KNIGHTS GAMEDAY

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP : OFFENSE

RUTGERS VS. SYRACUSEGAME 6: High Point Solutions Stadium, noon TV: Big East Network RADIO: 1450 AM

SCARLET KNIGHTS (5-0, 2-0)

PASSINGG. Nova

RUSHINGJ. JamisonS. HugginsRECEIVINGT. WrightM. HarrisonB. ColemanDEFENSEK. GreeneJamal MerrellL. Ryan

YDS1119

YDS601

86YDS239198278

AVG.223.8

AVG.4.63.4

AVG.11.4

9.415.4INT

112

INT.2

LNG6431LNG466043SCK

20.5

0

TD10

TD21

TD035

TKL493732

CMP60.9%

NO.130

25NO.212118

TulaneHowardSouth FloridaArkansasConnecticutSyracuseTempleKent StateArmyCincinnatiPittsburghLouisville

W, 24-12W, 26-0W, 23-13W, 35-26W, 19-3noonnoon3:30 p.m.TBAnoonTBA7:30 p.m.

SCHEDULESept. 1Sept. 8Sept. 13Sept. 22Oct. 6Oct. 13Oct. 20Oct. 27Nov. 10Nov. 17Nov. 24Nov. 29

[SYRACUSE (2-3, 1-0)

INSIDEthe

NUMBERS

BRANDONCOLEMANWIDE RECEIVERSophomore6’-6”, 220 lbs.

KALEBJOHNSONTACKLESophomore6’-4”, 300 lbs.

ANTWANLOWERYGUARDJunior6’-4”, 305 lbs.

BETIMBUJARICENTERSophomore6’-4”, 290 lbs.

ANDRECIVILGUARDJunior6’-3”, 275 lbs.

R.J.DILLTACKLESenior6’-7”, 310 lbs.

D.C. JEFFERSONTIGHT ENDSenior6’-6”, 250 lbs

MARK HARRISONWIDE RECEIVERSenior6’-3”, 230 lbs

GARYNOVAQUARTERBACKSophomore6’-2”, 225 lbs

PAUL CARREZOLAFULLBACKJunior6’-2”, 241 lbs

JAWANJAMISONRUNNING BACKSophomore5’-8”, 200 lbs

MARCUSTHOMPSONRIGHT ENDJunior6’-2”, 260 lbs

SCOTT VALLONETACKLESenior6’-3”, 275 lbs

JAMILMERRELLTACKLEJunior6’-4”, 255 lbs

KA’LIALGLAUDLEFT ENDSenior6’-2”, 230 lbs

JAMALMERRELLLINEBACKERJunior6’-4”, 220 lbs

STEVEBEAUHARNAISLINEBACKERSenior6’-2”, 230 lbs

KHASEEMGREENELINEBACKERSenior6’-1”, 230 lbs

MARCUSCOOPERCORNERBACKSenior6’-2”, 190 lbs

LORENZO WATERSSTRONG SAFETYSophomore6’-0”, 200 lbs

DURONHARMONFREE SAFETYSenior6’-1”, 200 lbs

LOGANRYANCORNERBACKJunior6’-0”, 190 lbs

]

NorthwesternUSCStony BrookMinnesotaPittsburghRutgersConnecticutSouth FloridaCincinnatiLouisvilleMissouriTemple

L, 42-41L, 42-29W, 28-17L, 17-10W, 14-13noon8 p.m.TBATBATBATBATBA

SCHEDULESept. 1Sept. 8Sept. 15Sept. 22Oct. 5Oct. 13Oct. 19Oct. 27Nov. 3Nov. 10Nov. 17Nov. 23

PASSINGR. Nassib

RUSHINGJ. SmithP. GulleyRECEIVINGM. SalesJ. WestA. LemonDEFENSES. DiabateD. DavisM. SpruillINJURIES

YDS1552

YDS288165YDS445317212

INT.6

LNG2621LNG413324SCK

001

TD10

TD02

TD510

TKL312924

CMP65.9%

NO.6337

NO.332121

AVG.310.4

AVG.4.74.8

AVG.13.515..110.1INT

000

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP : DEFENSE

INJURIESQuestionable — K K. FedericoOUT — DT A. Page

GAMEDAY PAGE 2 OCTOBER 12, 2012

Questionable — S S. Thomas

BY JOSH BAKANASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

Connecticut defensive tackleRyan Wirth broke through theRutgers football team’s offensiveline Saturday to bring sophomorequarterback Gary Nova to theground for the first time this season.

