Defensive Domination Not Enough For Rutgers in the Russell Athletic Bowl

Against Virginia Tech in the Russell Athletic Bowl, Rutgers' defense played their best game of the season, and perhaps their best game in over a decade. They limited the Hokies to just 196 yards, including only 3 on the ground, recorded a season high 4 sacks, limited the opposition to just one touchdown (on a drive that went all of 21 yards), and scored a touchdown of their own. This was a historically good group who played their hearts out, and quite frankly they deserved better. They, in no way, shape or form were responsible for this loss at all. That blame falls squarely on the shoulder of the incompetent offense that mustered a measly 3 points and 196 total yards. It's really easy to place all the blame on Gary Nova, and he did play maybe the worst game I have ever seen a QB play at the college level, but this complete offensive failure goes way beyond him.  The team had been able to overcome poor game plans and poor play calling on the offensive side of the ball all season, but it really blew up in their faces in this game.

The Scarlet Knights got off to about as good of a start as you can hope for. After the Hokies received the opening kick, Rutgers showed heavy pressure up the middle on the second play of the game. This caused Virginia Tech's center to panic and snap the ball before QB Logan Thomas was ready for it, and the ball bounced into the endzone. Thomas initially recovered it, but Khaseem Greene stripped the ball out of his hands and picked it up for a touchdown to give Rutgers a 7-0 lead just 17 seconds into the game. Following the ensuing kick off, Virginia Tech was able to advance the ball to middle field on a Thomas pass and a reverse, but that's as far as they would advance in the first three quarters of the game. Marvin Booker eventually over powered Tech's tight end to record a tackle for loss and Logan Ryan broke up a deep pass on third down to force a punt.

Rutgers' offense did not look awful on their first possession of the game. Jawan Jamison ran for 6 yards on his first carry and Nova completed a quick out to Quoron Pratt for a first down. Miles Shuler then took a screen pass 9 yards on first down, but they were unable to pick up the extra yard to move the chains and had to punt for the first of many times. The defense continued their torrid start, as Marcus Cooper delivered a big hit in the backfield to blow up an option play,  leading to a three and out to get Rutgers the ball right back. Savon Huggins took a pitch on the second play of the series to the outside for 17 yards behind RJ Dill and Andre Civil, and since the play worked so well, it was never called again. The drive ended shortly after that with a punt. On the next defensive series Jamil Merrell power bombed Thomas for a sack, and Virginia Tech returned serve with a punt of their own.

Rutgers next offensive drive was their only one that resulted in any points. Miles Shuler took a double reverse 25 yards, setting up an eventual 36 yard field goal from Nick Borgese to give the Knights a 10-0 lead. And of course, since he was playing well, Shuler didn't touch the ball again. The two teams then traded three and outs, highlighted by Marcus Thompson and Jamal Merrell combining for a sack and Nova missing Huggins on a screen that probably would have been a touchdown with Antwan Lowery out in front, to end the opening quarter.

The defense started the second quarter with another bang, making some plays in the backfield. Greene sniffed out a screen to record a tackle for loss and Duron Harmon delivered a big hit to force another punt. The following Rutgers drive got off to a promising start after the Knights were handed bad field position. Brandon Coleman made another big reception, taking a slant 43 yards, and a 9 yard run by Jamison set up Nova to sneak his way for another first down in Hokie territory. Nova followed up one of his few positive moments by forcing a pass down field that should have been intercepted, and the Knights eventually turned it over on downs when Nova forced another throw down field, when it appeared he may have been able to pick up the first down with his legs (I don't think he would have got it). The Hokies then went three and out yet again, thanks to another big hit from Harmon and a pressure from Greene.

Mason Robinson then set the offense up with good field position with a nice punt return, and 15 yards were added on to that when VT's punter hit him out of bounds. They were not able to take advantage of it though, thanks to poor play calling. Huggins picked up 4 yards on first down run, and they then inexplicably went to an empty set on 2nd and 6, before calling a QB draw on 3rd and 6. Obviously Nova did not pick up the first down and they decided to punt from the Tech 35. Why they didn't go for it? I don't have a clue. This whole possession confused me. It's like they didn't even have a plan. Fortunately, Justin Doerner's  punt was downed at the two. Virginia Tech was able to move the ball out of the shadows of their own endzone with a couple first downs, but Thomas arm punted a pass to Brandon Jones down field and Jones intercepted it. And with 1:40 left in the half, the offense sat on the ball and ran the clock out to go into locker room up 10-0.

