R! U! A Rutgers NCAA '09 Dynasty

[JetsIn06]

from wikipedia

Rutgers University is the State University of New Jersey. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights participate in NCAA Division I FBS American football. Rutgers University beat Princeton University in the first intercollegiate game ever played in 1869.

Despite being the "Birthplace of College Football" and sharing the 1869 national championship with Princeton University in the first year of intercollegiate play, Rutgers has not had an overly successful heritage in the sport through the years.

Especially in the last three decades, Rutgers was regarded as one of the worst teams in Division I-A (now FBS), posting several losing seasons in a row and raising discussion of possibly reducing the team to Division I-AA (now Division I FCS) competition. For most of its existence, the football team was not associated with any formal football conference and remained independent even when the first football leagues were forming. At present, Rutgers participates in Division I FBS and is a member of the Big East Conference (since 1991).

[JetsIn06]

In this dynasty, I'll be chronicling my attempts to bring the Big East crown to New Brunswick, New Jersey, and someday toppling the giants of NCAA football to win the Scarlet Knights a national championship.

I'm hoping that this lasts, and since my online league has been slow to start due to game bugs and slowly released patched, it just might. Add in the fact that my online play has been riddled with disconnects, this could potentially be my only NCAA league. If the online league picks up and my router stops giving me problems, I'll start a new dynasty for that team.

Anyway, let's get on with some housekeeping.

[JetsIn06]

Recent History

2006:

2006 was what many people consider to be a breakout season for Rutgers. Led by Draddy Trophy winning senior Fullback Brian Leonard, Sophomore Quarterback Mike Teel, Sophomore Halfback Ray Rice, Sophomore Wide Receiver Tiquan Underwood, Junior defensive tackle Eric Foster, and Junior kicker Jeremy Ito, Rutgers finished 12th in the nation, won eleven of thirteen games, and won the first bowl game in school history.

They started off the season going undefeated through nine, including a dramatic win over then-3rd ranked Louisville highlighted by kicker Jeremy Ito's last minute field goal to seal the win. They were defeated by both West Virginia and Cincinnati, but nonetheless received an invitation to play Kansas State in the inaugural Texas Bowl.

Rutgers defeated Kansas State 37-10 to win the first bowl game in school history. Halfback Ray Rice was named the game's MVP and ran for 170 yards and one touchdown in twenty four carries. Because of his tremendous 2006 season, in which he ran for 1794 yards and scored twenty touchdowns, Rice won Big East Player of the Year honors. He also finished seventh in Heisman Trophy votings and was a finalist for the Maxwell Award.

2007:

For the first time in almost two decades, the Rutgers football team entered a season with tremendous expectations. The team began the season ranked 16th in both the AP and USA TODAY polls, the first time the school has been ranked to begin a season.

However, a couple disappointing losses early on to Maryland and Cincinnati, then later losses to West Virginia, UConn, and Lousiville left the Scarlet Knights with an 8-5 record.

An invitation to the International Bowl, and a 52-30 win there capped off a decent 2007 campaign for Rutgers.

2008-Present:

Here I'll keep a tab of how I did each season.

2008: 6-6, Loss in International Bowl
2009: 9-3, Win in Brut Sun Bowl
2010: 7-5, Loss in Champs Sports Bowl
2011: 9-3, Win in Champs Sports Bowl
2012: 12-1, Loss in ACC Championship, Loss in Chick-fil-A Bowl
2013: 10-2, Loss in Gator Bowl
2014: 9-3, Loss in Humanitarian Bowl
2015: 11-2, ACC Champions, Win in Orange Bowl
2016: 12-1, ACC Champions, Loss in Orange Bowl
2017: 13-0, ACC Champions, BCS National Champions
2018:

[JetsIn06]

2008 Pre-Season Notes

Returning Starters:

15 (7 Offense, 8 Defense)

Key Losses:

RB Ray Rice

This is going to be a tough one to overcome. This is the best back we've ever had and may ever have. The plan is to let sophomore's Kordell Young (80 OVR) and Mason Robinson (76 OVR) split time until one sets himself apart. Young looks to be the front runner.

T Jeremy Zuttah
T Pedro Sosa
G Mike Fladdel

Our offensive line has been a big strength the past couple seasons, and replacing three starters at once will be hard. Anthony Davis (85 OVR), a sophomore, takes over the LT position. He was the #2 OT in the nation and we really hope he can live up to his expectations.

DT Eric Foster

Foster, currently on the Colts, was a great leader and playmaker on our defensive line. Three players will battle it out to replace him.

S Ron Girault

Girault was a solid player but with Courtney Greene (91 OVR) and Glen Lee (87 OVR) in the secondary, I'm not too worried.

