Scarlet Knights Newzer

Scene Stealers

Open the season with a 38-3 romp, become Sportscenter's second segment of the morning and take two spots on the day's Top 10 Plays... there's definitely a lot of football to talk about. And we'll definitely break down some of the football. (Like the way Glen Lee clotheslined that poor kid on the bubble screen? Woo-eee. Forget offense - somebody tell me that wasn't the most fun play of the night.)  But first, I've got a few locker room moments that I'm pretty sure will make you smile as much as Tiquan Underwood's faking out Kendric Hawkins did.

Let's start with Ti. From the time he got to campus, he's idolized Shawn Tucker. Ti's regularly talked about how he tries to be just like Tuck, in the way the former captain carries himself and how he played. A year ago, Ti said the biggest thing he could do was learn how to make those tough catches in the middle that Tuck made. And when Tuck's season ended, in the third game against Howard, Ti started wearing "Tuck" on his eye black strips.

Last night, standing on the sidelines, Tuck was in Ti's No. 7 jersey. And even though Tuck (who's been hired by the university's urban planning division and is working on Rutgers' Newark campus) had gone by Ti's house to get the jersey, the junior was still genuinely choked up when talking about seeing him in his jersey: "The guy that I look to like a brother... it doesn't get any better than that. Just having him support me, it's great. I can't believe he even wanted to wear it."

The sappy mood clearly got to Ti too because a minute later, when I gave him a chance to get on Jeremy Zuttah for erasing what could've been a third touchdown (Zuttah's hold with 6:24 to go in the third called back a 29-yard score), Ti started shaking his head and said nothing was coming Zuttah's way: "Nothing at all, nothing at all," Ti said. "The big man, without him, I wouldn't have got those catches. I can't be mad at him."

Meanwhile, just a few lockers away, Zuttah was listening - and cackling. Asked how badly he'd scared Ti to have him say that, Zuttah laughed and said, "Come on. You know Mike's going to get on me."

If Mike Teel did, he didn't do it publicly. The bigger penalty problems were on the defensive side, where Eric Foster and Jamal Westerman, Rutgers' two senior line studs, were whistled for offsides. Eric's came less than four minutes into the game and when the All-American was teasingly asked about who that was who committed Rutgers' first silly penalty, he looked around, down and said, "Uh, I think that was me. I saw him rock a little so I took off." He paused, put on a somber look and said, "It is embarassing." And then he started protesting, "But I saw him rocking!"

Faking like he was taking notes a few seats away from that was Anthony Davis. The big freshman guard got in on the third series and the fifth and then a bunch later on when the game was out of hand. He said even though he knew the game was going to be a sellout, actually playing in the game "was a lot of fun." He picked out his mom in the stands early ("I had to"), he admitted to checking out the jumbo scoreboard a few times ("like a little kid) and he said, truthfully, the speed of the game didn't really surprise him. "I go against Eric Foster every day," Davis said. "To be honest, compared to him, these guys seemed a little slower."

Besides Tuck, Anthony Cali, Joe Giaccobe, Joe Radigan and Derek Roberson from last year's team were on the sidelines. So was Terrell Willis, whose all-time rushing record is just 17 Ray Rice yards from being broken. But more on that when we move to the football talk... And for that, I need your help. What are you thinking after seeing last night's game? What'd you like best, what makes you nervous, and what are you curious about?

Photos from Thursday's season opener

After so much fanfare, the 16th-ranked Scarlet Knights finally are back on the field. Click for a gallery of photos from Thursday's  38-3 victory.

Share your comments below on the Scarlet Knights opening performance. Look for the best in The Record this weekend!

Fat Ball

For most of the Scarlet Knights, game day's two days away. For some of the more, uh, round Knights, the real entertainment's tomorrow.

"We still need a quarterback," right tackle Jeremy Zuttah said. "Sosa can't throw me the deep ball I need."

That's right, Wednesday brings the first week of Fat Ball, the absurd take-off on real football - except that Rutgers' offensive linemen play all the skill spots. Left tackle Pedro Sosa and left guard Mike Fladell are this year's two captains; with the draft's first pick, Sosa picked Zuttah; and with center Darnell Stapleton off and graduated, Zuttah's a little worried.