The sack was not incredibly con-sequential as sophomore runningback Jawan Jamison recoveredNova’s fumble for a one-yard gain.

Rutgers’ offensive line was stilldisappointed as it lost its clean streakof non-intentional grounding sacks.

“Even last week that sack waskind of down on us,” said sophomore left tackle KalebJohnson, “but as an offensive linewe take pride in the fact that wehave so little.”

Syracuse (2-3, 0-1) defensiveend Brandon Sharpe recorded foursacks later that night againstPittsburgh, surpassing the threesacks Rutgers has allowed this yearby himself.

Sharpe leads a Syracuse passrush — second in the Big East with

Knights ready for blitzing ‘D’Sophomore left tackle Kaleb Johnson contends with Syracuse’s Brandon Sharpe, who recorded moresacks in one game than Rutgers allowed through five this season. JOVELLE TAMAYO, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

14 sacks — tomorrow at High PointSolutions Stadium that looks to breakdown the Knights’ offensive line.

Sharpe will be in Johnson’s lineof vision when Johnson protectsNova’s blindside and will be ahandful if he plays like he didagainst the Panthers.

The rest of the line, meanwhile,must contend with Syracuse’s defense,which has a tendency to blitz.

Rutgers’ pass rush has lent thema helping hand in practice.

“The way you prepare [the offen-sive line] is just throw them all atthem during the practice week,”said head coach Kyle Flood.“There’s really no other way to getthem to do it other than to do it.”

UConn’s defense, which leadsthe Big East with 17 sacks, gaveRutgers (5-0, 2-0) practice in dealingwith defensive pressure.

Nova is part of the equation insack prevention, since the play hasto end with the ball in his hand.

The Huskies helped acclimateNova to constant blitzing as hefaced three of the four Big Eastleaders in sacks.

They only got to Nova once, butthe Don Bosco (N.J.) Prep productkeeps that in mind.

“I try to know where my problemsare, know where I’m going to getpressure and know the weak spots inour protection and try to get the ballout as fast as I can,” Nova said.

Flood values a quarterback’sexperience, which Nova gains whenhe faces a difficult defense.

Now a fifth-year senior, Syracusequarterback Ryan Nassib has hadplenty of time to gain it, too.

“They have a tremendous quar-terback with a lot of experience, andthere’s no better teacher at that posi-tion than experience,” Flood said.

Griffin takes it — and three of thetop-six receivers in the Big East inreceptions per game — to a Rutgersdefense that allows 236.2 passingyards per game, which is secondhighest in the conference.

Rutgers hopes to prevent simi-larly game-changing plays up front,and that means preventing anysacks is still the priority.

“We’re not going to let them touchour quarterback,” Johnson said.

Key MatchupRUTGERS LINEBACKERS VS. SYRACUSE QB RYAN NASSIB

Nassib is arguably the best passer in the Big East, but he is also a threat to run with87 rushing yards and a touchdown as a senior. The Knights’ containment could play a

role in bottling up Nassib, who threw for only 169 yards last year against Rutgers.

KNIGHT NUGGETS

Junior linebacker JamalMerrell needs only seventackles to equal his total of44 from last season. Merrell

is second on the team in the statistic to seniorlinebacker Khaseem Greene, who has 49 stops.

7The Syracuse defense allowsmore than 146 yards on theground per game, which putsit sixth in the Big East. The

Knights, meanwhile, have the top rusher in theBig East in sophomore Jawan Jamison.