[JetsIn06]

The 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Schedule

Week 01: -
Week 02: Fresno State
Week 03: North Carolina
Week 04: @ Navy
Week 05: FCS East
Week 06: @ West Virginia (#8)
Week 07: @ Cincinnati (#24)
Week 08: UConn
Week 09: @ Pittsburgh
Week 10: -
Week 11: Syracuse
Week 12: @ U.S.F.
Week 13: Army
Week 14: -
Week 15: Louisville

Strength of Schedule: B

[JetsIn06]

NCAA Pre-Season Top 25

#1. Georgia
#2. Oklahoma
#3. Ohio St.
#4. USC
#5. Florida
#6. LSU
#7. Missouri
#8. West Virginia
#9. Wisconsin
#10. Texas
#11. Clemson
#12. Texas Tech
#13. Penn St.
#14. Arizona St.
#15. Kansas
#16. Auburn
#17. Virginia Tech
#18. Illinois
#19. Tennessee
#20. BYU
#21. South Carolina
#22. Alabama
#23. Oregon
#24. Cincinnati
#25. Wake Forest

[JetsIn06]

The 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights:

Quarterbacks

Starter
Redshirting


#14 Mike Teel. 6'4", 220 lbs. SR(RS). 88 OVR
#15 Jabu Lovelace. 6'2", 205 lbs. JR(RS). 81 OVR
#11 Domenic Natale. 6'2", 210 lbs. JR(RS). 78 OVR
#1 D.C. Jefferson. 6'6", 230 lbs. FR. 74 OVR
#4 Chris Paul-Etienne. 6'2", 200 lbs. SO(RS). 74 OVR

Outlook:

Teel should get it done for us this year, and Lovelace can take over in '09, but after that we'll have to turn it over to D.C. Jefferson, who will be an inexperienced sophomore. I think he has potential, but won't turn down an interested QB recruit.

[JetsIn06]

The 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights:

Running Backs

Starter
Redshirting


#8 Kordell Young. 5'9", 185 lbs. SO(RS). 80 OVR
#24 Mason Robinson. 5'10", 180 lbs. SO. 76 OVR
#23 Rashad White. 5'11", 170 lbs. FR. 70 OVR
#38 Joe Martinek. 6'0", 210 lbs. FR(RS). 66 OVR

Outlook:

Filling the hole Rice left is going to be tough. We don't have any true studs at the position, but we hope Robinson or Young can develop into a solid starter. This is definitely a place we want to improve.

[JetsIn06]

The 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights:

Fullbacks

Starter
Redshirting


#19 Jack Corcoran. 6'1", 230 lbs. JR. 76 OVR
#37 Andres Morales. 6'2", 260 lbs. SO(RS). 73 OVR
#39 Jourdan Brooks. 6'1", 255 lbs. FR(RS). 71 OVR

Outlook:

We still miss Brian Leonard. We probably won't see anyone that special at this position again, but it looks like this spot will have a decent player for the next few years.

[JetsIn06]

The 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights:

Wide Receivers

Starter
Redshirting


#7 Tiquan Underwood. 6'2", 180 lbs. SR. 88 OVR
#88 Kenny Britt. 6'4", 205 lbs. JR. 87 OVR
#2 Tim Brown. 5'8", 160 lbs. JR. 81 OVR
#5 Dennis Campbell. 5'9", 180 lbs. JR(RS). 79 OVR
#83 Keith Stroud. 6'5", 190 lbs. FR. 75 OVR
#80 Keith Taylor. 6'4", 190 lbs. SR(RS). 75 OVR
#18 Julian Hayes. 6'2", 205 lbs. SO(RS). 74 OVR
#17 Timothy Wright. 6'4", 205 lbs. FR. 73 OVR
#85 Malcolm Johnson. 6'1", 170 lbs. FR. 67 OVR


Outlook:

I would say that this is our strength for this upcoming season. This is Underwood's last season and we're definitely going to miss him. Tim Brown is a very, very small kid but is incredibly fast. He'll be the slot receiver and help us out immensely. Britt is the tall guy outside and we'll try to get him the deep ball often. Stroud and Wright are our promising recruits who will redshirt this year and hopefully become what the Underwood/Britt tandem was to us in the future.

[JetsIn06]

The 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights:

Tight Ends

Starter
Redshirting


#89 Kevin Brock. 6'5", 245 lbs. SR(RS). 75 OVR
#3 Shamar Graves. 6'3", 230 lbs. SO(RS). 74 OVR
#82 Jeff Minemyer. 6'7", 260 lbs. SO(RS). 67 OVR

Outlook:

No standout players here. Graves looks like the future starter, and I like his speed but he lacks to height I like to see in a tight end. Minemyer clearly isn't as polished but he's a big red zone target. I want to try and use all three of these guys when we're close to the end zone.

