Bleacher Report - Articles by Danny Breslauer

Rutgers Football: Game-By-Game Analysis of the Year Ahead

Danny Breslauer — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:10:01 -0400

DATE	OPPONENT	LOCATION	TV	TIME/RESULT
Monday, September 1	FRESNO STATE	Rutgers Stadium	ESPN	4:00 PM
Thursday, September 11	NORTH CAROLINA	Rutgers Stadium	ESPN	7:30 PM
Saturday, September 20	Navy	Annapolis, Md.	CBS CSN	3:30 PM
Saturday, September 27	MORGAN STATE	Rutgers Stadium
Saturday, October 4	West Virginia	Morgantown, WVa.		12:00 PM
Saturday, October 11	Cincinnati	Cincinnati, Ohio
Saturday, October 18	CONNECTICUT Homecoming	Rutgers Stadium
Saturday, October 25	Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh, Pa.
Saturday, November 8	SYRACUSE	Rutgers Stadium
Saturday, November 15	South Florida	Tampa, Fla.
Saturday, November 22	ARMY	Rutgers Stadium
Thursday, December 4	LOUISVILLE	Rutgers Stadium	ESPN	7:30 PM

Monday, Sep. 1 vs. Fresno State

Right off the bat, high octane offenses will be on display for Labor Day. A Fresno State team that is included in many preseason Top 25 lists strolls into Rutgers Stadium. Keep an eye on the two quarterbacks, Mike Teel of Rutgers and Tom Brandstater of Fresno State (both are on the Davey O’Brien Award watch list), as the tempo they set could decide the outcome of the game.

Rutgers needs to stay out of a shootout here but force Fresno into a passing game at the same time. The Bulldogs averaged 32.8 points per game last season, but they got 210 yards per game on the ground versus 209 through the air. They didn’t put a receiver over the 700-yard mark, while Rutgers had Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood over 1,000 yards.

Ryan Matthews is the man to watch out for on the ground for Fresno as he racked up 866 yards and 14 touchdowns. RU fans may scoff at the total, as Ray Rice ran for 2,000-plus yards and 20 touchdowns last year, but Fresno had three other backs over 440 yards, so the threats are balanced.

Turn the game into a secondary battle, and Greene, Lee, and Lefeged will win the game for RU in a close one on a holiday in Piscataway.

RU 35, Fresno 28

Thursday, Sep. 11 vs. North Carolina

I’d imagine that there will be something special planned for this game in the tri-state area on the seventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks on New York City and Washington. Hopefully there are some dignitaries in attendance to honor America and see a Thursday night game at RU (I hear they have a good track record in those…ha ha).

This is a very young Tar Heels team that is much different from the squad that Rutgers took on two days before Labor Day in 2006. The Scarlet Knights won that day, 21-16, in Chapel Hill, with two interceptions from Manny Collins and three TDs from Baltimore Raven RB Ray Rice, commencing their magical 9-0 start to an 11-2 season.

Joe Dailey started the game at QB for UNC in 2006, but injuries hampered him last year before graduation. T.J. Yates saw the lion’s share of the action at the helm for UNC in 2007. He threw for 2,600-plus yards and 14 touchdowns and played in all 12 games.

The deep threat is WR Hakeem Nicks, who nearly reached the 1,000-yard plateau (958) on 74 catches with five touchdowns.

On defense, the Tar Heels had 34 sacks last year, so this will be a true test for the young Rutgers O-line. Anthony Davis needs to have a big game against a very strong UNC defensive front.

Overall, UNC was outscored last season by three points per game—not a winning formula. They ran for less than 100 yards per game. Make them run, pressure a young quarterback, and put this game in the 30s.

Rutgers 30, UNC 17

Saturday, Sep. 20 @ Navy

The Scarlet Knights’ first Saturday game of 2008 (oh, how college football has changed), and their first road tilt comes in Annapolis against a completely revamped Navy Midshipmen squad. Paul Johnson has left and there is a new head man at the Academy—Ken Niumatalolo.

The announcer’s nightmare, Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, will run the triple-option (or so we think it’ll stay that way on offense) as he has since the last time Rutgers faced Navy in Annapolis. It was in the first half of that October 2006 game that RU defensive lineman Ramel Meekins tackled QB Brian Hampton, dislocating his knee and tearing his ACL.

RU remembers that game fondly—a 34-0 shutout win in the midst of their hottest streak of ’06.

Kaheaku-Enhada is also on the O’Brien watch list along with Teel.

Navy loses a big all-purpose option in Reggie Campbell to graduation and one of their best fullbacks ever in Adam Ballard. That is a huge hit that can’t be underestimated. Navy allowed 36.4 points per game last year and surely needs defensive help as coaching regimes switch.

The Midshipmen gained over 4,700 yards on the ground last year and only a bit over 1,200 through the air—so maybe Kaheaku-Enhada will have a bit more freedom with a new coach and without his best two rushing options. He’s pretty mobile too.

The Scarlet Knights will hope to not revert back to the form of their game in Annapolis in 2004, in which a pre-game snafu lead to Navy exploding for 54 points.

RU 27, Navy 17

Saturday, Sep. 27 vs. Morgan St.

Oh boy…another game against an FCS MEAC squad. I’m overjoyed. Morgan St. will surely join the ranks of Howard and Norfolk St., who suffered severe beatings in Piscataway against coasting RU squads.

These games aren’t pretty, as evidenced by last year's matchup, when Rutgers scored 42 points in about 90 seconds of game time in the second quarter alone against the Spartans of Norfolk.

Donald Hill-Eley sure has a lot on his plate when it comes to preparing for this game, but he can take solace in the fact that his squad, which finished 5-6 last season, will get to face Big East talent. However, he graduated Chad Simpson and his 1,400 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns from a team that ran for 200 yards a game.

Rutgers needs to play their game. This is a bad game to have before a trip to Morgantown.

RU 42, Morgan St. 7

Saturday, Oct. 4 @ West Virginia

Quick trivia—name the last time Rutgers beat West Virginia in football. The answer: Sep. 10, 1994, a 17-12 win in the second game of the first year of the “new” Rutgers Stadium. I’m pretty sure Marco Battaglia caught some passes in that game.

Case in point, it has been a very long time since RU gave the Mountaineers a loss.

For those that follow Big East football, you know a lot about WVU. They return senior dual-threat quarterback Pat White in the same backfield with sophomore sensation Noel Devine. They lost RB Steve Slaton to the NFL Draft, but Devine is as good of a replacement as they come.

The RU linebackers need to be up for this game. Ryan D’Imperio, Kevin Malast, Manny Abreu, and maybe even Eric LeGrand all need to be on their “A” game spying White and keeping this offensive attack at bay.

Bill Stewart takes over for the somewhat maligned Rich Rodriguez, and Morgantown will be very rowdy for the Big East opener. At least the WVU students will have to get up very early to be in their usual state of mind.

WVU 21, Rutgers 17

Saturday, Oct. 11 @ Cincinnati

Let’s cut to the chase: Revenge will play a huge role in this game. The last time Rutgers entered Nippert Stadium, they left with their first loss after nine straight wins to start 2006. Last year, Ben Mauk led the charge to defeat RU in Piscataway.

Mauk was denied a sixth year by the NCAA, thus handing over the QB reins to Dustin Grutza for ’08.

The Bearcats’ wide receivers owned the Scarlet Knights last year. Marshawn Gilyard and Marcus Barnett each scored a touchdown against a depleted RU secondary last year, so RU needs to step it up there.

It will be Homecoming weekend in southern Ohio, which somewhat baffles me. I thought the days of RU playing at other teams’ homecomings had ended.

If Rutgers can run the ball well, they can win. Ray Rice couldn’t get anything going last year against Cincy, largely because the left side of the O-line didn’t produce in the game. Anthony Davis is once again put under the microscope as a sophomore.

Rutgers 24, Cincinnati 21

Saturday, Oct. 18 vs. Connecticut (Homecoming)

I love this decision to make UConn (a geographic rival) the homecoming game. By a stroke of luck, it is the one-year anniversary of Rutgers' win over No. 2 South Florida.

Special teams killed Rutgers in their loss at “The Rent” last year, but the news of WR Terrence Jeffers' recent departure to Vanderbilt is a welcome sight. His touchdown set the tone for the Huskies and put the Scarlet Knights on their heels.

Listen, there is one key to this game: Donald Brown. The RB has torched RU in back to back years—199 yards in 2006 followed up by 154 yards in 2007. Stop him, and Rutgers will succeed.

I just don’t know if Randy Edsall’s superb coaching can pull it off one more time (although I do remember 20-19 at Rutgers Stadium a few years back—but that’s ancient history).

Rutgers 30, UConn 20

Saturday, Oct. 25 @ Pitt

I don’t know how Dave Wannstedt does it. He simply knows how to recruit. Everyone is high on the Panthers this year—and trust me, I’m a believer.

Rutgers fans saw firsthand last year how much Pittsburgh has improved, and the Panthers may have won the game had it not been for a questionable offensive pass interference call on Senior Day.

RB LeSean McCoy and LB Scott McKillop are two surefire All-American candidates, and both have extreme talents on their respective sides of the ball. RU did a solid job containing McCoy last year, but McKillop got to Teel quite a few times on one of RU’s worst offensive days, yet best defensively.

QB will be interesting to see for Pitt, who like UNC was outscored by opponents. At only 178 yards per game through the air, youthful returnees Pat Bostick and Kevan Smith will battle it out with Bill Stull who is coming off an injury.

1,328 yards and 14 touchdowns come back with LeSean McCoy as well. The last time RU ventured to Heinz Field, it was the wake-up game for the nation as Ray Rice sent RU to 7-0. I don’t know if RU will be able to hold down McCoy again.

Pitt 24, Rutgers 23

Saturday, Nov. 8 vs. Syracuse

After a week off, RU will return fresh to Rutgers Stadium to take on a floundering Syracuse program that has faced so many issues this offseason.

Head coach Greg Robinson announced that wide receiver Mike Williams had been dismissed for not completing out-of-school credits that were required of him. Now conflicting media reports may have him back on the team. Their other deep threat, Taj Smith, declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft and was not drafted.

Andrew Robinson continues his steady improvement at quarterback, but he’ll be looking to his blind side for Joe Lefeged all day long after last year’s hit left him dizzy and his coach upset. The Orange simply don’t have enough talent right now.

Rutgers 30, Syracuse 10

Saturday, Nov. 15 @ South Florida

Speaking of revenge…the Bulls really want to beat the Scarlet Knights. The 22-20 win in Tampa in 2006 after Jason McCourty’s two-point breakup and last year’s upset in Piscataway have USF yearning for a shot at the gridiron boys from Jersey.

QB Matt Grothe is a constant threat to run and throw and is seen as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks out there. His speed and innovation make him fun to watch.

Ray Rice tore up USF’s defense in two straight years and was the only running back to break the 100-yard plateau against the Bulls during that time (he broke 200 in 2006).

Jim Leavitt is a great coach, and Mike Ford is a load to bring down as a 6’2", 225lb. running back. Watch out for the Bulls in 2009, but this time the Scarlet Knights make it three in a row against the second-best team in Florida.

Rutgers 28, USF 24

Saturday, Nov. 22 vs. Army

This is a series that needs to end soon, as it has become a little too one-sided. Navy gives Rutgers troubles, but Army just doesn’t have the offensive firepower to keep up.

Army lost defensive back Caleb Campbell to the NFL (he is a class act who I got to talk to at length at the NFL Draft) and will have trouble staying with RU period. This game deserves about as much analysis as Morgan St., but I will say that I 100 percent respect and love all of our troops for the work they do.

Army was outscored on average by a score of 30-17 last season…not good.

Rutgers 37, Army 3

Thursday, Dec. 4 vs. Louisville (Senior Day)

This will be Louisville’s first time back at Rutgers Stadium since the infamous program-changing night of Nov. 9, 2006.

Rutgers let up late in the game in Kentucky last year and really got overly relaxed on defense, leading to their demise. If Teel can connect with Underwood and Britt over the top again, this could be a big win for RU.

The Cardinals lost a lot of firepower in QB Brian Brohm, WR Harry Douglas, and WR Mario Urrutia.

