Schiano, Scarlet Knights Look to Bewilder Louisville, Big East

Halfway through this college football season, many teams were expected to win. Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Stanford are all fitting the bill.

That being said, you probably noticed the Scarlet Knights were not in that category. Why? Because the Big East predicted them to finish in the basement!

The Scarlet Knights are atop the Big East and this week they take on a Louisville team that embarrassed them last year. Here are some things to watch for in this year's game.

Will Rutgers Finally Be Able to Run the Ball?

Unfortunately this year the Scarlet Knights' rush offense has been subpar at best. Jawan Jamison is averaging a measly 3.0 yards per carry. Savon Huggins is averaging 2.4 yards and De'Antwan Williams is averaging 3.0.

This is a cause for concern considering Louisville is the 17th-ranked defense in the country and 20th against the rush.

Without a consistent running game, the Scarlet Knights will become one-dimensional and make Gary Nova carry a huge load.

Kind of scary when you think about a true freshman quarterback facing one of the top defenses in the nation.

Can Gary Nova Keep the Offense Up and Running?

Freshman Quarterback Gary Nova filled in for Chas Dodd and hasn't missed a step.

Other than Nova's game against Ohio (in which he only threw three passes), the freshman has accumulated a QBR of at least 102.6 or higher in every game and until his last game he had a goose egg in the INT category.

If Nova can continue to be productive, make plays and limit turnovers, the Scarlet Knights have a good chance of being in every game.

As mentioned before, however, without a stable running game, Nova will be forced to carry more of the load—a tough load for a young man. 

Will Rutgers Survive This Road Test?

Schiano's Scarlet Knights have had two road contests this season: a trip to Chapel Hill and a ride to Syracuse, NY.

Both games were battles and could have gone either way.

In Week 2, Rutgers traveled to play the Tar Heels of North Carolina and lost by two points, despite forcing five turnovers. Basically, the Scarlet Knights couldn't protect the quarterback, their running game was non-existent and their third-down conversion rate of only 35 percent wasn't enough to overcome Carolina.

Two weeks later, they traveled to the Carrier Dome to take on a solid Syracuse team. This game was another battle with similar occurrences. Rutgers' offense couldn't run or protect the Quarterback and it showed. San San Te missed three field goals but luckily enough, the defense played tremendously and the Scarlet Knights pulled it out.

Those two games showed that this team can win a close game, but also not pull one out. Louisville (behind Charlie Strong) is improving and has won at home this season. It won't be a cake walk by any means.

It should be interesting to see how Rutgers plays away from NJ.

Will the Defense Stay Hot?

Rutgers' defense has played exceptionally well this season, helping the team to five wins already. This week, they will host a lackluster Cardinals' offense that has some inexperience and a few holes.

The big thing is that the Scarlet Knights' defense doesn't take a game off and allow big plays and big mistakes. They are 12th in scoring defense, 28th against the run and have the 19th overall defense in the country.

A bigger stat and even more of a contribution to the team has been their ability to be plus-13 in the turnover margin. This bodes well for their defense. Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater is young, inexperienced and prone to throwing some picks.

All this being said, this should be another day at the office for the defense.

Let's just hope they play that way.

Prediction

After scouting the Cardinals, I came to realize this is a young, hungry and talented team. Teddy Bridgewater is a great athlete and they have some weapons to help him out. The Cards defense is also playing great, being top 20 in the country in multiple categories.

Despite that, Rutgers has the talent and depth to cruise past Louisville. Supposing Nova plays his game and the defense just shows up, there shouldn't be any issues.

Just imagine if their running game decides to show up.

Prediction: Rutgers 20 Louisville 10