[JetsIn06]

The 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights:

Offensive Line

Starter
Redshirting

Left Tackle

#75 Anthony Davis. 6'6", 325 lbs. SO. 80 OVR
#73 Desmond Stapleton. 6'5", 320 lbs. FR(RS). 72 OVR

Left Guard

#78 Kevin Haslam. 6'7", 280 lbs. JR(RS). 82 OVR
#76 Mo Lange. 6'7", 315 lbs. SO(RS). 76 OVR
#68 Keith Newell. 6'6", 290 lbs. FR(RS). 74 OVR

Center

#61 Ryan Blasczyk. 6'4", 285 lbs. JR(RS). 78 OVR
#62 Marlon Romulus. 6'3", 285 lbs. SO(RS). 76 OVR

Right Guard

#60 Caleb Ruch. 6'4", 290 lbs. FR(RS). 76 OVR
#74 Howard Barbieri. 6'5", 290 lbs. SO(RS). 73 OVR

Right Tackle

#70 Mike Gilmartin. 6'5", 290 lbs. SR(RS). 82 OVR
#69 Art Forst. 6'8", 290 lbs. FR. 75 OVR
#79 Richard Muldrow. 6'6", 300 lbs. FR(RS). 73 OVR

Outlook:

I certainly don't like the fact that three new starters will be on the line, but we'll have to make do with what we have for right now. Davis has the job at LT until he declares or graduates, and Art Forst looks like he can handle RT after his redshirt year. Caleb Ruch looks okay at RG, but LG and C look like needs to me.

[JetsIn06]

The 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights:

Defensive Line

Starter
Redshirting

Left End

#99 Jonathan Freeney. 6'3", 230 lbs. SO. 80 OVR
#93 Desmond Wynn. 6'6", 260 lbs. FR(RS). 76 OVR
#45 Alex Silvestro. 6'4", 230 lbs. SO. 76 OVR

Defensive Tackle

#90 Jamal Westerman. 6'3", 260 lbs. SR(RS). 85 OVR
#97 Peter Tverdov. 6'4", 265 lbs. JR. 79 OVR
#98 Vantrise Sturdivant. 6'8", 270 lbs. SR. 77 OVR
#95 Wayne Thomas. 6'5", 280 lbs. FR(RS). 77 OVR
#67 Scott Vallone. 6'3", 260 lbs. FR. 76 OVR
#55 Jamiel Farrington. 6'2", 240 lbs. FR(RS). 70 OVR

Right End

#92 Gary Watts. 6'3", 245 lbs. SR. 83 OVR
#31 George Johnson. 6'4", 250 lbs. JR. 80 OVR


Outlook:

Left end looks pretty set for us. Freeney will be the starter for the next three seasons and his backups look good enough. At DT, our three top players are JR's or SR's. I'm hoping Thomas and the redshirting Vallone will improve enough to become starters in a year or two. At right end, we have two older players and we're definitely going to focus there in recruiting.

[JetsIn06]

The 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights:

Linebackers

Starter
Redshirting

Left Outside Linebacker

#48 Blair Bines. 6'2", 245 lbs. JR. 82 OVR
#17 Damaso Munoz. 6'0", 210 lbs. JR(RS). 75 OVR
#53 Jim Dumont. 6'1", 215 lbs. SO(RS). 69 OVR

Middle Linebacker

#44 Ryan D'Imperio. 6'3", 235 lbs. JR. 85 OVR
#50 Antonio Lowery. 6'2", 220 lbs. SO. 76 OVR
#56 Eric Legrand. 6'2", 240 lbs. FR. 72 OVR

Right Outside Linebacker

#34 Kevin Malast. 6'2", 236 lbs. SR. 84 OVR
#51 Manny Abreu. 6'3", 220 lbs. FR(RS). 82 OVR


Outlook:

Manny Abreu will sit for one more year, but he looks like he's going to be a very solid player when he takes the starting job next year. Not sure about Legrand. If he has some solid training camps he could potentially be the future starter but I'm going to focus some recruiting time there. At LOLB, Bines will hold down the spot for the next two seasons but I'm definitely in need of a new recruit there.

[JetsIn06]

The 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights:

Cornerbacks

Starter
Redshirting

#25 Jason McCourty. 5'11", 185 lbs. SR. 82 OVR
#21 Devin McCourty. 5'11", 180 lbs. JR(RS). 80 OVR
#35 Billy Anderson. 6'0", 180 lbs. JR(RS). 73 OVR
#30 Brandon Bing. 5'11", 160 lbs. SO. 71 OVR
#41 Al-Majid Hutchins. 5'11", 180 lbs. FR(RS). 69 OVR
#40 David Rowe. 5'10", 195 lbs. FR. 67 OVR


Outlook:

I'm actually pretty worried about the cornerback situation. With one of the twins leaving after this year, his brother will be the number one. He doesn't have anyone to start across the field from him, though. I'm going to need to land a top recruit or else the pass defense will be a huge weak spot for us in the future.

[JetsIn06]

The 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights:

Safeties

Starter
Redshirting

Free Safeties

#36 Courtney Greene. 6'2", 210 lbs. SR. 91 OVR
#20 Davon Smart. 5'10", 190 lbs. JR(RS). 73 OVR

Strong Safeties

#6 Glen Lee. 6'2", 195 lbs. SR. 87 OVR
#26 Joe Lefeged. 6'3", 195 lbs. SO. 78 OVR
#84 Morgan Carter. 6'3", 215 lbs. FR. 70 OVR


Outlook:

Courtney Greene is our elite player on defense, and losing him after this season is going to be tough. