2006 Rutgers Scarlet Knights

2006 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

Dec. 28
Texas Bowl
Rutgers 37 ... Kansas State 10
Rutgers held Kansas State to 162 yards of total offense, six first downs and allowed just one of ten third down conversions for the first bowl win in the program's history. The Scarlet Knight offense got two early scores from an unlikely source as little used receiver Tim Brown caught touchdown passes from 14 and 49 yards out for a 14-0 first half lead. Kansas State appeared to get the momentum with a 44-yard Jeff Snodgrass field goal and a 76-yard Yamon Figurs punt return for a touchdown, but the Rutgers defense didn't allow anything in the second half with Quintero Frierson picking off a Josh Freeman pass for a score in the first 33 seconds. Jeremy Ito hit three field goals and Ray Rice ripped off a 46-yard touchdown run.
Player of the game ... Rutgers RB Ray Rice ran 24 times for 170 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Kansas State - Passing: Josh Freeman, 10-21, 129 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: James Johnson, 6-20. Receiving: Jordy Nelson, 4-81
Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 18-28, 268 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Ray Rice, 24-170, 1 TD. Receiving: Clark Harris, 7-122
Notes & Thoughts ... Kansas State showed its inexperience, while Rutgers looked like a team out to prove how good it was. Everything clicked for the Scarlet Knight lines getting the ground game rolling right off the bat and allowing Mike Teel time to work. KSU QB Josh Freeman is still raw and couldn't handle the constant pressure. One Rutgers started hurrying his throws, it was over. ... This was a total team effort for Rutgers, at least on offense and defense. The special teams struggled with Jeremy Ito missing two field goals and the punt team allowing a return for a score. The miscues will be first and foremost on Greg Schiano's mind once the excitement dies down. ... This might have turned out to be a good thing for Kansas State. It's such a young team that it could use all the motivation it can get. The talent is there to grow into something special over the next few years, and this game might serve as the catalyst. ... Priority one this off-season for Rutgers will be to find a new go-to target for Teel with tight end Clark Harris graduating. Harris was a nice safety valve all season long and finished his great career with seven catches for 122 yards.

2006 Schedule CFN Prediction: 6-6 2006 Record: 11-2 Preview 2006 predicted wins
9/2	at No. Carolina W 21-16
9/9	Illinois W 33-0
9/16	Ohio W 24-7
9/23	Howard W 56-7
9/29	at South Florida W 22-20
10/14	at Navy W 34-0
10/21	at Pitt W 20-10
10/29	Connecticut W 24-13
11/9	Louisville W 28-25
11/18	at Cincinnati L 30-11
11/25	Syracuse W 31-7
12/2	at W Virg. L 41-39 3OT
12/28	Texas Bowl Kansas State W 37-10

2005 Schedule CFN Prediction: 5-6 2005 Record: 7-4 Preview 2005 predicted wins
9/3	at Illinois L 33-30 OT
9/10	Villanova W 38-6
9/17	at Buffalo  W 17-3
9/30	Pittsburgh W 37-29
10/7	West Virginia L 27-14
10/15	at Syracuse W 31-9
10/22	at Connecticut W 26-24
10/29	Navy W 31-21
11/5	South Florida L 45-31
11/11	at Louisville L 56-5
11/26	Cincinnati W 44-9

Dec. 2
West Virginia 41 ... Rutgers 39 3OT
West Virginia scored on a perfectly lobbed 22-yard pass from Jarrett Brown to Brandon Myles for a score in the third overtime, and then Brown threw a strike for the two point conversion. Rutgers answered with a one-yard touchdown run from Ray Rice, but he couldn't hang on to the two-point conversion attempt getting it knocked away to end the Scarlet Knights' BCS dreams. Brown played in place of Pat White, who was out with an injured ankle, and played well highlighted by a 40-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for a 20-10 lead. Rutgers roared back with 13 straight points starting off with a 72-yard Tim Brown touchdown catch, but the Mountaineers were able to force overtime with a 30-yard Pat McAfee field goal in the final minute. The two teams traded field goals in the first overtime, and one-yard touchdown runs in the second with Brian Leonard scoring for Rutgers and Steve Slaton pounding in his second score of the game.
Player of the game ... West Virginia QB Jarrett Brown completed 14 of 29 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown with an interception and ran 18 times for 73 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: West Virginia - Passing: Jarrett Brown, 14-29, 244 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Steve Slaton, 23-112, 2 TD. Receiving: Dorrell Jalloh, 4-92
Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 19-26, 276 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Ray Rice, 25-129, 2 TD. Receiving: Kenny Britt, 9-108
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... As good as the season has been, there's always going to be a sense of major disappointment and sadness about what might have been. Had West Virginia blown the doors off Rutgers with a ton of rushing yards and big plays, that might have been one thing, but to lose in three overtimes with several chances to win the game is going to hurt for a long, long time. On the plus side, Mike Teel might have come of age having one of his best passing days of the season coming through with a great game under pressure. If you told the coaches that Teel would throw for 276 yards without a pick, they'd have assumed they were going to win the game.

Nov. 25
Rutgers 38 ... Syracuse 7
Rutgers dominated from the opening drive going 88 yards in eight play finishing up with a ten-yard Ray Rice touchdown run. Mike Teel connected twice with Kenny Britt for scores and Brian Leonard ran for two, two-yard touchdown runs on the way to the easy win. Syracuse only managed 191 yards of total offense only scoring on a 14-yard Andrew Robinson touchdown pass to Jawad Nesheiwat in the third quarter. Both Rice and Leonard ran for over 100 yards.
Player of the game ... Rutgers RBs Ray Rice and Brian Leonard combined to run 42 times for 214 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 10-15, 146 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Ray Rice, 23-107, 1 TD. Receiving: Kenny Britt, 4-94, 2 TD
Syracuse - Passing: Perry Patterson, 7-16, 49 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Curtis Brinkley, 12-51. Receiving: Tom Ferron, 2-16
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... How does Rutgers respond from the loss to Cincinnati? By dominating on both sides of the ball. The 1-2 rushing punch of Ray Rice and Brian Leonard was unstoppable, and while Rice didn't have any signature big play runs, he was an effective workhorse while Leonard, who took a back seat this year, had his day in the sun in his final regular season home game. No matter what happens at West Virginia next week, a ten-win regular season is a success by any measure.

Nov. 18
Cincinnati 30 ... Rutgers 11
Cincinnati stuffed the Rutgers offense holding it to 50 rushing yards and keeping it out of the end zone until late in the fourth quarter on a one-yard Ray Rice run. Despite losing three fumbles, the Bearcats jumped out to a 17-0 lead helped by a 84-yard DeAngelo Smith interception return for a touchdown and a one-yard Nick Davila scoring run, but didn't pull away for good until Brent Celek took a pass 83 yards for a socre. Kevin Lowell hit three field goals for the Bearcats.
Player of the game ... Cincinnati QB Nick Davila completed 11 of 15 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown and ran for 23 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 21-42, 238 yds, 4 INT
Rushing: Ray Rice, 18-54, 1 TD. Receiving: Kenny Britt, 9-91
Cincinnati - Passing: Nick Davila, 11-15, 277 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Greg Moore, 16-56. Receiving: Derrick Stewart, 2-63
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The big question was whether or not Mike Teel could win a game if the running game wasn't working. The answer against Cincinnati was a screaming no. With UC stuffing Ray Rice until late, Teel needed to come through with an efficient game on the road, and he couldn't do it with four interceptions and too many misfires. It wouldn't be giving UC enough credit to merely suggest Rutgers was down after the Louisville win, but the defense hardly played with the same effectiveness it did last week. Syracuse has a good enough defense to make next week more than a walk in the park.

