Rutgers Football: In Dodd We Trust? Will QB Tom Savage Get Benched Soon?

At this point, it is no secret that the Rutgers offense is terrible this year.  The offensive line is the worst it has looked in years, so the run game just has not been what it used to be.

An ankle injury to coveted starting running back “Jersey” Joe Martinek has not helped matters in that department either.

Still, despite all the trials and tribulations, RU has been able to count on their All-American Freshman Team award winning quarterback Tom Savage...right?

Wrong.  Savage has been probably the biggest disappointment on this Scarlet Knights squad this season.  While he may not deserve this dishonor, that is the nature of the quarterback position.

The QB is constantly in the eyes of the public, so whenever they make a mistake, it is recognized.  Still, the opposite is true, whenever they make a great play, it is certainly acknowledged as well.

Unfortunately for the “Macho Man,” it has been way more of the former than the latter.

Through three games this year, Savage has 33 completions on 63 attempts, a paltry 370 yards, and three interceptions to only one touchdown.

To say Savage is not living up to expectations could be an understatement-of-the-year candidate.

To put those numbers in perspective, take a look at Savage’s numbers from last year.

In three games, Savage had 34 completions on 64 attempts, which is almost exactly the same as 2010.  However, his yardage was 570 and he had three touchdowns to zero interceptions.

Also, bear in mind Savage only played in half of the game at Cincinnati in 2009, since for some reason Domenic Natale was the Rutgers starting quarterback in the first half.

So, long story short, Savage has not even come close to duplicating what he did in two-and-a-half games in 2009 during three full games in 2010. 

Now, does the loss of left tackle Anthony Davis and wide receiver Tim Brown negatively impact this offense?

Absolutely, and anyone who says otherwise is undergoing a serious case of denial.  Still, do two players really make the difference between a star quarterback and a terrible one?

The ineffectiveness of Rutgers offensive coordinator John McNulty and head coach Greg Schiano should be addressed as well; certainly the downfall of Savage is not solely his fault.

The offense was painfully predictable against UNC: the shotgun formation meant Savage was throwing, the Wildcat meant Sanu was running, and basically every other formation meant a conventional run play.

This was a situation where UNC should have had the RU playbook thrown at them, and essentially the exact opposite happened.

Still, despite what is going on with the rest of the team, it is blatantly obvious that Savage is falling down a slippery slope in terms of his own play on the field.

He is holding onto the ball for upwards of 10 seconds when no one is open, and instead of scrambling or throwing it away, he gets sacked, often via a punishing hit.

Savage is also missing wide open throws to receivers, and while no one besides Sanu has built a rapport with the quarterback, he is barely even targeting anyone else.

So basically, if opposing defenses just double and sometimes even triple-cover Sanu, RU’s passing game is done for.

Sure, Sanu will make an amazing leaping catch over a couple defenders here and there, but you cannot expect him to do that every time…yet anyone who watched the UNC game knows that is what Savage expected for some inexplicable reason.

Now, with all that being said, people have been calling for Savage’s head since a poor performance Week 1 against Norfolk State. 

The real question is does Rutgers actually have a respectable replacement?

Without further adieu, let us examine true freshman backup quarterback Chas Dodd.

Dodd was a three-year starter at Byrnes High School, a prep program in South Carolina.  Those with a good memory may recall a commentator from the Norfolk State game mentioning that Dodd had put up “Madden numbers” in high school.

With 10,292 passing yards and 81 touchdowns in his high school career, that description sounds right on the money.

In his senior year alone, Dodd amassed 4,163 yards and a jaw-dropping 51 touchdowns alongside a 64-percent completion rate.  This was good enough to earn Dodd High School Sports Report South Carolina Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Therefore, it is no wonder that Dodd is the first South Carolina recruit during the Greg Schiano era.

Now, this does not necessarily mean that Week 4 is the time to make a quarterback switch.  Division I football is obviously way different than high school, and for now, Dodd is just 1-for-3 for six yards while wearing a Rutgers jersey. 

However, it is not fair to keep playing Savage just because he performed admirably as a starter last year.

The past is the past, and if Savage puts up another horrific stat line at Rutgers' homecoming this Saturday, whether the team wins or loses, Dodd deserves a chance to make RU competitive in the Big East again.

There is no reason Savage cannot pick it up and prove once again that he is the talented leader of this Rutgers offense. 

But if he does not, it is only fair that Dodd gets an opportunity to show the fans what he has to offer.

Rutgers has seen a true freshman do it before, why can’t it happen again?