146Syracuse has three widereceivers in the top 10 inthe Big East in terms ofreceiving yards per game.

Orange wideout Marcus Sales leads the BigEast with 89 yards per game and five scores.

3The difference betweenRutgers’ and Syracuse’syards per pass attempt iszero. Both teams average

7.4 yards per try this season, although theKnights throw the ball less frequently.

0

RUTGERS WINS, 24-13Rutgers wins the first matchup

between the schools not decidedby three points since 2009.

SCOTT VALLONESenior Defensive Tackle

HOW LONG WILLTHE KNIGHTS ‘D’ GOWITHOUT MULTIPLESACKS IN A GAME?

KA’LIAL GLAUDSenior Defensive End

The last time Rutgers’ defense recordedmore than one sack was a Sept. 8 winagainst Howard. With Ryan Nassib, aveteran quarterback, in the pocket, theKnights cannot let the trend continue.

“There’s going to bea game where it

comes and you guysare going to be like,‘OK, there’s nine, 10

sacks.’ I honestlybelieve that.”

ITS OFFENSIVE LINEGIVES GARY NOVAENOUGH TIME TOFIND RECEIVERSThe Orange racked up five sacksin Nova’s first appearance in BigEast play last season. Rutgershas surrendered a league-lowthree in five games this season.

RYAN NASSIB GETSIN RHYTHM IN THEPASSING GAME,FINISHES DRIVESNassib threw an interception onthe goal line a year ago, aidingRutgers’ comeback victory. But heis more than capable of eating upclock and sustaining long drives.

BY THE NUMBERS

BIG QUESTION

THE ADVANTAGE GOES TO...

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

The Knights continue to become more dynamic, while theOrange leave more to desired in the ground game.

Rutgers ranks in the top five nationally against the runand in scoring defense this season.

RUTGERS WINS IF... SYRACUSE WINS IF...

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

TARGUM’S FINAL VERDICT

COACHING

SPECIAL TEAMS

Head coach Kyle Flood continues to turn heads around thecountry for the team’s 5-0 start in his first season.

An injured kicker, a struggling punter and a kick returnfumble last week do not bode well for Rutgers.

GAMEDAY PAGE 3OCTOBER 12, 2012

X-FACTOR

MOMENTUM

Syracuse’s blitzing style has given the Knights fits since theirblowout loss to the Orange in 2009 at the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse’s win last week against Pittsburgh was big, but the Knights do not show signs fof slowing down.

BY JOEY GREGORYASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

In the majority of preseasonBig East rankings, the Rutgersfootball team was tabbed to fin-ish in third place.

The common sentiment wasthe Scarlet Knights had a gooddefense, but the offense was notas forceful.

But then Rutgers traveled toTampa and defeated SouthFlorida, and followed that upwith a victory against SEC powerArkansas in shootout fashion.

Now opponents likely under-stand the Knights are a morecomplete team than preseasonrankings led people to believe.

Syracuse head coach DougMarrone leads the next ofthose opponents.

“We’re playing a very [tough]opponent that’s undefeated, andrightfully so,” he said. “They’veplayed extremely well. We have agreat challenge ahead of us.”

Connecticut head coach PaulPasqualoni cited first-year headcoach Kyle Flood’s success atgetting the team to buy into hissystem and coaching philosophy.

Marrone agrees withPasqualoni, and that has pro-duced results.

One piece of evidence forthose results is the revampedRutgers of fense, which hasshown it can move the ball andscore against some of the topdefenses in the conference.

“They’re doing an outstand-ing job of holding possessions,really limiting [opponents’] pos-sessions,” Marrone said. “I’ve

seen a lot of big plays. I thinkthey have an outstanding run-ning back. It seems like that’sthe case [with our opponent]every week.”

To help combat that, theOrange boast one of the topdefensive ends in the Big East inBrandon Sharpe.