"I'm the deep threat," Zuttah said. "Anthony Davis says he can throw, but we'll see. Darnell could really throw the ball. He said he was his Pop Warner's team quarterback before he got fat."

Zuttah sighed then. This is his senior year and he needs someone to deliver him the ball after all. Kevin Haslam's offering to play QB, as he did last year, but "Pedro might not allow me to again," the sophomore said. "I might have to be a wide receiver again." Haslam's a former basketball player, which would seem to say he can make a few nice cuts in the open field. Zuttah says most of the linemen have a deceiving athleticism and that from start to finish, the plays genuinely look good.

"No they don't," Mike Teel snorted when he overheard that. You mean the linemen can't actually throw the ball, Rutgers' real quarterback was asked? "No. And they can't catch it either," Teel said. "It's sad."

Okay, with that out of the way, let's get back to the regularly scheduled news... (although, I DID tell you these guys are a riot, right?)

The team closed a strong practice today and Coach Schiano said he was pleased with the energy. A day after teasing us all with word of Timmy Brown's ridiculously fast rehab, it seems unlikely that the receiver's actually going to play. Schiano said even if the doctors give Brown the go-ahead Thursday, "then I have to decide his preparation - is he prepared enough, what things can he do..." etc. etc. Ryan D'Imperio's also not going to play, nor is Blair Bines. DT Pete Tverdov, who hurt his leg, is still "questionable," Schiano said, but he too looks unlikely.

If Tverdov can't go, Vantrise Studivant will slide up and play nose tackle. After that, Schiano said, "we'll have a lot of young kids." He named Charlie Noonan, Justin Francis, Alex Silvestro and even Desmond Wynn as possibilities, and when asked if that meant burning redshirts, he said all were "a foregone conclusion" to play.

Also on that note, btw, Schiano said he has indeed told a few freshmen that there's a good chance they'll get in Thursday. Besides those linemen, LB Manny Abreu, CB Brandon Bing, RG Anthony Davis, DE Jonathan Freeny, S Joe Lefeged and RB Mason Robinson are all good bets. Joe Martinek's seen a bunch of time in the nickel and dime, but he, Schiano said, "is kind of in between. We'll decide in the first few weeks whether to redshirt him." And the same for FB Jourdan Brooks, who he called "a really, really talented guy." Schiano said, "He has a chance to be something special. Right now he's another guy, like Joe, who's in the holding tank."

Alrighty, that's it for now. Tomorrow we'll get to questions so if you have more, please send them in!

Tales from the Bizarre

It's desperately obvious that this is the year's first game week. The team's been awfully businesslike on the field, the intensity and the urgency to get things right have upped during practice, and the players are markedly sillier afterwards. Jeremy Zuttah forced Ronnie Girault to conduct an entire TV interview Sunday night with Zuttah standing next to the cameraman, making faces and mouthing words. Monday, Girault slowly - and remarkedly on target - tossed teeny gravel pieces at Zuttah while the latter was trying to talk to a reporter. (For the record, Ronnie was much better at ignoring the distraction.) It's that "I'm so excited I have extra energy" feel, even Greg Schiano said, "Right now it's a lot of fun," and there's just a general loopiness because of it. Hey, I'll admit: I've caught myself doing a double take - and flat out giggling - a few times.

This afternoon, though, proved no one can make me rub my ears as much as my fellow members of the media. Now, in case anyone's forgotten, Greg Schiano was named coach of the year by no less than half a dozen groups last year. He grew up in Wyckoff, NJ, he played his high school football at Ramapo and until last year, it was his face plastered across billboards up and down the turnpike. Well, today, NJN, the state's public access channel, decides to send a cameraman with a microphone down to practice. And this is the true, honest-to-goodness exchange he had w/ Coach Schiano:

Cameradude: I have some more generic questions for NJN if you don't mind.

(Schiano shakes his head no, he doesn't mind.)

Cameradude: First of all, spell your name so I get it right them.