Rutgers was able to pick up a first down to open the half, but the drive stalled when they misidentified two blitzes that led to Nova getting sacked and having to force a throw that ended up incomplete. The defense was then able to continue their domination by forcing a three and out, as Thomas could not complete a pass past good coverage. Nova was able to hit a couple more out routes to Tim Wright and Mark Harrison to pick up a couple first downs when the offense took the field again, but he slipped and took a sack that led to another punt. The defense was able to force another 3 and out after that, with Steve Beauharnais nearly intercepting a pass.Virginia Tech extended Rutgers' next offensive possession by committing penalties, including a pass interference on a ball Nova under threw because of bad mechanics that could have been a TD if he got more juice on it, and it ended with Borgese missing a 47 yard attempt, after Huggins converted a 4th and 1, running behind the pulling Lowery.

Following the missed kick, the defense had their only minor lapse of the game. Thomas was able to hit his receivers on a couple deep crossing routes to advance deep into Rutgers territory. Greene and co. then got tough against the run, and they held the Hokies to a field goal that made it 10-3. The one score lead felt too close for comfort, and at that point, I just thought with the way the passing game was going, Rutgers is best off running the ball every play, punting and playing defense. Virginia Tech had dropped a number of interceptions and it was only a matter of time before they held on to one. But the Knights kept going to the air, and it bit them in the ass when a Nova pass sailed way over the head of an open Coleman and into the waiting arms of Antone Exum, who then returned it to the RU 21. The defense needed a HUGE stop, but ultimately, it was asking them to do too much. The did get to a third and 10 following a Ka'lial Galud pressure that led to Jones breaking up a pass, but Logan Thomas delivered an absolutely perfect ball to Corey Fuller on a fade route in the endzone to tie the game up at 10 with just under 11 minutes left.

When Rutgers got the ball back, it started to rain heavily and it had an immediate negative effect on the offense, as they dropped two passes on their way to a three and out. Virginia Tech followed that up with a three and out of their own, as Logan Ryan broke up a pass and Kevin Snyder made a play in the backfield. Coleman was able to pick up a first down on Rutgers' next possession, but Nova mishandled a snap on the next play, and the Hokies started a drive in Rutgers territory yet again. This time though, the defense forced Tech backwards. Booker made a tackle for loss on first down, and Greene pressured Thomas to force an errant throw. Jamil Merrell then was credited with a sack on an intentionally grounding penalty, and Virginia Tech was forced to punt it back to Rutgers. The Knights were still unable to solve the Hokies' defense, and they were forced to punt it back again. A pass interference penalty got Tech into field goal range, but the defense held tough and Cody Journell missed the 51 yard try (they went all out for a block here, even bringing DC Jefferson and Brandon Coleman on to try to block it). Rutgers couldn't move the ball when they got it back, and Brandon Jones was able to intercept another deep pass from Thomas to give Rutgers a chance to win the game with 1:31 left. But of course, the offense couldn't even get a first down and had to punt it right back. Greene and Scott Vallone teamed up to record a sack to send the game to overtime.

Rutgers won the toss and elected to play defense first in overtime. Marcus Davis caught a pass from Thomas for a first down and Journell made a chip shot to make it 13-10. Nova was sacked on Rutgers' first play and that basically knocked them out of field goal range. They got back to the original line of scrimmage, but Nick Borgese missed the 42 yard attempt, and Rutgers lost.

You can't say enough about how great the defense played in this game. Robb Smith was dialing up heavy pressure, and they were getting to Thomas, sacking him and forcing him to rush his throws. All 11 defenders were flying around to stuff the run, and Virginia Tech only had 3 yards on the ground. The defensive line was penetrating the backfield all game, with Jamil Merrell leading the way with two sacks, and the linebackers were hitting hard, with Khaseem Greene making a ton of plays, as usual. All three corners, Ryan, Cooper and Jones had big games in the defensive backfield, and Duron Harmon flashed with some big plays of his own. This was probably the best game they played this season, and they defiantly deserved a better fate to end than season than this.

The offense, on the other hand, was putrid, and it starts with the coaching staff. Virginia Tech was blitzing more guys than Rutgers can block, and they did not make the necessary adjustments by keeping backs and tight ends in to pass protect. Dave Brock also called an awful game, continually putting the ball in the hands of his struggling QB, going to empty sets on 2nd and medium after 4 or 5 yard runs on first down, and the inexplicable QB draw. Nova certainly played as bad of a game as a QB can, with poor pocket presence leading to rushed throws into coverage, but you can just see how poorly coached he is. Other than the coaching and QB play, the offense wasn't awful. The line did a solid job in pass protection considering all the pressure, and they a solid job run blocking considering VT was loading up the box. Brandon Coleman had a pretty good game and I though both backs did a good job running when they had room to.