There have also been a few legal problems for Steve Kragthorpe’s team in the offseason, so we will see how those are dealt with as the season approaches.

QB Hunter Cantwell will need to pick up where Brohm left off—and that’s as hard as it gets. Plus, it will be COLD in NJ on Dec. 4.

Rutgers 28, Louisville 14

Final Projected Record: 10-2

Swing Games: @ USF, @ Cincy

I think 9-3 or 8-4 is very possible as well, but we shall see. If they do finish at 10-2, the BCS or Gator Bowl is possible.

Otherwise, the new Big East bowl tie-ins will be in order for this year.

On to September 1 in Piscataway—Rutgers football will be underway before you know it.

Quincy Douby: From Coney Island to Piscataway to the Sacramento Kings

Danny Breslauer — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 06:10:22 -0400

"With the 19thselection in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings select Quincy Douby, guard, Rutgers University."

Those words uttered by Rutgers graduate and NBA commissioner David Stern ended an era of Scarlet Knights basketball—and started a new life for one of the hardest-working basketball players in the country.

Often times, you'll hear the story about some player from Europe who was a soccer goalie his entire life before picking up a basketball at age 15 and shooting 40 percent from behind the arc.

The story behind third-year Sacramento Kings guard Quincy Douby is similar—but it takes place in the basketball hotbed of Coney Island, not somewhere in the outskirts of Romania.

In a neighborhood that produced Sebastian Telfair and Stephon Marbury, basketball was a culture. You made your name on the playgrounds, exploded onto the high school scene before ever taking a class, and started your marketing campaign toward superstardom. Such was not the case for the now-6'3", smooth-shooting Douby.

Douby attended William E. Grady High, one of the main rivals of Lincoln—where the aforementioned Telfair and Marbury laid their legacies. In the spring of 2000, Douby was a sophomore who hadn't even tried out for the basketball team in his first two years in school. Nevertheless, he'd put on a show every day in gym class, hitting NBA-length three pointers with ease.

One day that spring, Douby's sister thought that it might be beneficial to alert the school's basketball coach, Jack Ringel, that he had a gem in "Q" (as he is known) flying under the radar in his own school. Ringel took Douby on as a project, and Quincy put up a sub-par nine points per game as a junior.

His senior year was magical—and that's an understatement. He scored 35 points per game, won Grady a city championship, and exploded for 65 points in a single contest, connecting on 18-of-21 from three-point range in the game. Colleges jumped on the opportunity to recruit a kid who hadn't played non-blacktop basketball before 2000.

After a prep year at St. Thomas Moore in Connecticut, Douby enrolled at Rutgers to play for then head coach Gary Waters. He played somewhat sporadically as a freshman, until he came onto the national scene in the 2004 NIT. At Madison Square Garden in his home city, he scored 35 points in a semifinal game against Iowa St. and the nation was on notice.

Following a 15-point per game sophomore season, arguably the greatest individual season in RU history was set to follow. The 2005-2006 campaign was all about Douby—he led the Big East with 25.4 points per game, broke the Carrier Dome (Syracuse) record for scoring with 41 points, and broke Bob Lloyd's single-season scoring record at RU with over 830 points.

"I Douby Lieve" was the slogan that Rutgers fans lived by during that year, and Q was more than willing to deliver the goods night-in and night-out. He hired an agent, left school a year early, and was drafted by Sacramento.

You'll never meet a guy who works harder in the gym shooting, strives to improve himself as a basketball player, and remembers where he came from. The morning following a 20-point performance by Douby in the Kings' first summer league game, I write this piece with a smile, knowing that he has started a successful chapter in his life.

He'll always be remembered for the memories he gave Scarlet Knights fans and for the confidence he brought to the court every winter night. Q joined Adam Helfgott and me on WRSU in March from a Phoenix airport, and his loyalty to RU and drive to succeed were evident throughout the interview.

"Douby for three" from the RAC public address announcer, or the "DOOOOO" from the Rutgers student section will never be forgotten. Here's to Quincy continuing a successful career, and making a living by playing the game he loves.

Rutgers Football: Danny Breslauer Q&A

Danny Breslauer — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:15:19 -0400

At the request of Bleacher Report's Big East liason, Ricky Hawkins, Danny Breslauer answers some questions about the state of Rutgers football.