Schiano: S-C-H-I-A-N-O

Cameradude: And your first name?

Schiano: Greg

Good to know someone's making sure the coach's head doesn't get too big, eh?

And yet, that wasn't even the biggest head-scratcher of the day. Timmy Brown, who broke his hand on August 18 and was told he'd be out 4-6 weeks, was catching balls today. It's okay - go read that sentence again. The little dynamo, the superspeedy receiver and return man, went from running sprints Sunday w/ a big bulky cast to catching balls Monday - w/ the big bulky cast. Coach Schiano said he asked him, "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Timmy apparently told him the doctors cleared him to do that. So Coach Schiano was asked if that first prognosis of a 4-6 week sidelining was scaled down. There, he starts laughing and said, "He's telling me he's playing. How the heck do I know? I gotta talk to the doctors when we get inside here. Because he'll tell me he's ready."  And when someone, totally incredulously said, "So he might play Thursday," Schiano said, "There's a possibility, which is crazy, right?"

Mark it down... crazy.

On a bit more serious injury note, Keith Newell hyperextended his knee Sunday night and was in a big brace today. Pete Tverdov got "nicked" and the starting tackle's status for Thursday is not yet known. Blair Bines and Edmund Laryea are definitely out and so too, barring something really crazy, is Ryan D'Imperio, of whom Schiano said Sunday, "Ryan's had the greatest attitude I've ever seen."

Penn State as a model?

Practice is late tonight, so before I head out, let's go back to this stadium thing for a bit.

On a day our columnist Ian O'Connor invoked the potential future lure of Penn State (see: Sunday column), I enlisted one of our assignment editors to talk to us about the stadium situation there, at the school that some people persist in thinking will be a better job for Schiano than the one he has. Dave Rivera is a grown-up and a great editor, but he also knows how to tailgate (don't worry Dave, I'm not getting you in trouble) and he's got a unique perspective on the value of a bigger stadium:

"As a Penn State alum, it's a great feeling knowing that we have one of the biggest (and loudest) stadiums in the nation. Beaver Stadium has gotten bigger throughout the years. It held 83,000 when I was a freshman in 1990, and expanded to 96,000 in 1991. There was plenty of opposition to the final expansion in 2001 because it resulted in the construction of an upper deck in the south end zone that blocked the everyone's view of Mount Nittany. Some people were sentimental about it, but it didn't bother me. We now have a stadium that can hold up to 109,000 people. And guess what? The entire 2007 season sold out pretty quickly. It makes for an incredible atmosphere each Saturday. The loudest I ever heard the stadium was a Saturday night game against Ohio State in October 2005. We won 17-10 and the place was rocking all night. ESPN says we have the loudest student section in the country (and of course, they can't be wrong!)."

I think what Dave hits on is that the spirit of college football can really be intoxicating. If a team plays with a certain energy, and if the fans have a certain enthusiasm, it's easy to be hooked. My parents have never been women's basketball fans, but a few years ago, my mom happened to get tickets to a winter game when Tennessee was in town. The RAC was packed and absolutely shaking, Rutgers played incredibly exciting defense and C. Viv's team upset the Lady Vols. A week later, my parents were back to see Rutgers take out LSU. Later that year, they went to the Notre Dame and UConn games and these days, my dad can probably break down this team better than he can the Knicks. If Rutgers gives its fans a good experience, then they'll keep wanting to come back for more, right?

As I was reporting out the preview story that ran today (Here to Stay), Jean Beljour told me he thinks Rutgers has its fans, that the people who came out last year will always - regardless - support this team, that they're not so fickle as to turn away if there's a loss. Part of me agrees because, as at any state university, there are always personal connections. I've had a Bergen County reader write me about how one player used to mow her lawn, another about how another player was her paper boy, and another who was Greg Schiano's little league coach! You're not rooting for random millionaires here - you're supporting your neighbors. But then on the other hand, this market's a fickle place. There's a heckuva lot more to do here (unlike out in State College), and there are a lot higher expectations - if Rutgers is no longer in the national title hunt, will all the recent bandwagon-hoppers still be packing that stadium?