It was a pretty bad way for Rutgers to end the season. The defense dominated, but the offense was unable to do a thing. This was a successful season overall for Rutgers, but there is a bad taste left in everyone's mouth after they dropped three straight to end the year.

Additional Thoughts

-I am going to miss watching this defense play so much. Greene, Vallone, Beauharnais, Ryan, Harmon and others were a very special group, and the 2011 and 2012 defenses might have been the best in the program's history.

-I re-watched the game, and I noticed that the fill in fullbacks missed a lot of blocks. The team really missed Michael Burton in the last third of the season.

-Alonzo Tweedy had a hell of a game for the Hokies. I think he made every tackle.

-Whoever is in charge of setting the pass protections needs to do a better job next year. They slid the protection the wrong way numerous times.

-Hindsight is 20/20, but if Kyle Federico was healthy, why didn't he attempt the two long field goals that Borgese missed? Borgese is more accurate, but Federico has a much better leg.

-I can't believe Rutgers lost to a team that had a stupid turkey on their helmets.

Game 13: Virginia Tech

Bowl games often come down to who wants to be there and who doesn't. Rutgers could easily have no motivation in this game, since it is a consolation prize for them after blowing their chances of playing in a BCS game, but there is still plenty on the line today. A Rutgers win would give them their 10th win of the season, something they have only achieved twice before before in school history (1976 and 2006). A win would also extend the nation's longest bowl winning streak, send the seniors off the right way, and build positive momentum for the program heading into the 2013 season. With the way Rutgers has handled playing in less than premium bowl games after a dispointing end to the regular season in the past, I don't expect motivation to be a problem for them. If anything, Virginia Tech could be the unmotivated team, since they may just want their first disappointing season in while to end.

As Andy Staples points out, teams have used the Russell Athletic Bowl (formerly the Champs Sports Bowl, Tangerine Bowl, Blockbuster Bowl and Mazda Bowl) as a "launching pad" to greater things. Florida State and Notre Dame played in this bowl a year ago, and the Irish are now in the national championship game and the Seminoles are in the Orange Bowl. Two years ago, West Virginia played in this bowl and they parlayed that into an Orange Bowl win last year. Wisconsin played in this game in 2009, and they have won three consecutive Big 10 titles in the wake of that. Hopefully Rutgers will be the next school to join that group with a big 2013 season, and a win today would build momentum towards that.

Injuries
Rutgers is pretty healthy coming into this game. Brandon Jones will be able to go after missing the second half of the Louisville game with an injury and Jawan Jamison and Andre Civil are back to 100% after playing hurt at the end of the season. Kicker Nick Borgese had a minor back problem this week, but he will kick today over the now healthy Kyle Federico.

Prediction- Rutgers 16 Virginia Tech 13
I'm fairly confident that this will be a close game and I think Rutgers will be able to make a big play on special teams or force a big turnover to swing the game in their favor.

Keys For Rutgers in The Russell Athletic Bowl

Virginia Tech and Rutgers seem to be very similar teams at a glance. Both teams have very strong defenses to go along with erratic offenses, and they both rely heavily on turnovers in order to win games. Friday's Russell Athletic Bowl appears to be a close match up, at least on paper, since these two teams are so similar, but there is one big variable during bowl season: both coaching staffs have had a month to prepare for this game. With that much time on their hands, the two coaching staffs could add wrinkles to their offenses and defenses, or concoct ways to keep the other team's strengths in check. As someone who has watched Virginia Tech play on TV a handful of times this season, I think the keys to Rutgers keeping Tech's strengths in check lay in the hands of their offensive linemen and corner backs.
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Offense

Blitz Pick Up
Virginia Tech runs the vaunted 4-4 G defense, and with eight or nine defenders in the box most of the time, it is difficult to run against them. With that in mind, Rutgers very well might have to win this game on offense through the air. That will be no easy task though.

Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster loves to send exotic zone blitzes after opposing quarterbacks, bringing guys from everywhere, including off the corner, while also dropping defensive lineman back in coverage. Those types of blitzes make it tricky for offenses to throw short passes over the middle, as we saw when Gary Nova threw 6 interceptions against Kent State. So in order to prevent the same thing from happening, Rutgers should attack the Hokies deep and on intermediate routes towards the sideline.That is easier said then done, however. In order to throw the ball down field, Nova will need time to stand in the pocket, and that will be difficult when the Hokies are bringing extra defenders at him.

