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| Rutgers & Sanu blow past UCF in bowl win
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| Staff CollegeFootballNews.com | Dec 19, 2009 | ||
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2009 Rutgers Scarlet Knights ... Head Coach: Greg Schiano
Rutgers Scarlet Knights Dec. 19 St. Petersburg Bowl Rutgers 45 … UCF 24 Working in a variety of ways, including the Wildcat formation, Mohamed Sanu ran for two short first half touchdowns and caught an 11-yard touchdown pass, and Tim Brown scored on a 65-yard touchdown catch as Rutgers rolled to a 38-17 lead on the way to the win. UCF hung around on Brett Hodges touchdown passes to Kamar Aiken from eight and 34 yards out, but two turnovers and a struggling defense were too much to overcome. Rutgers held UCF to 32 net yards rushing. Player of the Game: Rutgers WR Mohamed Sanu ran 14 times for 48 yards and two touchdowns, caught four passes for 97 yards and a score, and misfired on his only pass attempt. UCF: Passing: Brett Hodges, 13-28, 171 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Brynn Harvey, 13-30, Receiving: Kamar Aiken, 4-66, 2 TD Rutgers: Passing: Tom Savage, 14-27, 294 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Mohamed Sanu, 14-48, 2 TD, Receiving: Tim Brown, 4-100, 1 TD What It All Means: Rutgers had a hard time establishing the running game when Mohamed Sanu wasn’t running out of the Wildcat formation, and Tom Savage wasn’t always sharp throwing the ball, but the offense worked early on to take the early lead and the defense did its job in the second half and finished with six drive-crushing sacks. This was a very quiet 9-4 season that was really, really close to being fantastic outside of close home losses to Pitt and West Virginia. Considering this is a relatively young team, nine wins and a bowl victory isn’t bad, but it has to be a springboard. Dec. 5 West Virginia 24 … at Rutgers 21 In an ugly game in the rain and light snow, West Virginia got a 24-yard interception return for a score from Sidney Glover and a six-yard Noel Devine touchdown run on the way to a 21-3 lead, and then had to hang on. Rutgers’ Joe Lefeded answered the WVU pick-six with a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. QB Tom Savage completed just nine of 27 passes, but Mohamed Sanu took a pass 62 yards for a score to pull the Knights within three with 8:31 to play. RU had two more chances but went three and out and threw a pick. Player of the Game: West Virginia LB Reed Williams made nine tackles with two sacks. Rutgers: Passing: Tom Savage, 9-27, 153 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Joe Martinek, 14-49, Receiving: Mohamed Sanu, 6-105, 1 TD West Virginia: Passing: Jarrett Brown, 10-20, 116 yds Rushing: Noel Devine, 16-65, 1 TD, Receiving: Jock Sanders, 5-62 What It All Means: Rutgers was playing miserably at times, but it did a great job of fighting back to make it interesting late. Tom Savage struggled under the West Virginia pressure and had way too many misfired; the wide receivers were all but erased. Joe Martinek couldn’t get the ground game going to help overcome Savage’s problems. Even so, at 8-4, the Scarlet Knights have had a good year and can finish with a great-looking record with a bowl win. Considering they’re probably going to play someone from the MAC, a nine-win season is likely. Nov. 27 Rutgers 34 … at Louisville 14 Rutgers rumbled for 239 rushing yards and dominated from the start as Joe Martinek and Tom Savage each ran for two short scores and Mohamed Sanu scored from four and 29 yards away. Tim Brown caught a 32-yard touchdown pass for a 28-7 Rutgers lead at the end of the first half. Louisville got a six-yard Trent Guy touchdown catch and a one-yard Darius Ashley run, but those weren’t enough to keep up the pace. Louisville had just 48 yards rushing. Player of the Game: Rutgers RB Mohamed Sanu ran 18 times for 148 yards and two scores Louisville: Passing: Adam Froman, 20-35, 254 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Darius Ashley, 18-46, 1 TD, Receiving: Scott Long, 7-66 Rutgers: Passing: Tom Savage, 10-16, 163 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Mohamed Sanu, 18-148, 2 TD, Receiving: Tim Brown, 7-124, 1 TD What It All Means: Rutgers bounced back nicely from the Syracuse debacle with one of its most physical games of the season. The offensive line blasted away on the Cardinals early and the game was never in question. Back on track, a ten-win season is still possible with a win over West Virginia next week leading into the bowl game. The offense might not be explosive, but it doesn’t make mistakes, the defense is solid, and the team keeps on winning. A win over the Mountaineers could make the Scarlet Knights third in the Big East bowl pecking order. Nov. 21 at Syracuse 31 … Rutgers 13 The Syracuse offense ran for 213 yards and three touchdowns and the defense came up with nine sacks in the stunningly easy win. Antwon Bailey and Delone Carter started off the scoring with two short touchdown runs, and Averin Collier put an end to the drama with a 60-yard touchdown dash late in the fourth. Rutgers only managed 130 yards of total offense with 38 coming on a Tim Brown touchdown catch on a trick play in the second. The Scarlet Knights were swamped all game long by the SU defense, which got 3.5 sacks from Doug Hogue. Player of the Game: Syracuse S Doug Hogue made seven tackles with 3.