Alright, we're just four days from gameday, so it's probably time to turn the blog back to heavy on-field talk. The comments have all been outstanding, but we haven't gotten any questions lately. I'd love to do another mailbag this week, so if you've got anything you're curious about, please write!

TV Updates

Thank you SO much for all the stadium comments. I have a bunch more to say on that (and even got a guest blogger to weigh in), but I've been hunkered down trying to put together the preview package I know you'll all be devouring Sunday. (A girl can hope, right?)

I WILL get back to the stadium conversation, but until then... Rutgers has some TV news:

Thursday's opener against Buffalo is still on MSG for local viewers. It will also be available to DIRECTV customers with the “Sports Pack,” and televised live on Cox Cable systems in New England and the Altitude Sports Network in Denver. People in the Baltimore/D.C. area (like freshman Joe Lefeged's old friends) can catch it on tape delay at 11 p.m. on MASN. And if you're not in any of those areas, ESPN 360 will air the game live at www.espn360.com.

Before then, Rutgers will be featured on two magazine-style shows. Tomorrow, at 7 p.m., just before the Giants-Jets game, WNBC-4 airs "Rutgers Rising" with host Bruce Beck. Sunday, at 8 p.m., SNY has a half-hour offering of its own, "SNY Spotlight: Greg Schiano," with host Gary Apple.

Stadium Expansion

By now, I'm hoping everyone's seen Pat Alex's front page story in today's Record. (If not, here it is: Adding Seats)

Pat found out that even as athletic director Bob Mulcahy keeps telling us expansion plans are totally preliminary, they're really not. Way back in April, Rutgers agreed to pay HOK Sports $970,000 for design plans for the expansion. Mulcahy's already had his department prepare a cost estimate (of $116 million) and one of Pat's sources said he's already picked a construction manager. Now, if you're a Rutgers fan, I'm guessing you're saying, "Well, let's get going!"

Rutgers clearly could be making more money this year. Even with the temporary bleachers pushing capacity to almost 44,000, there are still 6,000 people on the season ticket waiting list, people who've already made a downpayment. There are no single game tickets to be had and young alumni can't get into games (one of my favorite fans, who's shown up to football games and women's games in a red-wig since well before either was a hot ticket, just wrote me that he's graduated... and his red wig has no place to go). Separate of regular seats, though, the way to make money in college athletics is in amenity-laden seating (club seats, luxury suites, etc.) and Rutgers doesn't yet have any of that.

When I asked Coach Schiano about these plans last week (my contribution to Pat's work), he said, "We have an unmet need there." We know he has big dreams and big plans, but to his credit, he in fact seemed a tad surprised that part of this cost estimate included a new practice facility to replace the bubble. In his mind, that's not the priority. What he told me was, "I don't know why exactly it's all mixed in together. I think right now, the focus throughout all the facilities, is to see what we can do to fulfill an unmet need."

The question for you is: is that a permanent need? Is Rutgers ready to sustain that sort of fan base? Last year's season bred this season's fervor, but could Rutgers just end up being a passing fancy? Or, now that the northeast has awoken to the pomp and pageantry (and plain fun!) of college football, will the area always have this passion? As a girl who loves college football, I'm sure you know what I think, or at least hope... tell me what you think.

Honoring Players

Last year, before Brian Leonard's last game, I did a story about Rutgers never having retired numbers, or never having created a ring of honor at the stadium. There are, after all, certain numbers we always associate with certain people. (Will Gilkison hasn't played in two years and I still saw a 38 yesterday and said, "Who's that in Will Gilkison's number?")

Saturday, the jersey number thing came up again, largely because I was thinking some of these kids will need new numbers when camp breaks. (Like Brandon Bing, who's in Jean Beljour's no. 32. Or Patrick Nemorin and Al-Majid Hutchins, who are both wearing no 41 right now.) I wanted to know if kids can request their numbers (yes) and then I wanted to know if anyone had requested Brian's no. 23 (no). Coach Schiano then said he's thinking about not giving Brian's number out, which then suggests that maybe a ring of honor could be in the future. And which makes me wonder... is it a risk to honor individual players?