Nov. 10
Rutgers 28 ... Louisville 25
With the game tied at 25, Rutgers PK Jeremy Ito missed a 28-yard field goal attempt with :13 to play. Louisville was flagged for an offsides penalty, Ito got another chance, and hit it right down the middle to complete an 18-point comeback. The Cardinals got up 25-7 in the first half on a two-yard Anthony Allen run and a five-yard Jimmy Riley touchdown run, and answered a 26-yard Tiquan Underwood touchdown that tied it at seven with a 100-yard kickoff return for a score from JaJuan Spillman. Ray Rice ran for an 18-yard score late in the first half to start off Rutgers' run, and then ran for a four-yard score in the third quarter to pull within three. A 46-yard Ito field goal tied it, but it was the 11-play, 80-yard drive with a key 26-yard catch-and-run on third and six from Brian Leonard to get in Louisville territory, and then Rice ripped off 20 yards to get into field goal range.
Player of the game ... Rutgers RB Ray Rice ran 22 times for 131 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Louisville - Passing: Brian Brohm, 13-27, 163 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kolby Smith, 19-84  Receiving: Mario Urrutia, 5-38
Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 8-21, 189 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ray Rice, 22-131, 2 TD  Receiving: Kenny Britt, 2-82
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Much will be made about the heart of Rutgers in the comeback win over Louisville, but it was the defensive adjustments and the pressure on Brian Brohm that changed the game. More credit needs to go to a Scarlet Knight offensive line that blew the Cardinals off the ball on the final drive opening up just enough space for Ray Rice to bolt through. This might not be a national-title caliber team, but it showed it can play with the top teams in America and remains one of just four unbeaten teams. It doesn't matter who you've played, at this point in the year, that's an impressive achievement.

Oct. 28
Rutgers 24 ... Connecticut 13
Rutgers got out to a first half 17-0 lead on a five-yard Ray Rice touchdown run and an 11-yard Manny Collins fumble return for a score, but had to hang on as Connecticut got two Donald Brown touchdown runs in the third quarter with a 65-yard dash to open up the half and a seven-yard run at the end of the quarter. With the offense struggling, the Scarlet Knight special teams came through with Quintero Frierson falling on a blocked punt for a score.
Player of the game ... Rutgers DL Jamal Westerman made six tackles, 2.5 sacks, blocked a kick, broke up a pass, and forced a fumble
Stat Leaders: Connecticut - Passing: D.J. Hernandez, 8-17, 67 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Donald Brown, 28-199, 2 TD  Receiving: Deon Anderson, 3-10
Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 11-24, 123 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ray Rice, 22-79, 1 TD  Receiving: Tiquan Underwood, 3-38
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Rutgers showed it was mortal against Connecticut. The running game was bottled up, so with no passing game to rely on, the Scarlet Knights needed big plays from the special teams and defense to pull it out. That'll work against UConn, but it won't against Louisville, Cincinnati or West Virginia. Was the team looking ahead to Louisville, or is there a reason to be worried about the running game that was held to 114 yards? Probably a little of both, but with an aggressive D and a tremendous pass rush, things aren't all that bad. Oh yeah, and the team is 8-0.

Oct. 21
Rutgers 20 ... Pitt 10
Rutgers got a total team effort with five sacks from the defense helping to hold Pitt to 236 yards, while Ray Rice ripped off 225 yards and a one-yard touchdown to put the game away. The Scarlet Knights got up 6-0 in the first half on two Jeremy Ito field goals, and then was up 13-3 on a seven-yard Tiquan Underwood catch. Pitt got all the momentum on its side with a 1:55 drive finishing with an eight-yard Oderick Turner touchdown grab, but Rice took over with a 63-yard run finishing up the four-play drive with his one-yard score. Pitt couldn't get the offense going over the final 11 minutes with QB Tyler Palko under consistent pressure. Pitt LB H.B. Blades made 19 tackles.
Player of the game ... Rutgers RB Ray Rice ran 39 times for 225 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Pitt - Passing: Tyler Palko, 16-26, 169 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: LaRod Stephens-Howling, 12-55  Receiving: Derek Kinder, 6-70
Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 5-14, 1 TD
Rushing: Ray Rice, 39-225, 1 TD  Receiving: Tiquan Underwood, 5-41, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Ray Rice will get all the national attention for his performance against Pitt, but this win belonged to the lines. The offensive line opened up the holes for Rice and kept QB Mike Teel clean, while the defensive line got in Tyler Palko's face all game long. The 20-10 final score won't get anyone fired up, but the team was much more impressive than it might appear on paper. This team is the real deal.