In Syracuse’s 14-13 winagainst Pittsburgh last week,Sharpe picked up seven tackles— six for a loss — and four sacksen route to being named theBronko Nagurski National

Defensive Player of the Week, aperformance Marrone believeswas a long time coming.

“Brandon, like a lot of players,has been working extremelyhard to get better,” he said. “Tosay, ‘Oh, he had a really goodweek this week and went outthere and played well,’ thatwould give a good indication ofpoor coaching and poor inspira-tion and motivation from a play-er. I think Brandon has beenworking extremely hard for along period of time.”

The Knights have an offen-sive line that has only allowedone true sack this season work-ing againt Sharpe.

They also have one of the toprunning backs in the conferencein sophomore Jawan Jamison thatMarrone is also familiar with.

He also takes note of theRutgers wideouts, who haveemerged as potential big-playthreats.

“Their receivers do an out-standing job,” Marrone said.“They’re big kids and they’retough to tackle. They have greatheight, great range, great speed.At the time they need to makeplays, they make plays. You’re 5-0 for a reason. They’re playingvery well in all three phases.”

But in the midst of Rutgers’newfound air attack, the defenseis not lost on Marrone, either. Inthe last meeting between the twoteams — a Knights double-over-time victory — Rutgers held theOrange to 16 points.

Marrone is not shy about giv-ing the Rutgers defense thepraise he feels it deserves.

“Statistically, this probably is… the best defense we’ve facedsince I’ve been here,” he said.

And he is well aware of nearlyevery one of those statistics.

“Where should I star t?”Marrone said. “Obviously thetotal defense, the rushingdefense, the pass ef ficiencydefense, the scoring defense,tackles for loss, the turnovermargin is huge. Turnoversgained — I believe they have10 interceptions.”

Marrone will likely approachthe Knights not as the preseasonthird-place team in the confer-ence, but as the complete unit hebelieves it has become.

“Statistically, this is ... the best defense

we’ve faced since I’ve been here”

DOUG MARRONESyracuse Head Coach

Marrone respects RU jumpSyracuse fourth-year head coach Doug Marrone meets Rutgers’ Kyle Flood for the first time afterFlood took the job Jan. 30 in place of Greg Schiano, who moved on to the NFL. GETTY IMAGES

GAMEDAY PAGE 4 OCTOBER 12, 2012

POWERPair of programs eye recruiting advantage, market numbers in media stronghold under developing coaches

BY TYLER BARTOSPORTS EDITOR

Scott Vallone grew up alongNew York’s 118-mile Long Islandexpanse rooting for Syracuse.The Rutgers football team’s sen-ior defensive tackle joked as a kidabout playing for the Orange,who once ruled among alle-giances in the Northeast.

But as Vallone prepares toface Syracuse tomorrow for thefinal time as a Scarlet Knight,southeast New York is as fluid amarketing region as ever.

“Rutgers has actually pickedup a lot of notoriety,” Vallonesaid. “Playing on ESPN so manytimes, winning games, it’s not ajoke anymore. … Being whereI’m from, people have taken onRutgers as almost a New Yorkteam. It’s almost evenly matchedat this point.”

The point remains one in con-tention for Syracuse, which adopt-ed the slogan “New York’s CollegeTeam” around the time headcoach Doug Marrone was hired.But even before then, the phrasewas a mindset, said Syracusedefensive tackle Rob Welsh.

“We take a lot of pride in that,”he said.

Welsh played two seasonswith Vallone at St. Anthony’s(N.Y.) High School in the NewYork Catholic League. Welsh, afreshman in 2006, met Valloneafter a varsity practice, andVallone took him under his wingwhen Welsh played varsity thefollowing season.

Vallone remembers playingagainst future Syracuse commitsMichael Hay and David Legree inhigh school, when former headcoach Greg Robinson roamedthe Carrier Dome sidelines.

“He wasn’t really trying tolock down New York,” Vallonesaid of Robinson. “You wouldthink Syracuse being the NewYork school would be the firstschool to make sure they offeredme. That wasn’t the case.”