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss and one forced fumble Rutgers: Passing: Tom Savage, 7-17, 66 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Joe Martinek, 10-55, Receiving: Tim Brown, 4-67, 1 TD Syracuse: Passing: Greg Paulus 13-16, 142 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Antwon Bailey, 16-77, 1 TD, Receiving: Marcus Sales, 3-44 What It All Means: What the heck was that? After a near-perfect performance against South Florida on national TV, Rutgers went into the tank as the offensive line had a disastrous game and the defense couldn’t get off the field. QB Tom Savage never had a chance against Syracuse pass rush, and now, Rutgers has to win at Louisville or against West Virginia to secure a strong bowl. On the plus side, Ryan D’Imperio made 14 tackles. Nov. 13 at Rutgers 31 … South Florida 0 Rutgers dominated from the start with Mohamed Sanu catching a 25-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive, Tim Brown making a 26-yard scoring grab in the third, and Joe Martinek putting the game well out of reach on a 37-yard run in the fourth. San San Te added three field goals including a 49-yarder in the fourth. South Florida gave up seven sacks and gained just 159 yards of total offense. Player of the Game: Rutgers RB Joe Martinek ran 25 times for 128 yards and a score. South Florida: Passing: B.J. Daniels, 7-17, 129 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Mike Ford, 9-17, Receiving: A.J. Love, 4-80 Rutgers: Passing: Tom Savage, 15-30, 194 yd, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Joe Martinek, 25-128, 1 TD, Receiving: Mohamed Sanu, 5-105, 1 TD What It All Means: It was one of the team’s most dominant performances of the season. The defense was swarming all over B.J. Daniels and the USF running game, didn’t respect the passing attack, and forced the big mistakes and turnovers that have helped make Rutgers the nation’s leader in turnover margin. While the Big East title is out of the question, there’s no reason to not shoot for a 10-2 record with road trips to Syracuse and Louisville coming up and a home game against West Virginia to close. Tom Savage only hit on half of his passes and he threw a pick, but he’s growing into the starting role while Joe Martinek is doing a great job of carrying the offense. Oct. 31 Rutgers 28 … at Connecticut 24 In an emotional game, it was UConn’s first game back home after the death of Jasper Howard, the storybook ending appeared complete as Jordan Todman gave the Huskies the lead on a two-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds to play. But Rutgers managed to pull out the win with an 81-yard pass play to Tim Brown for the win in the final seconds. Brown also caught a 37-yard touchdown pass and Tom Savage, who finished with three touchdown passes, connected with Mark Harrison for a 20-yard score. Devin McCourty gave the Scarlet Knights an early lead with a 98-yard kickoff return for a score, but UConn got a big special teams play of its own with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Robbie Frey in the second quarter. Player of the Game: Rutgers WR Tim Brown caught five passes for 162 yards and two scores. Connecticut: Passing: Zach Frazer, 21-46, 333 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT Rushing: Jordan Todman, 13-68, 1 TD, Receiving: Ryan Griffin, 6-80 Rutgers: Passing: Tom Savage, 13-24, 236 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Joe Martinek, 12-28, Receiving: Tim Brown, 5-162, 2 TD What It All Means: Very quietly, Rutgers has positioned itself for a possible No. 3 slot in the Big East pecking order. Any shot at the title is gone with losses to Cincinnati and Pitt, but with the big win over UConn, the Scarlet Knights now have two tough games left, South Florida and West Virginia, and they’re both at home. The team is getting the job done with timely plays, good play from QB Tom Savage, and turnovers. Rutgers is first in the nation in turnover margin, forcing four and not giving any away against the Huskies. Oct. 23 Rutgers 27 … at Army 10 Joe Martinek ran for two short scores from four and six yards out and the Rutgers defense forced three fumbles and allowed