Rutgers 2012 Season Preview: Quarterbacks

The quarterback position has been unsettled at Rutgers ever since Mike Teel played his last game in 2008. Tom Savage was supposed to be the future of the position after unseating Dom Natale as the starter in '09, but he threw a wrench into that plan when he transferred following the '10 season that saw him get replaced by Chas Dodd. Dodd was thought to be the long term solution by some, but he was not a great fit for the pro style offense the Knights were transitioning back to, and Gary Nova pushed him for playing time in training camp and took over as the starter midseason. The constant reshuffling has caused Rutgers to have a QB controversy three years in a row, with a true freshman getting the majority of playing time in all three seasons. You can't continuously deal with the growing pains, inexperience, and uncertainty at the most important position on the field. You need to just pick one quarterback and stick with him. That's exactly what Kyle Flood is finally doing, as he has stated over and over again he is a one quarterback coach. After a long off season and training camp battle, he has decided on his one QB: Gary Nova.

Gary Nova displayed flashes of brilliance last year, but he probably was not ready to play as a true freshman, and he made some poor decisions that resulted in a lot of  turnovers. He relinquished the starting spot back to Dodd late in the year, but he has worked enough this off-season to win the starting spot back, and I think the coaching staff made the right decision in picking him for this year and the future. Nova is a pro style passer who is a good fit for the system Rutgers runs. He has decent size with a great arm and feel for the pocket. With a bunch of big play receivers at his disposal, he should be able to make the most of his arm strength and beat defenses with the deep ball, especially off of play action. Mobility is another one of his strong suits, and he can make throws on the run off bootlegs and scramble for yards when necessary. The two main things he needs to improve on are accuracy and of course decision making. His accuracy issues on short and intermediate routes may be due to his sometimes wonky mechanics that cause him to "shot put" the ball. This is something that can be improved through coaching, but it takes time. His decision making, theoretically, should improve this year as he has more experience under his belt. If he just takes care of the ball better he will be much improved from last year.

Backing up Nova you have an experienced and capable quarterback in Chas Dodd. He won't blow you away with his skill set, but he knows the offense, knows the personnel, and does a good job distributing the ball to his receivers. He's had his moments (when he was able to scramble away from pass rushers behind a porous line), doing some damage out of spread sets, like he was recruited to do,  but he is not a great fit for Rutgers' new/old philosophy on offense. Dodd is a tough competitor and it's nice having him in the program as a safety net in case something happens to Nova. He's a back up in name only, he could start at some FBS schools.

Red shirt freshman Mike Bimonte will be the third string quarterback, and he has some interesting tools to work with, including a great arm and great size. He is a bit raw though, so hopefully he won't need to see the field this year. True freshman Blake Rankin also brings in an interesting, but different, set of skills. The Big 33 game MVP on the Pennsylvania side is a duel threat quarterback who can really zip the ball in addition to being a great runner. For such a young quarterback he has surprisingly mature pocket presence, as he is able to elude rushers while keeping his eyes down field. He was a very underrated prospect and he's worth keeping an eye on after he redshirts this year.

New QB coach Rob Spence will be able to focus solely on QBs, unlike most QB coaches who usually double as offensive coordinators. He has a mixed track record producing QBs, and he will be given a few talented players who need a great deal of work. The one main thing he's stressed with Nova through out camp is throwing the ball away when nothing is there. Hopefully he's trying to clean up his mechanics too. Rutgers' offense will feature a lot of play action fakes and he needs to work with these guys on their fakes and reading the defense after turning your back to them. It is extremely difficult to do and a bit of a lost art.

I'm cautiously optimistic about Nova this year. With more experience and more coaching, I think he will be pretty good with the nice group of receivers he has to throw to. Hopefully he is able to hold down the job all year. Dodd is a nice back up to have, and he's trustworthy as a game manager type. Bimonte and Rankin offer raw talents that can turn into something in a few years. I think QB play could be the difference between another 8 win season and something better. Nova has the talent, he just needs to refine his game.