At the top of Lane Stadium, a flag flies with Michael Vick's No. 7. Virginia Tech athletes regularly walk through a Michael Vick Hallway and it's Vick's name on the second floor of VT's 40,000-square foot athletics facility, the Merryman Center. Right now, VT athletic director Jim Weaver doesn't seem particularly disturbed by that. He has no plans to lower Vick's number or remove his name and said, "He earned that when he was here, before he ever was involved in these activities."

Now, I don't see Brian Leonard ever being anything but the wonderfully upstanding citizen he was here. Nor do I think Ray Rice will morph into a blight on society, or any of these other kids for that matter. But you never really know - isn't that what Dan Reeves is saying about Vick today?

Maybe more than the question of risk, the question is: who should a school forever honor? Should it be only about what a player does while at the school? Do you think off-field traits and behaviors matter?

And forget honoring in the future, how about the here and now... do you care about who these kids are when they're not playing football? Does it matter to you that Jeremy Zuttah is really quick-witted? That Kevin Malast always calls me "m'am"? That Mike Teel will never, ever throw a teammate under a bus and that Ray Rice genuinely and honestly is a super-nice kid? Does it make you root for any of them more, or is it irrelevant? What do you think?

Still Tinkering

Well, I didn't know a person could break his jaw while he was wearing a football helmet. But that's apparently what Blair Bines did Monday morning, at the first practice on Rutgers' last double session day. The doctors right now are saying he'll be out for six weeks and while Coach Schiano said the linebacker plan he came up with Sunday did indeed have Damaso Munoz at first-team middle, he admitted that Bines' injury does change some part of that plan. Not that he shared any details of that plan. Or the new one.

Look, Rutgers needs a middle linebacker who can read offenses, make calls, line up the defense and audible when necessary. Rutgers needs a middle linebacker the defense trusts, one whose voice the defense recognizes and one whose voice carries some sort of confidence. Right now, I don't know that anyone who's tried the spot fits that bill.

Munoz went with the first team today, for the sixth straight day. But Schiano said he absolutely should not be feeling "any semblance of security." I wrote about this, and the other options Schiano's still considering - nine days before the opener - in tomorrow's Record. But until then... Schiano said Saturday that too many of his players may be using the lack of a steady 'mike' as "a crutch." I don't know... is anyone else out there as concerned about not having a dependable, take-charge guy quarterbacking the defense?

Of course, linebacker isn't the only spot Schiano and his staff are still fiddling with. Now, I know depth charts are fluid, but even Eric Foster told me that this time last year, "we knew who was playing where. We weren't still looking for guys to fill positions." So tenuous positions... Coach Schiano said Chris Rudanovic's his starting tight end, but the pecking order after him (and including him?) is entirely dependent on what's being run. Placekicker Jeremy Ito's his punter, but Teddy Dellaganna, he said, "has something special." Dennis Campbell's upped his game, and yet back Mason Robinson may see time in the slot too. The most interesting fiddling Monday, though, was with the nickel and dime packages. Freshman Joe Martinek, who looked almost certainly headed for a redshirt year, was getting work in both and Schiano openly said he's seeing if he'll work in either.

There's only one more full camp practice before a short one Wednesday and the annual camp-closing outing to a pool. I guess to all those fans who've been moaning about the schedule, you can now say: "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

Mailbag, Aug. 19

The way Greg Schiano told it, he and his coaches are going to be huddled in the Hale Center all day today, evaluating players, jiggering with the depth chart and making some "big decisions." Our chatter certainly doesn't carry that kind of weight, but hey, that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun debating our own questions. So, with thanks to everyone who commented and e-mailed, here we go...

Max wants to know: My question is about Gary Watts. I have not heard a word about him this year. Is he going to be in the mix at DT? Gary, a true third-year junior, is indeed in the mix at defensive end. He and Chenry Lewis will most likely be the two back-ups when Coach Schiano gives us his first official depth chart tomorrow. At tackle, meanwhile, Eric Foster and Pete Tverdov are set. Vantrise Studivant, who's been getting a lot of time as Tverdov nurses a groin issue, will be the first guy off the bench, but we've also been seeing true freshman Alex Silvestro in certain situations, like third down pass plays. Charlie Noonan's a bit in that mix too.