just a 17-yard Lonnie Liggins touchdown run in the third quarter after a 41-yard Army field goal early in the first. Along with the turnovers, with two fumbles in the third quarter, disaster struck the Army special teams as Rutgers’ Steve Beauharnais blocked a punt and returned it for an 11-yard score at the end of the first quarter for a 17-3 lead. Player of the Game: Rutgers RB Joe Martinek ran 25 times for 139 yards and two scores Army: Passing: Trent Steelman, 2-6, 16 yds Rushing: Kinsley Ehie, 8-56, Receiving: Malcolm Brown, 1-21 Rutgers: Passing: Tom Savage, 10-20, 164 yds Rushing: Joe Martinek, 25-139, 2 TD, Receiving: Tim Brown, 4-101 What It All Means: Rutgers didn’t take any chances, let the offensive line pound away, forced three key turnovers to get past Army. After the tough loss to Pitt, the team needed a win to get the inconsistent ground game and offense on track before dealing with a trip to Connecticut, and while the line was strong for the ground attack, it continues to have problems with pass protection. That’s going to be a problem over the next few weeks of Big East play. Oct. 16 Pitt 24 … at Rutgers 17 Dion Lewis ran for scores from one and 58 yards out, but the defense had to hold on to give Pitt the win. Rutgers didn’t get its running game going, but QB Tom Savage had a big day and threw well enough to get the team back in the game. His 19-yard touchdown pass to Tim Brown in the fourth cut the lead to seven, but the Scarlet Knights couldn’t get any closer. Pitt outgained Rutgers 223 yards to 38 on the ground. Player of the Game: Pitt RB Dion Lewis ran 31 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns Pitt : Passing: Bill Stu11, 16-24, 153 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Dion Lewis, 31-180, 2 TD, Receiving: Dorin Dickerson, 6-42 Rutgers: Passing: Tom Savage, 23-39, 248 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Mohamed Sanu, 4-29, 1 TD, Receiving: Mohamed Sanu, 8-63 What It All Means: Tom Savage had a nice day against the swarming Pitt D, but the offensive line struggled to get anything going for the running game. The Scarlet Knights have relied on the ground game for most of the year, but it didn’t go anywhere against the Panthers running for just 38 yards. Pass protection continues to be a major problem, giving up three sacks, and it killed the team’s offensive consistency. After giving up 223 rushing yards to the Panthers, there has to be a concern that Army’s offense could have a big day next week. Oct. 10 at Rutgers 42 … Texas Southern 0 Joe Martinek ran for scores from nine and 15 yards out and Tom Savage returned from a concussion to connect with Tim Brown for a 34-yard touchdown in the easy win. The Scarlet Knight defense held TSU to 126 yards of offense and forced four turnovers with David Rowe returning a pick 56 yards for a first quarter score, came up with seven sacks, and stuffed the TSU running game for -25 yards. The two teams combined for 22 penalties. Player of the Game: Rutgers RB De’Antwan Williams, ran 19 times for 132 yards and a score. Texas Southern: Passing: Arvell Nelson, 13-27, 151 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Martin Gilbert, 7-7, Receiving: Andrew Thomas, 5-79 Rutgers: Passing: Tom Savage, 14-21, 150 yds, 1 TD Rushing: De’Antwan Williams, 19-132, 1 TD, Receiving: Tim Brown, 6-94, 1 TD What It All Means: Tom Savage makes all the difference for the offense. While he wasn’t necessarily needed against Texas Southern, he got to get back on the field after suffering a bad concussion and he got to see some live reps before the Scarlet Knights play Pitt. While it was an easy win and the team obviously didn’t need its A game, 12 penalties were too many and the relatively ineffectiveness on third downs, converting just 6-of-13 chances against a bad defense, were problems that need to be worked on. Rutgers might be 4-1, but it hasn’t beaten anyone yet. Now, against Pitt, we see if the team is for real. Sept. 26 Rutgers 34 … at Maryland 13 The Rutgers defense forced five turnovers with Antonio Lowery returning an interception on the first play of the game 36 yards for a touchdown and George Johnson recovered a fumble in the end zone in the third on the way to an ugly win. Maryland fought back in the first half holding a 13-10 lead into the lockerroom, highlighted by a 24-yard LaQuan Williams catch, but it was all Rutgers in the second half with 24 unanswered points. Joe Martinek put a nail in the coffin with runs of 29 and 61 yards late in the fourth. Player of the Game: Rutgers RB Joe Martinek ran 19 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns, and he led the team with two catches for 24 yards. Maryland: Passing: Chris Turner, 21-38, 271 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT Rushing: Da’Rel Scott, 9-22, Receiving: Adrian Cannon, 