1.) The 2008 recruiting class is ranked third in the Big East behind Pitt and West Virginia according to Rivals.com. How impressed are you with this class and do you think that it is just the first of many great recruiting classes that Rutgers pulls in over the next couple years?

First of all, I'm clearly very impressed with this class because of Greg Schiano's ability to stay true to his word about recruiting the "State of Rutgers." While the 2009 class will prove to be even more nationally-recognized, there are some staple signings in 2008 as well.

DC Jefferson, a three-star (rivals.com) dual-threat quarterback from Florida, headlines a group that contains three 4-star performers in wide receiver Keith Stroud, defensive lineman Scott Vallone and Manasquan (NJ) offensive lineman Art Forst.

If you look up and down the list of commits, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and southern Florida talents take over the majority. I believe that Colonia (NJ) linebacker Eric LeGrand will turn out to be the surprise of the class and make an immediate impact on a squad that desperately needs help at the linebacker position on run defense.

West Virginia and Pittsburgh are two very good classes because now Michigan head man Rich Rodriguez and current Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt are two of the best in the nation at recruiting. As for Coach Schiano, this is just a start to a fast-moving trend of bringing in high-end prospects, as evidenced by 15 commitments to the 2009 class before June 20.

2.) We all know that Ray Rice was a key component of the program over the last couple years. How much is the loss of Rice going to hurt this Rutgers program? How well can Kordell Young fill Rice's shoes?

No Rutgers fan will deny that the Scarlet Knights will severely miss Ray Rice. Without him, the 2006 miracle run and 2007 winning season most likely never occur. His ability to see even the smallest holes and shake off top-notch defensive linemen made him one of the best in the nation for the last two years.

2,000+ yards of rushing (last season alone) will be extremely hard to replace and not even Schiano knows exactly what the course of action will be.

In January (at Rice's NFL Draft declaration press conference), I asked Schiano if the running back flexibility would be the toughest adjustment for him come training camp. He responded that this will be the first time that he wishes he was locked into a decision because replacing Rice will be as daunting a decision as they come.

In my opinion, Kordell Young may not be 100 % ready for the season after rehabbing the ACL injury that sidelined him in mid-September of 2007. It will probably end up being a serious running back by committee with Young, Mason Robinson, Joe Martinek, Jourdan Brooks and Rashad White all getting touches.

While Young is the best option for the job, if Robinson or Brooks can break out while he?s still hampered with injury, the competition will be up in the air.

3.) Rutgers plays a pretty rigorous non-conference schedule to begin the season including Fresno State, North Carolina, Navy, and Morgan State. Which of these games are you most worried about?

There is no doubt in my mind that I'm most worried about the season opener against Fresno St. The Bulldogs will be a Top 25 team and have that up-tempo offense and put a ton of points on the board.

Rutgers defense is historically susceptible to lapses early in the season (see Maryland last year) and they will need to be sharp on Labor Day in order to avoid a season opening loss in Piscataway.

Pat Hill has Fresno St. on the upswing and Rutgers will need to be ready to avoid a shootout. If points are put up early, the onus will be on Mike Teel to win this ballgame.

I think that Rutgers will handle Butch Davis and North Carolina due to the Tar Heels inexperience and Navy and Morgan St. simply based on talent.

4.) Do you think playing West Virginia early in the season helps or hurts Rutgers?

Playing West Virginia early in October is a huge advantage for the Scarlet Knights. RU hasn't defeated the Mountaineers in 15 years and they usually match up late in the Big East slate when WVU has found its groove.

Seeing as it will be the Big East opener, you can expect a raucous crowd in Morgantown but if the Scarlet Knights can contain Noel Devine better than they did Steve Slaton, this is a serious opportunity for an early statement win.

If RU can get off on that foot in conference play, it could lead to the pundits changing their mind about Schiano's gridiron gang.

5.) How realistic is it that we see the Scarlet Knights on top of the Big East come season's end?

I don't think that it's realistic to call the Scarlet Knights the frontrunner or even the next option for the Big East champion. West Virginia and Pittsburgh are the clear one and two right now, in my opinion.