Oct. 14
Rutgers 34 ... Navy 0
Rutgers held Navy to 161 yards of total offense and 113 yards on the ground, while the passing game got working with three Mike Teel touchdown passes including two to Tiquan Underwood. Jeremy Ito hit two field goals and Kordell Young ran for a three-yard score, but the real story was the Rutgers D, and the loss of Navy QB Brian Hampton to a knee injury. Navy converted just four of 19 third down chances and completed four of 16 passes in comeback mode.
Player of the game ... Rutgers DT Ramel Meekins made 12 tackles, two sacks, and forced three fumbles.
Stat Leaders: Navy - Passing: Jarod Bryant, 2-10, 20 yds
Rushing: Reggie Campbell, 9-44  Receiving: Jason Tomlinson, 2-28
Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 15-26, 215 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ray Rice, 21-93  Receiving: Clark Harris, 5-63
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The Scarlet Knights got some help from the loss of Navy starting QB Brian Hampton in the first quarter, but this was still an impressive all-around defensive performance stuffing the running game all day long. Navy did a great job of keeping Ray Rice in check, and Mike Teel came through with a nice performance with big plays when he needed them. This was a very dangerous game Rutgers got through with a nasty gate with Pitt coming up next week. Bowl eligibility is secured, so now it's time to shoot for the moon. The team is playing well enough to be a true contender for the Big East title

Sept. 29
Rutgers 22 ... South Florida 20
Rutgers overcame a 14-10 deficit to score the first 12 points of the second half on a two long Jeremy Ito field goals and a seven-yard Ray Rice touchdown run, and then had to hang on for dear life as Ean Randolph caught a 16-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds to play. The two-point conversion attempt was broken up/dropped, but USF had one last shot at getting the ball recovering a perfect onside kick, but it was reversed after it was barely grabbed before the ten-yard mark. Rutgers started out the scoring with a three-yard Rice run and a 32-yard Jeremy Ito field goal, but USF came back with two Matt Grothe touchdown runs in the second quarter.
Player of the game ... Rutgers RB Ray Rice ran 35 times for 202 yards and two touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: South Florida - Passing: Matt Grothe, 14-61, 2 TD
Rushing: Matt Grothe, 14-61, 2 TD  Receiving: Ean Randolph, 6-49, 1 TD
Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 11-20, 100 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ray Rice, 35-202, 2 TD  Receiving: Dennis Campbell, 4-48
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... After three easy home games, Rutgers had to overcome a battle at South Florida and now has to be considered a true contender to battle Louisville and West Virginia for the Big East title. Ray Rice is as hot as any runner in the country, but the offense might be too reliant on the running game. QB Mike Teel will have to come through with some big passes at some point. Jeremy Ito missed a 42 yarder, but he had a terrific game highlighted by a 53-yard bomb to continue to be an unsung weapon who'll be bigger and bigger as the season goes on. One thing to work on will be penalties after committing 11.

Sept. 23
Rutgers 56 ... Howard 7
Rutgers had no problem with Howard as Ray Rice ran for three short scores, Brian Leonard ran for short touchdowns, and Clark Harris caught a 45-yard touchdown pass. Kordell Young capped it off with scoring runs from one and two yards out. Howard only managed 172 yards of total offense scoring on a 70-yard fumble return for a score late in the fourth quarter.
Player of the game ... Rutgers RB Ray Rice ran for three touchdowns and 105 yards on 23 carries.  
Stat Leaders: Howard - Passing: William Blanden, 5-11, 42 yds
Rushing: William Blanden, 6-57  Receiving: Larry Duncan, 2-37
Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 9-16, 133 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ray Rice, 23-105, 3 TDs  Receiving: Brian Leonard, 3-27
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Rutgers is off to its best start since 1980 and is going into Big East play as hot and as confident as can be. Howard had no chance against the Scarlet Knight running game, and 11 penalties and three turnovers didn't help the cause. The only knock could be the passing game; it would've been nice if Mike Teel was a wee bit sharper than nine for 16, but that's nitpicking. Rutgers did what it was supposed to do against a vastly inferior team.