Here is an example of one of Virginia Tech's zone blitzes:

The boundary corner is creeping in, showing blitz, so Nova should recognize where the pressure is coming from and adjust his protection scheme accordingly, probably by sliding everyone but the right tackle to the left. A running back would likely have to pick up the corner, and Kaleb Johnson would have to pick up the linebacker blitzing off the edge. Antwan Lowery would have to take the end slanting into to him, while Bujari takes on the nose with help from Civil or Alexander. RJ Dill would not slide to his left and would instead take on the guy over his head.

If they are able to pick up this blitz, Rutgers could exploit match ups on the outside that are in their favor. Wide side corner Antone Exum is at his best pressing at the line and being physical, but he is some what vulnerable when giving up a lot of cushion covering the deep third. Brandon Coleman can out run him. Towards the boundary, the receiver would be matched up with a safety deep or with a linebacker who has a lot of ground to cover getting to the flat. A quick out, a comeback or a curl could be open in that deep flat area.

Get Jamison In the Open Field Behind the Hogs
As stated above, it's difficult to run the ball against Tech's 8 and 9 man fronts, but it's not impossible. Teams with big offensive lines have over powered the Hokies' front, with their small, shifty backs making Tech defenders miss in the open field to break off big gains. Giovanni Bernard of North Carolina, Duke Johnson of Miami and Rushel Shell of Pittsburgh all exploited the Hokies, each rushing for over 100 yards against them behind their massive offensive lines.

Rutgers does not have a massive offensive line as a whole like the Hurricanes, Tar Heels and Panthers, but Dill and Lowery are very big, so running off the edge to the right or up the middle to the left seem to be the ideal places to run the ball. If they can over power their guy at the point of attack and everyone else can get a hat on a hat, Jamison could use his shiftiness (assuming he is fully healthy) to juke or spin a defender out in the open field in order to break off a big run. 

Defense

Stop Logan Thomas on the Inverted Veer
Logan Thomas is the Hokies leading rusher and he is the only inside running threat they have. Their bread and butter run play is the inverted veer, which is basically a power play read option, where Thomas will read the defensive end and either keep it himself up the gut behind a pulling guard or hand it off to his back, who will run sideways and look for the edge that is set by the H-back. It looks like this: 

With the way Khaseem Greene and Jamal Merrell play in space and the way corners Logan Ryan and Brandon Jones can tackle, the outside run should not be a problem. I'm more concerned with Thomas running up the middle.  I think the end, who is left unblocked, should crash down on Thomas and force him to hand it off. If the end sits still or goes to the outside though, the most important defender will be the defensive tackle to the play side. Hopefully that defender will be Scott Vallone, as he is adept at taking on the double team that would come towards him as part of the power play blocking, but if it is Jamil Merrell or Darius Hamilton in that spot, they must hold the double team at the line or fight though it. If they can do that, it will allow Steve Beauharnais to fill the hole and make a play. Thomas is a load to bring down and he is bigger than Rutgers' linebackers, so the safeties must fly down in run support to get multiple defenders on him.

The Hokies' line is not very good, so hopefully they can be over matched by Vallone and co. on these plays, but they did do a good job with the down blocks required on this play against Miami and Florida State.

Don't get beat deep
Thomas has struggled with his decision making and accuracy all year, but he has no problems at all when it comes to his arm strength and throwing the ball down field. Nobody in the nation throws a better deep ball than Thomas, and with speedsters Marcus Davis and Corey Fuller at receiver, he can really burn you over the top. If Rutgers is able to take away the deep ball, Tech will be forced to settle for short passes, which hasn't always worked out well for them.

In order to not get beat deep, getting pressure on the quarterback would be the obvious solution, but Rutgers hasn't gotten a ton of pressure from their front four this year. In order to stop these deep balls, Logan Ryan, Brandon Jones and Marcus Cooper must be physical at the line while pressing Davis and Fuller. Neither of those two are particularly physical players, so getting in their grill and knocking them off their routes could frustrate the hell out of them, and cause them to be off their game. Using Mason Robinson and Wayne Warren more at safety would allow the corners to have more help deep if they are unable to re-route the receivers.

Force Turnovers
This seems like an obvious one, but it's importance can not be stated enough. Rutgers is undefeated this year when they win the turnover battle, and with an offense that could struggle yet again, they will need to set them up in good field position or score for themselves. Thomas makes some poor decision passing the ball, and the defenders must take advantage of it when they get their hands on the ball.


Special Teams

Prove it
Virginia Tech has been known as the the preeminent special teams program for a while, but their success has fallen off in recent years, and Rutgers could be on the verge making their claim as the best special teams program in the nation. Against Miami, the Hokies allowed a punt to be blocked and they gave up a long kick return, so this unit has been vulnerable for them. Rutgers leads the nation in blocked kicks since 2009, and they have turned many games around with big plays on special teams. If they can out Beamer Ball a Beamer team, they could prove that they have over taken the Hokies' special teams mantle and maybe turn this game around too.

The offensive line and cornerbacks are going to be the deciding factors for Rutgers in this game. If the line can pick up the blitzes and over power Virginia Tech's front, Jamison could have a big day and Nova could hit on some pass plays over the top. If the corners take away the deep ball and hold strong in run support, the Hokies could have problems moving the ball. If these two groups don't have outstanding games, it will come down to turnovers and special teams. This should be a close game and these keys could be the deciding factor whether Rutgers wins or not.

Know Your Opponent: Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech was, of course, an original football playing member of the Big East, and during their time in the conference, they grew into one of the most consistently great programs in the nation. During their time in the Big East, the Hokies finished ranked in eight of their 13 seasons in the league, won or shared three conference titles, and played Florida State in the Sugar Bowl for the National Championship after the 1999 season. They were a big part of building the Big East into one of the top football conferences in the nation, and they have continued their levels of success in the ACC, which they joined along with Miami and Boston College after the 2003 season. The Hokies have appeared in 5 BCS games over their nine year ACC tenure, but this season they fell well short of the lofty standards they have set for themselves. They only went 6-6 after having to replace most of their offense from a year ago. Although they had this down season, they are still a very well respected program nationally, and are making a bowl game for the 20th consecutive season. A win over Tech would really help Rutgers' program nationally, as they continue to look for more respect.

The Hokies So Far- Virginia Tech started the season 2-0 after an over time victory over Georgia Tech on Labor Day and a win over FCS school Austin Peay. They followed that up by losing 3 of their next 4 to Pittsburgh (in blow out fashion), Cincinnati (on a late pass from Munchie Leagux) and North Carolina, with a win over Bowling Green thrown in there. They were able to beat Duke soundly at home, but they were then beaten by Clemson before dropping consecutive Thursday night games to Miami and Florida State. The Hokies were able to defeat Boston College and Virginia in their last two games in order to attain Bowl eligibility.

Coaching- Frank Beamer is in his 26th season as the head coach at his alma mater Virginia Tech, and he is the longest tenured coach at the FBS level right now. Beamer owns a 215-104-2 record as the head Hokie, and he has won 7 conference titles (3 Big East, 4 ACC) in those 26 seasons. Beamer's teams have attained all this success by playing "Beamer Ball," which entails being a tough, physical, run first offense, playing great defense and making big plays on special teams. Beamer holds special teams in a higher regard than most coaches, and the Hokies were once the preeminent program in the country when it came to special teams, but their success has fallen off in recent years. The Hokies have also had to go to more of a spread attack to run the ball in order to accommodate the talent on the team, but Beamer still wants them to be a run first offense. Tech's defenses have remained as tough as ever though. Beamer's teams are always flled with very tough players, and they all buy into the program's blue collar mentality, and they have a lunch pail to prove it.

Bud Foster, who has been with Beamer since 1979 when Beamer was the defensive coordinator and Foster was one of his linebackers at Murry State, leads the defense. Along with Beamer, Foster has built very tough defenses over the years, using their pressure heavy 4-4 G scheme, which has adapted to offenses changing over the years. Brian Stienspring and Mike O'Cain are basically the co-offensive coordinators, and they both appear to be on the way out after the bowl game, following years of criticism from the fans and media for being overly conservative in their play calling.

Offense- 80th in PPG, 81st in yards per rush, 94th in passing efficiency, 82nd in yards per play
The Hokies' offense has struggled mightily this year, after they had to replace almost their entire unit from a year ago. Logan Thomas, came into this season with very high expectations on the heels of a strong 2011 campaign, but he has taken steps back with a worse group around him. He struggles big time with his accuracy and decision making, but he has a dangerous skill set as a massive (6'6'' 260) duel threat, and he is just as capable of making an amazing play as he is a poor one. He has a rocket for an arm and shows nice touch on his deep passes. Thomas is also the leading rusher for the Hokies, using his power between the tackles more than his speed in space.