Vallone ultimately committedto the Scarlet Knights, thanks inpart to a gaudy meeting with for-mer head coach Greg Schiano.

“When Coach Schiano at thetime flew the helicopter onto

Starters’ SitesA geographical representation of the hometowns of the startersof Rutgers and Syracuse football

RutgersElmwood Park, N.J. Secaucus, N.J. Brooklyn, N.Y. Sicklerville, N.J. Central Islip, N.Y. Saddle Brook, N.J.Elizabeth, N.J. Wall, N.J. Berlin, N.J. Sicklerville, N.J.

SyracuseBronx, N.Y.

Hillside, N.J.Paramus, N.J.Jamaica, N.Y.

Syracuse, N.Y.Syracuse, N.Y.

Woodbury, N.J.

Syracuse offered Rutgers defensive tackle Scott Vallone duringhis junior season of high school, but he expected it earlier.YEE ZHSIN BOON

our baseball field,” Welsh said,“I had a feeling he was going togo there.”

But the thinking changedwhen Marrone took over atSyracuse in 2008.

He restored the program’svested interest in acquiring topNew York talent, which Robinsonfailed to do over a four-year spanand a 10-37 record.

“We were in that period ofrebuilding,” Welsh said. “Theysaid, ‘We need a bunch of NewYork guys, and you’re one of thebest kids on Long Island rightnow. We’d really like you to comehere and help us rebuild.’”

But with the resurrectioncame control over the program.

Marrone, born in the Bronx,closed spring practice toSyracuse media following a 5-7season in 2011 that featured oneBig East win. The Orange woneight games the previous seasonand appeared in a bowl game forthe first time since 2004.

They are 2-3 in Marrone’s cru-cial fourth season, but a turn-around could rally the area’shibernating fan base, Vallone said.

“Rutgers is closer to New YorkCity than even Syracuse is,” hesaid. “It could be described asNew York’s team. If Syracuse didget hot, it would pick up a lot ofsteam, though, because of the tra-dition and it is in New York.”

But the current makeup ofboth teams resembles little of theregion they covet.

Three projected starters tomor-row hail from New York City. One,junior right guard Andre Civil, con-siders the city a different state fromthe culture upstate.

“You look at the rosters, obvi-ously southeastern New York is abig part of the State of Rutgers forus,” said head coach Kyle Flood,who grew up in Bayside, Queens.“For them, they really only haveone starter over on offense fromNew York City, and two starterson defense from New York City.… Three or four of their defen-sive linemen are from Californiaand Virginia. Those are areas wedon’t really target in the recruit-ing process.”

Schiano once outlined a plan tobuild a fence around the pseudo-state of Rutgers, which spanned theMid-Atlantic U.S. Flood, who joinedSchiano’s staff in 2005, played a sig-nificant role in implementing it.

Marrone has done the same,despite mixed results. But theonly result — and final one, withSyracuse’s move to the ACC nextyear — that matters plays itselfout tomorrow at High PointSolutions Stadium.

“The fact that both colleges aregoing for the same recruits and localareas,” Welsh said, “that really puts itover the edge.”

Rutgers on ESPN by the numbers

8.15 Rating of Rutgersvs. Loiusville in 2006.

Rutgers has provided ESPN some of thehighest-rated games of its New York Domestic Market Area. (DMA)

607,157 Number of Rutgers Fansin the DMA

20.9%Share of DMA thatRutgers fans make up.

GRAPHICS BY HAKAN UZUMCU, DESIGN EDITORINFORMATION COURTESY OF SUATHLETICS.COM, RUTGERS ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS

GAMEDAY PAGE 5OCTOBER 12, 2012

STRUGGLERutgers battles Syracuse for final time in series that features nearly 100 years, more than 40 on-field meetings

BY JOEY GREGORYASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

A matchup between theRutgers football team andSyracuse on Nov. 7, 2014, wouldmark the 100th anniversary ofthe first meeting between thetwo schools.