5-46 Rutgers: Passing: Domenic Natale, 4-12, 42 TD Rushing: Joe Martinek, 19-147, 2 TD, Receiving: Joe Martinek, 2-24 What It All Means: Is Tom Savage really that good? Forget that Rutgers came up with the win, Maryland miscues had a lot to do with that, the real problem is how the Scarlet Knights were so awful on offense without its top quarterback. It’s not like Domenic Natale hasn’t played before, he was suppose to be the starter, but he was a nightmare throwing the ball completing just 4-of-12 passes. The defense saved the day, but the offense desperately needs next week’s game against Texas Southern to be ready to deal with Pitt. The Scarlet Knights are 3-1, but it’s a soft 3-1. Sept. 19 at Rutgers 23 … FIU 16 The game wasn’t as close as the final score as Rutgers scored the first 23 points of the game helped by a defense that allowed 99 yards in the first three quarters and got a 38-yard interception return for a score from Ryan D’Imperio. San San Te hit field goals from 39, 29, and 27 yards out, and Domenic Natele ran for a two-yard score. FIU got two touchdowns in the final 6:51 from T.Y. Hilton, who scored from eight and 14 yards out. Player of the Game: Rutgers RB Joe Martinek ran 23 times for 121 yards Rutgers: Passing: Tom Savage, 11-28, 185 yds Rushing: Joe Martinek, 23-121, Receiving: Tim Brown, 4-131 FIU: Passing: Paul McCall, 4-37, 197 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Darriet Perry, 11-45, Receiving: T.Y. Hilton, 9-80, 2 TD What It All Means: Rutgers should’ve been able to put the game away earlier. There’s a major cause for concern with a line that struggled to pass protect, the 13 penalties by the team, and the awful game from Tom Savage. The future of the franchise, Savage couldn’t consistently connect on his throws and was benched late in the game. The defense did a great job and the running of Joe Martinek paced the attack, but the team needs to put together a full sixty minutes next week to avoid getting upset by a bad Maryland team. Sept. 12 at Rutgers 45 ... Howard 7 Rutgers was explosive and impressive scoring the first 32 points of the game and taking a 42-7 halftime lead highlighted by a 68-yard Tim Brown touchdown catch and a 57-yard Jourdan Brooks run. Brooks ran for three scores and San San Te kicked three field goals. Howard's only bright spot was a 40-yard touchdown catch from Willie Carter, but 14 penalties and no defense made it a laugher. Player of the Game: Rutgers RB Jourdan Brooks ran 17 times for 124 yards and three touchdowns Howard: Passing: Floyd Haigler, 12-27, 151 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Floyd Haigler, 14-55, Receiving: Willie Carter, 5-94, 1 TD Rutgers: Passing: Tom Savage, 8-13, 223 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Jourdan Brooks, 17-124, 3 TD, Receiving: Tim Brown, 3-132, 1 TD What It All Means: After the Cincinnati debacle, Rutgers needed a blowout win to get the season on track. More importantly, this was a chance for Tom Savage to open it up and get the passing game going. He's the franchise for the future and needs all the work he can get, and he'll get another scrimmage against FIU before dealing with Maryland. On the down side, the offense didn't keep the chains moving converting 3-of-10 third down chances; Savage has to be sharper and not just explosive. Sept. 5 Cincinnati 47 ... at Rutgers 15 Cincinnati was unstoppable as i rolled up 564 yards of total offense and went on a 38-point midgame run that rendered the Rutgers defense helpless. Tony Pike threw three touchdown passes and Isaiah Pead scored on a 41-yard pass play and a two-yard run as part of the blowout. Rutgers pounded away early on, tying it at seven with a four-yard Joe Martinek scoring run, but the offense fizzled and didn't get back on the board until early in the fourth. Player of the Game: Cincinnati QB Tony Pike completed 27-of-34 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. Cincinnati: Passing: Tony Pike, 7-34, 362 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Jacob Ramsey, 8-77, Receiving: Mardy Gilyard, 8-89 Rutgers: Passing: Tom Savage, 15-23, 135 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Joe Martinek, 15-84, 1 TD, Receiving: Mohamed Sanu, 10-101 What It All Means: All the game plans went right out the window once the Cincinnati offense started rolling. The power running, the introduction of the Wildcat, and the hope to rotate the quarterbacks all of a sudden was lost in the shuffle as Tony Pike and the Bearcats ripped apart the Scarlet Knight defense. Three interceptions thrown by Dominic Natale didn't help, but that wasn't the problem. This was all on the Rutgers defense that has to use the next two tune-ups against Howard and FIU to figure out how to get ready for Maryland. Copyright © Scout.com and CollegeFootballNews.com | |||