 The offensive line in front of him does a solid job pass protecting, even against blitzes, but they leave a lot to be desired in the run blocking department. They deliver some nice down blocks on power plays, but they are usually stalemated when blocking a guy man to man, and they give up too much penetration on zone plays. They are waist benders with poor technique. The group featured four new starters at the beginning of the year, and they have gotten a bit better as the season progressed, but they have been very poor overall. Their best player up front is guard Michael Via, who was honorable mention all ACC selection.

The Hokies have three tailbacks with at least 60 carries, and they have had trouble finding a lead back to replace David Wilson. JC  Coleman, a speedy freshman who runs outside in space, leads the trio in carries, while Tony Gregory and Michael Holmes are the power backs who run inside.  Marcus Davis is the team's leading receiver, and he is a lot like Rutgers' receivers in the fact that he is very big and fast, but has problems with drops and is not as productive as he "should" be. Unlike RU's WRs however, his effort as blocker is.....not very good, to put it lightly. Corey Fuller is the team's second leading receiver and he is a former tack star.

Virginia Tech's offensive schemes is similar to Louisville's, as they run a lot of plays out of the pistol, spread you out to pass, and run some I-formation. Instead of running a lot of bootlegs like the Cardinals, the Hokies will sprint Thomas out quite often, and he uses his arm strength to take shots down field. Tech seems to run a lot of crossing routes on third downs as well. The Hokies will run inside zone plays to run down hill out of the pistol, attack the perimeter out of spread sets, and man block out of the I. Their go to run play is the inverted veer option, where Thomas will either take it himself up the gut or hand it off to Coleman, who will stretch the play top the outside.

Defense- 39th in PPG, 37th in yards per rush, 24th in passing efficiency, 25th in yards per play
Virginia Tech has two very good corners in Antone Exum and Kyle Fuller. Fuller is the boundary corner who plays very loose in coverage and is a fast player who can keep up with receivers down the field. Exum is a converted safety, and he is a big, physical player who will press receivers that the line. Exum also has very good ball skills, leading the ACC in passes defended this season. Both of their safeties are very good against the run, and do a solid job covering tight ends and slot receivers. The Hokies have a very good secondary overall, but they have given up some big plays through the air.

Virginia Tech has a strong front 7 that features linebackers who are all smart, instinctive players. Junior Jack Tyler is their best player on defense, leading the team in tackles with 112 and Senior Bruce Taylor is an explosive blitzer who makes a lot of plays in the backfield. Defensive end James Gayle is a very good pass rusher and  Derrick Hopkins is a big run stuffer at defensive tackle.

Virginia Tech runs a pretty unique defensive scheme, the 4-4 G. In this defense, they utilize an under front and usually walk a rover down into the box as an eight run defender. This defense is difficult to run against, but they have had trouble stopping smaller, shifty backs (similar to Jawan Jamison) this season. Against the pass, Foster loves to dial up zone blitzes to confuse the quarterback, dropping lineman back into coverage and sending corner off the edge every so often. The Hokies usually play cover 3 behind these blitzes, but the primary coverage they use is quarters, which allows both safeties to play close to the line of scrimmage.

Conclusion
Virginia Tech had a down year this year as they had to replace most of their offense from a year ago, but they still have a very strong defense and a quarterback in Logan Thomas who is capable of greatness. They have gotten away from what has made them one of the most consistently strong programs in the nation a bit, as they don't run down hill as much and have not maintained their extraordinary special teams play, but they still have a tough, blue collar mentality that Frank Beamer's teams always do. Virginia Tech is a well respected program, and Rutgers could gain more respect for themselves if they are able to defeat their former conference mates.

Link: Kyle Flood's Keys to Zone Blocking

Earlier this season, I wrote about the bread an butter play of Rutgers' offense, the outside zone play. I broke down a long, touchdown scoring run Jawan Jamison had on the play, in the victory over South Florida, explaining the blocking techniques used by the offensive lineman, tight ends and fullback and the read Jamison had to make running the ball. I used general zone blocking ideology to describe what went on, and today Chris Brown wrote about the specific ways Kyle Flood teaches the play to his lineman and running backs. Brown had seen Flood lecture on the play at a coaching clinic, and he passed along Flood's 3 keys to the play:

"Rutgers runs it the same way most NFL teams do, which is essentially the same way the old school Nebraska teams used to run it under Tom Osborne (the diagram above is from Milt Tenopir, Nebraska’ legendary offensive line coach). There are three keys to Flood’s outside zone:

1. The runningback’s read;
2. The technique of the “uncovered lineman”; and
3. Where the fullback “inserts” into the defense."

