Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Big East
Coach Greg Schiano has done a great job at Rutgers and could have left after the successful seasons in 2006 and 2007. But he stayed with the Scarlet Knights and suffered through a few disappointing seasons, culminating with a 4-8 mark in 2010. The expectations were low heading into 2011, but Coach Schiano got some of the magic back in New Brunswick, New Jersey and the Scarlet Knights managed to battle through a balanced, albeit pretty weak, Big East slate.
2011 Record: 8-4, 4-3
Last Bowl Appearance: 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl vs. UCF (W 45-24)
Big Wins: 11/5 South Florida (20-17), 11/19 Cincinnati (20-3)
Bad Losses: 10/21 at Louisville (14-16), 10/29 West Virginia (31-41)
Coach: Greg Schiano (67-67 at Rutgers, 67-67 overall)
Bowl Record: 4-1 at Rutgers, 4-1 overall
Offensive Coordinator: Frank Cignetti
Defensive Coordinator: Bob Fraser
Strengths:
Rutgers needed to bring some new faces into the defense, but it was a couple of old starters who really stepped up. Junior linebackers Khaseem Greene and Steve Beauharnais were asked to take over a bigger leadership role and they did not disappoint. Greene is a tackling machine and easily eclipsed the 100 tackle mark during the regular season. Beauharnais is not quite as effective as a tackler, but he can do a little bit of everything. Beauharnais will get to the quarterback and drop back and help out in coverage. The front four does a pretty good job of getting into the backfield as well. Justin Francis came out of nowhere to have a great senior season and is a staple at an end spot. Players like fellow defensive end Manny Abreu and nose tackle Scott Vallone can cause some havoc in the opposing backfield too. The pass defense had the most questions heading into the season, but that proved to be fruitless. David Rowe is the senior leader of the secondary, but younger players like Duron Harmon and Brandon Jones have turned the Rutgers defensive backs into a very good unit.
Weaknesses:
The offense has struggled with inconsistency and injuries. Quarterbacks Gary Nova and Chas Dodd have been unreliable. Dodd is the quarterback at the moment and has a better completion percentage than Nova, but both are interception prone. The Scarlet Knights would prefer to stick to the ground game as much as possible. Jawan Jamison, Savon Huggisn and Jeremy Deering have gotten a bulk of the carries, but the total yards per carry average for the team is very low. Jamison has turned into the workhorse in the backfield but Huggins, when healthy, can handle goal line situations. The biggest problem for the offense is getting another wide receiver besides Mohamed Sanu involved in the offense. Sanu catches just about everything Rutgers attempts to throw and has more than 100 receptions and more than 1,000 yards on the season. He is a great receiver, but Rutgers could take advantage of all the attention the opposition pays to Sanu by finding a secondary pass catcher. But it is a little late for somebody to emerge now.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Jawan Jamison, RB, 766 yards
Passing: Gary Nova, QB, 1,533 yards
Receiving: Mohamed Sanu, WR, 1,144 yards
Tackles: Khaseem Greene, LB, 127
Sacks: Justin Francis, DE, 6.5
Interceptions: Duron Harmon, S, 5
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 91.50 (115th in nation, 8th in conference)
Passing Offense: 245.00 (45, 3)
Total Offense: 336.50 (99, 6)
Scoring Offense: 26.33 (66, 4)
Rushing Defense: 146.08 (56, 8)
Pass Defense: 168.33 (10, 1)
Total Defense: 314.42 (14, 1)
Scoring Defense: 18.75 (12, 1)
Turnover Margin: .25 (39, 4)
Sacks: 2.67 (17, 5)
Sacks Allowed: 2.50 (91, 5)