Rutgers could probably get into that two spot by season's end by knocking off USF and/or Pittsburgh, but West Virginia may be too tough to handle in Morgantown.

I'd put the odds at 25 % for winning the Big East title, but 50 % for the two spot. RU is clearly an upper echelon team in the conference purely due to talent.

6.) It is clear that Rutgers is slowly building towards becoming a power in the Big East. How long do you think it will take the Scarlet Knights to
begin recruiting similar 5- and 4-star athletes as West Virginia and Louisville seem to sign every year?

It will not take Greg Schiano much longer to get to that level. As I said, it's June 20 and he's already signed 15 players for 2009, with three 4-stars and five 3-stars in that mix.

After a couple of more successful winning seasons (and once the Penn State job passes by, which I believe it will), Schiano will start to bring in the talents from all over the country (and not just on the East Coast).

The nation is on notice - Rutgers football has arrived and the State University of New Jersey will never be a college football laughingstock again.

Rutgers Football: Fans Get Early Holiday Gifts

Danny Breslauer — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:08:03 -0400

Greg Schiano found a way to bring the holidays to New Jersey in June—five commitments from the 2009 class locked up in approximately 72 hours, giving Rutgers football 15 verbal lock-ups before the calendar even turns to July.

Scarlet Knights fans are elated but not surprised by the recent recruiting success and national exposure created by the man at the helm.

This is the same head coach who took only seven years to bring a team that was 11-44 in the five years prior to his arrival to three straight bowl appearances and the first two bowl titles in school history.

This is the same head coach who spurned offers from Miami and Michigan in consecutive years to remain on the banks of the ol’ Raritan.

This is the same New Jersey-born head coach who has created the “State of Rutgers” in recruiting, bringing in top talents from New Jersey, New York, Eastern Pennsylvania (virtually the entire Northeast Corridor), and even southern Florida to Piscataway.

This is the same head coach who collected wins (in 2006 and 2007 respectively) over No. 3 Louisville and No. 2 South Florida on national television in Piscataway at Rutgers Stadium, a facility that will expand to 56,000 seats by 2009 due to Schiano putting Rutgers football (which played the first ever college football game in 1869) back on the map.

So when this week saw the 2009 commitment list expand to 15, Scarlet Knights fans were in a euphoric state, but not shocked. Schiano, along with a stacked crew of assistants with geographic recruiting prowess all around the nation, has dominated the headlines in the month of June.

On April 19, when nationally-acclaimed quarterback Tom Savage from Cardinal O’Hara High School in suburban Philadelphia verbally committed to the Scarlet Knights, a domino effect ensued.

Desmond Scott, the second-ranked all-purpose back in the nation (from North Carolina, no less), committed to Rutgers without any preconceived ties to the University.

Mark Brazinski, a four-star, 300-pound center from Immaculata High School in Somerville, New Jersey, was soon to follow.

Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey…the State University of the Garden State was expanding its reach.

Then, the week that was. The week that may be the busiest that any Scarlet Knights sport has ever seen in terms of commitment quantity.

Steve Beauharnais, a linebacker from Saddle Brook, NJ. Jamal Wilson, a lineman from Brooklyn. Michael Larrow, a defensive end from Union. Robert Joseph, a fullback from Poly Prep in Brooklyn. Jordan Hill, a 290-pound defensive lineman (yesssss! A full-sized tackle) from Pennsylvania.

Aaron Hayward, a Carneys Point, NJ athlete. Mark Harrison, an under-the-radar 6'4" wide-out from Connecticut who committed the day after his visit. Duron Harmon, a Delaware athlete who will play safety.

Andre Civil, a defensive end from Brooklyn (there’s Coach Flood again with his NYC ties). Paul Carrezola, a tight end from Pennsylvania (thank you, Tom Savage). And Malcolm Bush, a 6'3" offensive player from Hackensack, NJ.

Phew…what a stretch for Coach Schiano.

With the buzz surrounding the RU campus due to these early summer developments, hype for Rutgers football is at a peak. Labor Day can’t come soon enough for Rutgers vs. Fresno State.

Let the recruiting holiday continue… Scarlet Knights fans, this is your chance to soak it all in.