For the "running back read," Flood teaches his backs to only make one read, on the outside man on the line of scrimmage, rather than two (on the end man on the line and the second to last man on the line) like most offenses teach. It simplifies things for the back and gets the play going downhill, on what is an east-west play for a lot of teams.

The uncovered linemen are taught to, first and foremost, secure a double team on the defensive lineman immediately down the line from them towards they play side where they are stepping. Once that block is secured, one of the two blockers will go to the next level and block a linebacker, and which backer they block depends on the fullback insert.

The fullback (or H-back, which Rutgers has primarily used since Mike Burton got hurt) will normally lead off the edge and block the strong safety. In this case, the offensive lineman will have to take care of all three backers. Other times, the fullback will lead on the strong side backer with the tight end taking the force, and the lineman would then be responsible for the middle and weak-side backers. The fullback will also sometimes head towards the backside of the play and cut off the weak-side linebacker, in which case the lineman will block the middle and strong-side backers.

It is very important for everyone to know who they are blocking and for them to all be on the same page, so Gary Nova will normally call out the number of the player the fullback or center is going to block. This is what you hear when TV field mics pick up the QB saying "55 is the MIKE" or whatever.

Brown's article is very informative and a great read (everything he writes is), so check the whole thing out.

Big 10 Divisions

With Rutgers and Maryland set to join the Big 10 in 2014, the conference is reconsidering their divisional alignment and looking for fan feedback on the topic. Most Big 10 fans hate the current set up, especially the names of the division ("Legends" and "Leaders"), so the conference is looking to rectify those mistakes the second time around post expansion. The league has given fans three options to rank in order of preference: the current format with Rutgers and Maryland each added to a different division in the current set up, an East- West alignment, or what they are calling the inner-outer option. Each choice has its pluses and minuses, but I think there is one option that is head and shoulders above the others when it comes to geography, competitiveness and preserving rivalries.

  

This is the divisional alignment as it stands right now, with Rutgers and Maryland each being thrown into a different division. The divisions are pretty balanced competitively, but it is a mess geographically and a number of the conference's rivalries are devalued or neglected. The Ohio State/Michigan rivalry is maybe the most storied rivalry in college football, and they are in separate divisions. Although their yearly game is protected as "cross over rivals", the regular season game could be rendered meaningless if they meet the following week in the Big 10 Championship game. That would not be a good scenario for anybody; they belong in the same division.

The team that gets screwed the most in the rivalry department right now is Wisconsin. Their traditional rivals, Minnesota and Iowa, are both in the other division, as is Michigan State, with whom they have a budding rivalry with after a recent run of exciting and competitive games.

For Rutgers or Maryland, there wouldn't be any close road trips for the team that ends up in the "Legends" division (the one with Michigan), and it would make the most sense to keep those two and Penn State in the same division.

 

In an East-West format, geography is not a problem and the traditional rivalries are kept intact, but the divisions are not very balanced. In the original division lay out a couple years ago, the Big 10 split the 4 traditional powers (Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Nebraska) and the two emerging powers (Wisconsin and Michigan State) up evenly, and it has resulted in balanced and competitive divisions. With this proposed set up, three of the traditional powers and one of the emerging powers would be in the eastern division, making it seemingly a whole lot stronger than the west. Even when you consider Penn State is likely to take a few steps back as they deal with their NCAA sanctions, it still seems like the much, much stronger division.

 

Option 3 is the format I prefer. This divisional alignment is competitively balanced, preserves traditional rivalries, and the geography of it isn't as bad as you would think. The four traditional powers and the two emerging powers are split up evenly, and none of the traditional rivalries are lost. The Buckeyes and Wolverines would preserve their rivalry with in the same division, and Michigan's other main rival, Michigan State, is also aligned with them. Wisconsin would now be joined by their two main rivals, Minnesota and Iowa, and the intra-state rivals (Purdue/Indiana, Illinois/Northwester) would be tied together.

Geographically, all the "inner" schools are fairly close to one another, but the "outer" division seems messy. The three eastern schools are lumped together, which is ideal, but they would also be in the same division as teams more than half way across the country. That's not a big deal for travel though, as Maryland and Penn State are the only schools within driving distance from Rutgers, and a flight to Lincoln, Nebraska is only about an hour longer than a flight to Detroit is.

Whatever option is chosen, the Leaders and Legends names will have to go. For the new division names, there have been a lot of suggestions, including the Plains/Lakes, Black/Blue, and Woody/Bo divisions. Obviously if option two is picked, it will probably just be East/West, but I have my own suggestion for options 1 and 3. My somewhat serious idea is calling one division (division A) the "Corn Division"and the other (division B) the "Wheat" division. Nebraska and Iowa are obviously known for their corn production, and corn is grown in New Jersey as well (people across the country seem to forget that we are the Garden State) and wheat is one of the top crops grown in the mid-west.

From Rutgers' perspective, I think the most important thing will be for them to be in the same division as Penn State and Maryland, in order to have some close road trips and hopefully start regional rivalries. That throws option 1 out the window. The East-West set up is too unbalanced competitively and Rutgers could get buried in it, so that leave option 3 as the preferred choice for the Knights. The divisions are balanced and they get to be in the same division as the other two north eastern teams.

Recruiting Updates

Rutgers has assembled a pretty good 2013 recruiting class up to this point in Kyle Flood and his staff's first full recruiting cycle, with just about two months to go before signing day. Rivals has the class rated 29th nationally, and ESPN has them 34th. New Jersey is very deep in in-state talent this year, but Rutgers has missed out on most of the top tier guys, and their ranking is based more on quantity than quality. There are still some top players on the board though, and some players who may be on the verge of decommitting, so there's still a lot of room for improvement.

As far as uncommitted players go, Al-Quadin Muhammad is the consensus top remaining player in the state of New Jersey. The defensive end from Don Bosco was Rivals' number 6 rated player in New Jersey coming into the season, and he had a very good year in 2012 for the some what disappointing Iron Men. It has been rumored for a while that he has secretly given a verbal commitment to Notre Dame, but he is waiting to officially announce it at the Army All American Game on January 5th. It's not a stretch to believe that he has in fact given his commitment to the Irish considering they went undefeated this season and one of his best friends Elijah Shumate is already in South Bend, but I wouldn't totally rule Rutgers out on him yet. The coach recruiting him for Notre Dame, defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, is a candidate for some head coaching vacancies, and of course he has quite a few of his high school teammates playing for the Scarlet Knights who could sway him to stay close to home.

Another instate defensive end may be on the verge of decommitting. Immaculata's Tashawn Bower has been wavering on his commitment to Auburn for a while, and he is now looking to take official visits at other schools in wake of Gene Chizik's dismissal from the school. Gus Malzahn, who is the new head coach on the Plains, has already visited him in person, but Bower has scheduled official visits to Rutgers, LSU and Florida. Bower was rated as the 8th best player in New Jersey before the season, but he is know arguably the top prospect in the state after a strong senior year. He has made numerous unofficial visits to Rutgers this season, and many recruiting analysts view the Scarlet Knights as the heavy favorite for his services.

2012 safety DJ Singleton is back on the market after singing his letter of intent with Wisconsin last year. He failed to qualify because his SAT scores were a few points too low, and he is looking around for potential new suitors after Bret Bielema left the Badgers for Arkansas. Rutgers figures to be in the mix for the three star prospect after they offered him a scholarship a year ago, and Savon Huggins, his teammate at St. Peter's Prep, has reached out to him on Rutgers' behalf. The Scarlet Knights already have a number of safety types committed in this recruiting class, so it will be interesting to see how hard they go after Singleton. Wisconsin and other major programs figure to go after him as well.

Elsewhere, Asiantii Woulard, one of the top duel threat quarterbacks in the nation, has reopened his recruitment after South Florida fired Skip Holtz. According to ESPN, the Winter Haven, Florida product is considering Rutgers, Maryland, Syracuse, Tennessee and Ole Miss, with the Volunteers appearing to be the favorite. None of the recruiting sites have him listed as having an offer from Rutgers though, and in fact Rutgers is not even listed as having interest in him. Teams very rarely take more than one quarterback in a recruiting class, and with Chris Laviano already in the fold, I doubt Rutgers goes hard after him.

Rutgers already has 22 commitments for 2013 so far, so they don't have a ton of room to add more recruits (the limit is technically 25, but it is very easy to get around that rule). Hopefully they will get a few upper echelon guys to commit so they can have a top 25 class for the second year in a row. I think it is vital for them to either get Bower or Muhammad, and that was very apparent to me during the Louisville game when their lack of an impact pass rusher was painfully obvious. Regardless of what they do, their class appears to be in good shape.