Rutgers 2012 Season Preview: The Offensive Line

Offensive line has gone from one of Rutgers' biggest strengths to their biggest weakness over the last few years. During Kyle Flood's first five seasons On the Banks, Rutgers was amongst the best in the nation at protecting the passer and paving the way in the run game with Flood's masterful zone blocking scheme. But things started trending in the wrong direction in 2009, and the problems got much worse the following year when Anthony Davis left for the NFL. In 2010,  Rutgers finished an absolutely embarrassing 111th nationally in rushing* and 120th in sacks allowed. Things improved a little bit last year, but this unit still struggled with consistency. The downfall of  this unit is often chalked up to the transition to a spread offense, but I don't buy that theory. There were some lean recruiting years at the position, and that has come back to bite them. The talent is slowly, but surely improving, and there's reason to be some what optimistic about this group this year, even though there's a long way to go in getting back to the level of play from a few years ago.

Damian Wroblewski is the new offensive line coach, and he has a similar background as Flood, so the zone blocking scheme will remain in place. In this particular scheme, the offensive lineman need to move well and have good footwork. The line fires out with an angled step (of various degree depending on who's teaching it) in the direction the ball carrier is going, and they try to pin defenders inside. This style of play is sometimes mistaken for finesse blocking, but that is far from the truth. You still need to be strong and physical, and you're still trying to drive defenders off the ball, down field. You're just taking a different first step.

Kaleb Johnson headlines the offensive line, and he will flip over to protect the QB's blindside at left tackle after garnering freshman All American honors on the right side a year ago. Johnson is very athletic and physical as a run blocker and he is able to execute the reach blocks on the perimeter that the zone scheme often requires. His athleticism also helps him in pass protection, as he is able to slide and stay in front of the defender. Maryland transfer R.J. Dill bookends Johnson on the right side, and the veteran who started 33 games for the Terps provides some much needed experience and road grading ability to an inexperienced line that has had trouble getting a push in the run game. He plays with a mean streak too, and that's always nice. RS freshman Keith Lumpkin provides and interesting blend of size and athleticism backing up Johnson, while Senior Devon Watkins backs up Dill. Jorge Vicioso adds depth to the position.

Antwan Lowery will be the starter at left guard, looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2011 season where he struggled to crack the lineup. He is a very gifted player with good size, but he has not put it together at this point. At right guard, two converted defensive lineman, Andre Civil and Taj Alexander are battling it out for the starting spot. Civil started a bunch of games last year at left tackle and he has the athleticism you are looking for in a zone scheme, but not necessarily the proper size for guard. Alexander is a relative unknown on offense, but the coaching staff seemed to like him a lot in spring ball, as they inserted him into the starting lineup almost right away. David Osei will back up both spots, and he should be able to use his athleticism more here than at center, where he struggled in part because of his lack of size. Chris Fonti provides some size to the roster as a reserve.

Betim Bujari moves over to center after playing 10 games at guard in 2011. Bujari is a very tough, smart player who should be a good fit at his new position. He is a solid blocker with good size and leverage as well, but he may have a bit of an adjustment period learning the responsibilities of the center position. Matt McBride backs him up, having forced himself onto the two deep with a torrid summer camp, and Junior College transfer Dallas Hendrickson is the third stringer, as he has struggled both in the spring and summer, coming back from an ACL injury that cost him all of last year.

Rutgers' heralded 2012 recruiting class featured 5 offensive lineman: JJ Denman, Chris Muller, Derrick Nelson, Ryan Brodie, and Brian Arcidiacono. All five will most likely red shirt this year, but they represent hope for a bright future where Rutgers has one of the better lines in the country again. Muller and Denman were the two biggest gets here, and the mammoth duo from Pennsylvania could bookend the line at the tackle spots in the future. Both players are very strong, tough, and quick. Nelson brings toughness and nastiness as a run dominant blocker, while Brodie and Arcidiacono are very nimble and balanced with good footwork. Offensive line recruiting is really a crap shoot, so you shouldn't count on all five of these guys becoming starters, but there's enough quality depth in this class that these guys could make up the bulk of the line 2-3 years from now.