They first met on that datein 1914, with the result beingthe only tie in series that con-tains 42 games — the ScarletKnights have won 11 of themand lost 30.

The two began meeting asconference opponents in 1991,when Rutgers joined the BigEast. The Orange had been amember since 1979, the year ofthe conference’s inception.

Rutgers suffered the fifth of 12consecutive losses in the series inthat first Big East meeting.

It faces Syracuse for the finaltime as a conference opponent

tomorrow at High PointSolutions Stadium.

Following this season theOrange, along with Pittsburgh,depart for the ACC, only one ofseveral conference changes inrecent college football history.

“I think it’s unfortunate, but it’sthe reality of college football thesedays,” said head coach KyleFlood. “Change is the new norm,and things are moving all the timein college football. We probablyhave not seen the end of it yet.This might not be the last oppo-nent that this could happen with.”

With West Virginia alreadygone to the Big 12, the Big Eastmade measures to accept addi-tional teams, many far from beingconsidered in the east.

Flood believes is not necessar-ily the right way to go, but that itis how things have become.

“I do think, in general, collegefootball is regional,” he said. “I

1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2012

Rutgers and Syracuse have played42 games spanning nearly 100 years.Here are some of the important points in that time.

14-14November 7, 1914

Rutgers and Syracuse tiein their first-ever meeting

1979The Big East is created,with Syracuse as anoriginal member

20-3September 12, 1987

Syracuse wins in the first of12 consecutive Rutgers losses

in the series

21-7October 26, 1991Syracuse wins in the first meetingas conference opponents

31-13November 21, 2009Syracuse knocks Rutgers

out of the rankings

17-9October 25, 1980Syracuse wins in the first of annualmeetings between the two schools

October 13, 2012The final meeting between

Rutgers and Syracuse as

conference opponents

Senior Khaseem Greene, bottom, dismissed a potential finalmeeting tomorrow with Syracuse, which leaves for the ACC.YEE ZHSIN BOON

just don’t know if that’s realityanymore, if that can happen.”

If the Knights do continue aseries with Syracuse, whichFlood said Athletic Director TimPernetti will mainly handle tryingto arrange, they will meet as out-of-conference foes.

With Rutgers showing it iswilling to have matchups withACC opponents — it recently fin-ished a series with NorthCarolina — such a series is notoutside the realm of possibility,but it will be unusual at first.

“It is weird being in theNortheast and then they’re mov-ing to a new conference,” saidsenior defensive tackle ScottVallone. “It’s definitely a little bitdifferent. When I get a littleolder, I can respect that a littlebit more.”

But do not expect the Knightsto approach the game any differ-ently than they have the fivegames they won this season.

They do not plan on looking pastthis game to Syracuse’s departure.

“They’re going to a differentconference, but that’s next year,”said senior linebacker KhaseemGreene. “Right now, we got toline up and play this game justlike they got to line up and playthis game. I wish them the best ofluck, but a game has to be playedon Saturday.”

With both Syracuse andRutgers in the New York metro-politan area, there is much talk ofa rivalry, and sometimes a terri-tory battle.

But the Knights do not thinkthat applies.

“That’s for other people to say,if we claim part of New York orwhatever the case may be,”Greene said. “If that’s what some-body needs to fuel the rivalry orwhatever the case may be, thenso be it.”

Rutgers believes it all boilsdown to playing a solid game, asit has the whole year.

“I don’t do too much worry-ing about rivalries and stuf flike that,” said junior guardAndre Civil. “Syracuse is agreat team. I’m just so excitedto play them and get to playgood football on Saturday.”