Sept. 16
Rutgers 24 ... Ohio 7
Rutgers held Ohio to 119 yards of total offense and -6 yards rushing, while the points came from two four-yard touchdowns from Ray Rice and a fumble recovery in the end zone by Brandon Renkart in the final minute of the first half. The Bobcats only had to go 17 yards in six plays to strike first on a one-yard Austen Everson touchdown pass to Thomas Christy, but that would be their only high point of the day.
Player of the game ... Rutgers RB Ray Rice ran for 190 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries.  
Stat Leaders: Ohio- Passing: Austen Everson, 11-21, 77 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 12-28  Receiving: Chido Nwokocha, 4-45
Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 6-16, 83 yds, 3 INTs
Rushing: Ray Rice, 29-190, 2 TDs  Receiving: Brian Leonard, 4-64
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Rutgers is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 1981 with a stout defense and another impressive day from RB Ray Rice. The Ohio offense as going absolutely nowhere, especially on the ground, so there was no reason for Rutgers to take any sort of chance by bombing it deep considering Mike Teel threw three interceptions. Barring a shocking collapse, RU will be 4-0 after playing Howard. It needs to use that light scrimmage for Teel to start to get more out of the passing attack before facing South Florida in the Big East opener.

Sept. 9
Rutgers 33 ... Illinois 0
Rutgers go up early on a blocked punt for a score and a Devin McCourty interception for a touchdown. The rout was on by the end of the first quarter on a two-yard touchdown catch by Mike Teel, and the Scarlet Knights kept pouring it on with a Ray Rice one-yard touchdown run and two Jeremy Ito field goals. Illinois only managed 118 yards of total offense with a mere seven first downs.
Player of the game ... Rutgers RB Ray Rice ran 22 times for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 14-24, 147 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ray Rice, 22-100, 1 TD. Receiving: Brian Leonard, 5-43
Illinois - Passing: Tim Brasic, 4-10, 50 yds
Rushing: Pierre Thomas, 7-39. Receiving: Rashard Mendenhall, 2-13
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Rutgers might not have been as sharp on offense against Illinois as head coach Greg Schiano might have hoped for, but it got a great start from the special teams and a suffocating game from the defense to win in a laugher. The offense showed excellent balance against the outmanned Illini, but the run defense was the star of the game stuffing Pierre Thomas and E.B. Halsey from the start. The coaching staff isn't going to be happy with the three turnovers, but it has to like the offense holding on to the ball for 32:27.

Sept. 2
Rutgers 21 ... North Carolina 16
Rutgers went up 21-10 on three Ray Rice touchdowns, but Joe Dailey led North Carolina back with a two-yard touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks with just over five minutes to play. The Tar Heels had the ball for one last drive, but Dailey threw an interception to Manny Collins to give the Scarlet Knights the good road win. The game changed on the first drive of the fourth quarter when UNC had an apparent touchdown on a two yard run by Barrington Edwards, but it was challenged and reversed. On fourth and goal from the one, Ronnie McGill fumbled and Rutgers took the ball out to the 15.
Player of the game ... Rutgers RB Ray Rice ran 31 times for 201 yards and three touchdowns and caught two passes for 13 yards.
Stat Leaders: Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 14-20, 145 yds
Rushing: Ray Rice, 21-201, 3 TD. Receiving: Brian Leonard, 4-20
North Carolina- Passing: Joe Dailey, 24-36, 234 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Ronnie McGill, 14-94. Receiving: Brooks Foster, 11-120
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The win over North Carolina is huge for Greg Schiano's program for so many reasons. It showed that last year wasn't a fluke and that things aren't just pointed in the right direction, they might be in place. UNC might not be Ohio State, but the Rutgers needs as many road wins as it can get and showed that the running game is in midseason form. Now there can't be any sort of letdown with three winnable games ahead getting Illinois, Ohio and Howard at home before jumping into Big East play.

2006 Rutgers Preview

Rutgers Preview | Offense  | Defense | Depth Chart | Further Analysis

Is the best still ahead for Greg Schiano and Rutgers or did the team plateau last season?  

It seemed like things had been building to something big over the first five seasons, all losing ones, in the Schiano era with improved recruiting and a better attitude. Enough good things were happening on both sides of the ball to suggest that a little tinkering and little more luck would mean a bowl game for the first time since 1978.