I'm pretty confident that this unit will continue to improve. Johnson and Dill instill a lot of confidence in me as run blockers and pass blockers, so they should be rock solid at tackle. Bujari should be solid as well, once he gets used to playing center mentally, but the guards are the big question mark. They are inexperinced and/or undersized, but there's depth here, so hopefullty they find the right mix. This unit does not have to be a world beater, they just need to give the backs a chance to do their thing.

*For some reason, the NCAA deducts yards lost in sacks from your rushing total. It makes no sense. The sack yardage really hurt Rutgers' rushing rank in 2010, but their run blocking was still very bad.

Rutgers 2012 Season Preview: The Defensive Backs

Say what you will about Greg Schiano, but there's no denying he knows his defensive backs. The former Chicago Bears DB coach was able to unearth some diamonds in the rough at the position and turn them into NFL caliber players over the years. Schiano has moved on, but he left a very full cupboard in the defensive backfield for Kyle Flood and Robb Smith, as Rutgers heads into the 2012 season with one of the best secondaries in the nation. The Scarlet Knights return 3 of 4 starters and all but one key reserve to the unit that finished 5th nationally in pass efficiency defense in 2011. They allowed only 8 touchdown passes and intercepted 19, down right dominating after a few early season hiccups. That streak of domination should extend into this year.

At corner back, Logan Ryan and Brandon Jones form the top duo in the Big East and one of the best in the country. Ryan is coming off an All Big East performance in 2011, and he is getting some preseason hype nationally. He is true lock down corner who has the size and strength to play press coverage and the speed to run with receivers down field. Ryan also has tremendous ball skills, finishing 14th nationally in passes defended last year. If he builds off the great success he had a season ago, he will be an All American candidate and a potential first round draft pick. I don't think a lot of fans realize how good he is. Brandon Jones is easily overlooked on this defense, but he is a very good player in his own right. The senior has a nice blend of size and speed, while also possessing the ability to play man coverage. Mason Robinson, Marcus Cooper, and Gareef Glashen will see a lot of time as reserves this season.The 6th year senior Robinson looks to return to the field after missing all of last year with a knee injury. He will be playing defense for the first time in his college career, but the converted RB/WR is the favorite to win the nickle back spot. Cooper has great size and will probably be the primary back up for Ryan and Jones on the outside. The speedster Glashen could contribute in nickel packages as well, primarily covering slot receivers. The youngster Tejay Johnson also provides depth.

At safety, senior Duron Harmon looks to build off his All Big East selection from a year ago. Harmon is a very instinctive player and he covers a lot of ground as the lone deep safety in the defense. He has tremendous ball skills (5 interceptions in 2011) playing "centerfield" in this defense, and he is a very strong pass defender. Sophmore Lorenzo Waters is the lone new starter in the secondary, replacing David Rowe, and he is a very physical player who will often play down in the box to stop the run and blitz. Wayne Warren will back him up and play in dime packages, and when he is on the field he makes his presence known. Last year he recorded 2.5 sacks, an INT, a forced fumble and broke up 3 passes. J.T. Tartacoff will transition from wide receiver and back up Harmon, while run stopper Jonathan Aiken gives depth to the position.

Safety Davon Jacobs and corner Jevon Tyree are part of Rutgers' 24th ranked incoming freshman class, and both players are almost certainly going to red shirt. Jacobs is a fast, rangy athlete with good ball skills, giving him the talent to become a starting free safety in the future. Tyree, who happens to be Mohamed Sanu's cousin, has solid size, fluid hips and good feet, making him a great fit for what Rutgers asks their corners to do.

Jeff Hafley really did a nice job coaching this unit last year (obviously Schiano had a lot of influence on them as well), and Robb Smith looks to keep things the same here as both the position coach and the coordinator. He will keep the same scheme in place, with the corners pressing at the line and being left on an island in man coverage with the free safety over the top and the strong safety down in the box. Smith knows what he is doing and has been in the program for a while, so he should make this transition as smooth as possible.

The defensive backfield will be one of Rutgers' biggest strengths this season. They have top end talent, plenty of experience and quality depth. They will have a very difficult test in September against Arkansas, who features future first round draft pick Tyler Wilson at quarterback, but they probably won't face another high octane passing game after that. They should not miss a beat from last year, even with the new coaching staff, and they should consistently dominate and have a top 10 pass defense once again.