GRAPHIC BY SHAODI HUANG, ASSOCIATE DESIGN EDITORINFORMATION COURTESY OF MCUBED.NET

OCTOBER 12, 2012GAMEDAY PAGE 6

1. RUTGERS2. Cincinnati3. Temple4. Syracuse5. Louisville6. Connecticut7. Pittsburgh8. South Florida

BIG EAST STANDINGS

TEAM RECORD PRE-RANK 2011Football

PITTSBURGH

Louisville, the Big East’s

top-ranked team, takes on

struggling Pittsburgh after

a bye. The Cardinals have

not won by double digits

since a Sept. 8 win against

Missouri State, but Teddy

Bridgewater, a sophomore,

has arguably the most

ability out of any Big East

quarterback this season.

Key MatchupLouisv ille run tandem vs. Pitt rush defense

The Cardinals’ Senorise Perry and Jeremy Wright have a combined 170carries this season for 864 yards. The Panthers allow 134.8 yards on the

ground per game, which is fifth-best in the conference.

BIGEAST

PREDICTIONLOUISVILLE, 28-14

Pitt continues to reel during a return to pro-style offense.

TEMPLE at CONNECTICUT

Temple follows its dramatic come-from-behindwin against South Florida last Saturday with amiddling UConn team. The Owls could go 2-0in the league for the first time in recent memory.

PREDICTION: Temple, 28-10

The Bearcats could enjoy another gaudy marginof victory this weekend it had last week against

Miami (Ohio). Rancocas Valley (N.J.) HighSchool’s Carlton Koonce leads the Rams’ rush.

PREDICTION: Cincinnati, 48-14

FORDHAM atCINCINNATI

LOUISVILLE

Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater opens Big Eastplay tomorrow with visiting Pittsburgh, 0-2 in the league.KEITH FREEMAN, SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER / OCTOBER 2011

5-0, 2-04-0, 1-02-2, 1-02-3, 1-05-0, 0-03-3, 0-12-3, 0-22-4, 0-2

3rd4th8th7th1st6th5th2nd

9-410-39-4*5-77-65-76-75-7

*Temple played in the Mid-American Conference last season before accepting aninvitation to rejoin the Big East beginning this season.

Knights eyeadvantageon returns

BY JOEY GREGORYASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

The Rutgers football team hasdeveloped a habit of making specialteams plays in nearly every game.

It is one of the Scarlet Knights’focuses in practice each day.

“We spend a lot of time prepar-ing for it, a lot of time in the practiceschedule doing it,” said head coachKyle Flood yesterday. “I don’t knowthat we’re unique in that, but we doit here and it’s important to us. Wesee it every week as somethingthat should help us win the game,not just something that shouldchange field.”

The Knights face a unique chal-lenge tomorrow against Syracuse.Rutgers often gains an advantage infield position because it leads theBig East in kickoff return yardage,averaging 49 return yards per game.

The Orange, on the other hand,harbor the best kickoff coverageunit in the conference, Flood said.

“That’s a great matchup in thegame and something that’s going tobe critical to the drive start,” he said.“In every game we want specialteams to be our advantage.”

Syracuse is also dead last in theBig East in punt return yardage,which the Knights hope to takeadvantage of, as well.

“If we can be consistent in ourpunting, I think there will be anopportunity there for us,” Floodsaid. “We’ll see how that plays outwith the game.”

GAME OF THE WEEK

GAMEDAY PAGE 7OCTOBER 12, 2012

BY TYLER BARTOSPORTS EDITOR

Despite a No. 2 run defensenationally, a Big East-best plus-nine turnover margin and a zeropercent fourth-down conversionrate, one glaring omission remainsfor the Rutgers football team’sfront four.

The Scarlet Knights have onlynine sacks through five games.They recorded as many in their2011 season opener against NCCentral. But senior defensive tack-le Scott Vallone thinks it can hap-pen again.

“We have to be patient,” hesaid. “There’s going to be a gamewhere it comes and you guys aregoing to be like, ‘OK, there’s nine,10 sacks.’ I honestly believe that.”

The Knights are on pace torecord 22 sacks, 14 fewer thanlast year’s total. Ten of thosesacks came from players whograduated after last season. Butmore than only the changeoveraffects the number.

