Who is Rutgers?

Freshman quarterback Gary Nova leads Rutgers (Picture:  Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Football is finally back for the Bulls as they travel up north to take on Big East foe Rutgers.  After a shocking loss to Cincinnati two weeks ago at Homecoming, USF 4-3 (0-3), will try to notch Big East win number one on the road and get closer to a bowl game.  It won't be easy facing a Rutgers team that plays well at home and has a few playmakers that will make life hard.  

Rutgers enters the game at 5-3 (2-2).  They are coming off of an emotional loss to WVU where they had the lead, but fell apart late in the snow.  They typically play well at home and after losing two straight games, they will be looking for a big win to remain in the conference race. 

Rutgers averages 28.4 points per game, meaning the Bulls defense will have to be at their best despite the injuries in the secondary.  They average just 99.1 yards per game on the ground, so the rush defense will have to keep them in check.  The Rutgers offense runs the Power-I formation for a majority of their offense, but they also run the zone-read offense, using speed and gaps to get the yardage.  The USF defense has to be aware of the formations and how they can power run and spread them out.  They average 236 yards a game in the air, led by true freshman Gary Nova.  The secondary has allowed a lot of yards this season and now is thin in the corner department.  The Bulls have to lock down Sanu and other receivers the Knights have and try to get off the field and let the offense control the tempo of the game. 

The Rutgers defense is holding opponents to just 19.1 points per game, a typical Rutgers plan (playing hard nose football).  They allow 133.1 yards a game on the ground, something USF has to exploit and attack.  The run game was silent against Cincinnati, but Scott, Murray, and Daniels have the ability to get the yardage, both in power running and the zone-read.  Look for Marcus Shaw to get into the mix as well as he continues to impress in practice.  They also allow 188.4 yards a game through the air.  This means the passing offense will have a hard time getting off the ground and with Griffin out, it could be even less through the air.  Look for the offense to control the ball, run a majority of the game, and then have the passing game work underneath to the shorter routes and work their way down the field. 

This is going to be a tough game for USF.  The Bulls are falling at the worst time.  They have a lot to fix, a lot of injuries to overcome, and will be playing on the road, not the best combination of scenarios for the team.  But we still have faith in Holtz and know the team can come together and leave New Jersey with a win.