It also helped that the schedule was flat-out awful.

Let's not go overboard quite yet about Rutgers football after one winning season and a good post-season appearance. The 2005 Scarlet Knights only came up with one win over only one team that finished with a winning record (Navy), but you can only beat who's on your schedule. This was, and still is, a tremendously flawed team that needs another relatively easy road and big years from a slew of young players to make it two straight bowl appearances.

Despite getting as much pressure on the quarterback as any defense in the nation, the secondary gave up too many yards. Meanwhile, there wasn't enough of a run defense against the above-average ground games. This year's defense is missing pass rushers Ryan Neill and Val Barnaby, but the secondary should be better.

The offense has a great pair of backs in Brian Leonard and Ray Rice, and tight end Clark Harris could be one of the league's best pro prospects, and now the passing game needs a little work with new starting quarterback Mike Teel, or Jabu Lovelace, needing keep the offense moving.

The big issue is the depth. This coaching staff has never been afraid to play true freshmen, and it'll have to rely on this year's class to come through in a big way if injuries strike. Linebacker will be a big, big problem if the front three go down.

But come on, Rutgers went to a bowl game. Rutgers. You know, the program that went without a winning season since 1992. It's not time to get nitpicky or ask questions. Last year was a bowl season, and no apologies have to be made. Now the program has to prevent a slide back into the abyss. Now about that schedule ...

The Schedule: It's tougher than last year's, but its not rough enough to prevent another trip to a bowl game. Things should be fine if the Scarlet Knights can survive a midseason three game road stretch at South Florida, Navy and Pittsburgh after a winnable three-game non-conference stretch against Illinois, Ohio and Howard. Louisville has to come to Rutgers Stadium, but a bowl bid had better be wrapped up by the end of November with a regular-season finale at West Virginia. It's all about getting to seven wins, and Rutgers should be better than Illinois, Ohio, Howard, and Cincinnati. That means it has to win two of three against Navy, Connecticut and Syracuse; that's doable. 

Best Offensive Player: Senior TE Clark Harris. It depends on how you want to define "best" player. Fullback Brian Leonard is the main man of the offense and the star of the team, but Harris will be a first round-caliber draft pick next April. Leonard is the more indispensable of the two for the Scarlet Knight offense even though Harris will make more All-America lists.

Best Defensive Player: Senior LB Devraun Thompson. Safeties Ron Girault and Courtney Greene might have something to say about this. Thompson has grown in a big way over his career becoming a do-it-all star in the middle of the defense. He was second on the team in tackles, turned into a steady pass rusher, and has been a nice pass defender.

Key players to a successful season: Linebackers Chenry Lewis an Quintero Frierson. With Devraun Thompson a steady rock in the middle, the two veterans on the outside have to come up with huge seasons to up the overall production of the defense, and most importantly, they must stay healthy. There was a big haul of linebackers in the recruiting class, but it's rolling the dice to rely on true freshmen against the better Big East teams.

The season will be a success if ... Rutgers goes back to a bowl game. The program has gone to back-to-back bowls ... never. Considering there have been two bowl appearances in over 130 years of Rutgers football, two straight would be a really big deal.

Key game: September 29th at South Florida. This has to be a win if Rutgers wants to take the next step. Beating West Virginia and Louisville right now might be too tall an order, but South Florida is dead even with the Scarlet Knights. A 1-0 Big East start with a road win under the belt would be nice.

2005 Fun Stats: 
- Sacks: Rutgers 47 for 343 yards - Opponents 19 for 110 yards
- Second quarter scoring: Rutgers 108 - Opponents 54
- Interceptions thrown: Rutgers 19 - Opponents 6

The Last Time Rutgers…
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Insight Bowl vs. Arizona State)
…missed a bowl game…2004
…pitched a shutout…2002 (Army)
…was shutout…2002 (Notre Dame)
…scored 50 points…2000 (Buffalo)
…went undefeated…1976
…won a conference title…never
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2004 (Ryan Hart)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2005 (Ray Rice)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2004 (Tres Moses)
…had a first-round draft choice…never