Sal wants to know: Did Jonathan Freeny and Wayne Thomas play in the scrimmage? I heard they were the only 2 freshmen still awaiting academic clearance from the NCAA. Neither Freeny (who, incidentally, says he's related to Dwight Freeney even though their names are spelled differently) nor Thomas are allowed to practice right now. Neither is yet an official non-qualifier - the NCAA just has some questions (about their transcripts or coursework or some such thing) and ultimately may still be cleared. Unfortunately, while that information is being put together and while the NCAA evaluates it, Freeny and Thomas are left in a kind of limbo.

Sal also wants to know: Which freshmen do you expect to see the most playing time this year? I was discussing just that with Tom Luicci during yesterday's scrimmage. Now, a player isn't officially redshirted till the season's over and lots of unexpected things can happen during a season. But... coaches do like to start things off with a rough idea of whose eligibility they'd like to "save," ie who could most benefit from not playing right off. Coach Schiano said he and his staff won't come up with that rough list till mid-week, but if I had to guess, I'd say LB Manny Abreu, CB Brandon Bing, RG Anthony Davis, S Joe Lefeged, RB Mason Robinson and DL Alex Silvestro are definitely going to play. You could also probably count DT Matthew Hardison, who came in in January. I think WR Robensen Alexis (of another wideout goes down) and CB Al-Majid Hutchins are maybes. FB Jourdan Brooks opened camp strong, but Jean Beljour's lifted his game and Andres Morales is taking to the lead blocker thing, making both capable back-ups for Jack Corcoran. Just as a bonus... Four true freshmen made their debuts - all on special teams - in last year's season opener: Blair Bines, Ryan D'Imperio, George Johnson and Zaire Kitchen.

Kim wants to know: Is the kicking game set? No. Jeremy Branch is the long-snapper, Andrew DePaola's the holder, Jeremy Ito's golden on kicks and kickoffs. But just a week after Teddy Dellaganna looked ready to take punting off Ito's foot (I know, bad pun), the juco transfer had an unsightly scrimmage. He shanked a punt, kicked another just 17 yards and a very obviously frustrated Schiano said afterwards, "You be the coach. Who would you pick?" Coaches always talk about how some players change in game situations, "when the lights come on" and the pressure's upped. Teddy right now may be falling into that club - or the Southern Californian needs to better acclimate himself to northeast weather. The wind was wipping Saturday, and like Schiano said, "As a punter, you have to be able to deal with the conditions."

ru92 wants to know: As far as the lack of focus in the scrimmage: this seems to happen every year at this point in camp. Can we attribute it to rhetoric on the part of Schiano, a motivational thing? I'll be honest, ru92 - I dismiss a lot of griping as coachspeak too. But yesterday's scrimmage was really sloppy. And the defense has not looked too hot for days. And Mike Teel and Eric Foster and Jeremy Zuttah were all legitimately POed. I wrote that in today's Record (Mad Captains), and what I could tell you beyond that is that the inconsistency thus far is disappointing on two fronts: 1)This team is capable of so much more than any team before it and 2)The mistakes are different than what we're used to seeing. What I mean by that is that it's mental. It's not guys not making tackles - it's guys not being in the right spots to make the tackles. Everyone hits a wall physically in camp, but Mike insisted yesterday that no one should mentally. There are still a lot of younger guys who don't know their gaps or their fits or their routes or whatever.

I know that every team's chemistry is different, and therefore comparisons between different Rutgers teams' maturation is sometimes tough. But Jeremy Zuttah gave me a great quote yesterday I couldn't use that I think really sums it up: "It's not about this team versus the other teams. It's about this team versus where our best should be. We're behind of what we're capable of... Some people just don't yet get the whole 'part of something of bigger'. That's what's keeping us behind schedule."

Well, tomorrow's another day and we'll see how these guys respond to what surely was an uncomfortable series of meetings. Until then... have a great Sunday.