Head coach Kyle Flood pointsto opponents’ new game plans forthe reduced total.

“I don’t think anything haschanged with the way we play

defense,” he said, “but I do thinkthe teams we play are consciousof it.”

Ka’Lial Glaud notices the dif-ference firsthand. The seniordefensive end estimates he hitConnecticut quarterbackChandler Whitmer three or fourtimes last Saturday, which he saidtook a toll.

“The quarterbacks are anxiousto get the ball out of their hands,”Glaud said. “They’re getting theball out very fast and it’s causingthem to throw the ball inaccurate.… It has to affect them through-out the game.”

RU insists sack numbers will increase Sophomore defensive tackle Kenneth Kirksey (95) and junior defensive end Marcus Thompson converge on Connecticut quarterback Chandler Whitmer during theKnights’ 19-3 win last Saturday. Rutgers has only nine sacks through five games, but it forced three fourth-quarter interceptions against UConn. YEE ZHSIN BOON

Junior Jamil Merrell’s move to defensive tackle could bolster the Knights’ pass rush by giving itanother edge rusher on the inside of the defense. MARIELLE SUMERGIDO, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Glaud, senior linebackerKhaseem Greene and sophomoresafety Lorenzo Waters tie for theteam lead with two sacks each.Because of the nature of coordina-tor Robb Smith’s philosophy, sacknumbers could continue to spreadbetween each layer of the defense.

Only a third of the Knights’sacks come from their defen-sive line.

“Being the nature of thedefense we are, people don’t wantto sit in the pocket too long,”Vallone said. “That’s just the wayit’s going to be. When they’recatching and they see two guys intheir face, they chuck it up and weget four interceptions.”

Discounting Arkansas’ TylerWilson’s fourth-quarter perform-ance Sept. 22, opposing quarter-backs completed 23 passes on 47attempts for 248 yards, one touch-down and four interceptions infour games against Rutgers.

Its defense forced six puntsand three turnovers on downs inthe process.

“We’re having our effect,”Vallone said. “Those hits in thefirst and second quarter don’tmatter as much. Until he startsthrowing three picks in thefourth quarter, then we knowwe’re doing our job.”

Whether the Knights’ lateleads also figure into their fourth-quarter prowess remains to beseen, Flood said. Rutgers hasoutscored its opponents, 38-3, inthe third quarter this season.

“I don’t know if it’s a coinci-dence or not,” Flood said. “I cer-tainly think our coaches havedone a good job at halftime.When you have an older, moreexperienced team, they’re able tolearn through the game maybe a

little bit better than youngerteams are.”

The Knights returned two vet-erans — senior Marvin Bookerand junior Michael Larrow — tothe defensive line againstUConn. Booker recorded threetackles and one for a loss in hisfirst game since the team’s Sept.1 season opener.

He could have an effect on thepass rush by spelling Glaud, whoVallone said impressed him mostfrom a preseason of uncertainty.

“He’s really taken to what[defensive line] coach [Jim]Panagos is teaching and whatCoach Smith is asking him to dowith the scheme,” Vallone said.“I’m really proud of the way he’smatured this year. He’s rushingthe passer well, getting hits onthe quarterback.”

But Vallone, a 43-game starter,remains the focal point of arenewed rush.

Flood said Vallone excelledin the three-technique — whereVallone lines up on the outsideshoulder of a guard — beforean injury forced his return tonose tackle.

Still, the transition of juniorJamil Merrell, a 6-foot-4 formerend, could allow Smith more passrush options in the absence of tra-ditional nose tackle Isaac Holmes.If Rutgers expects its sack totals toincrease exponentially, it likelystarts with more creativity.

It already likes what it seesfrom a pressure standpoint.

“Every single quarterbackwe’ve played has felt it,” Glaudsaid. “They have to remember usbecause we’re always hittinghim. … I just look at Scott andI’m like, ‘Oh, man, he’s going toget it soon.’”