represents the best option for Rutgers in both the short and long term. I have not seen him practice and Schiano and Gleeson have, so I could be way off base here. Regardless, something probably has to be done at the quarterback position.
Short of making this move, I think Rutgers needs to let Vedral run the ball more often if he is to remain the starter. His passing needs to be limited, defenses need to see new looks from Rutgers, and Isiah Pacheco can not carry the ball 40 times a game. Gleeson and co have maximized what they have with limited talent at other positions and the same needs to be done at the QB position. And maybe I am being unfair by writing this. Vedral came to Rutgers relatively late in the offseason, and could still be adjusting to his new surroundings and learning a new system. Maybe he is on the verge of a turnaround. Who knows?
Quarterback is obviously the most important position on the football field and it is probably Rutgers’ worst position right now. I have faith in Schiano to recruit the right guy here at some point and in Gleeson to develop him, but for the next year or two, QB will remain a problem for the Scarlet Knights. We are unlikely to see a quick fix and have to wait to see how things play out going forward. In the meantime, Sitkowski likely gives Rutgers a better chance to win than Vedral. Schiano has the program back on the right track and wins this season would be a nice foundation to build on. QB is holding them back right now and a change at the position is probably overdue.
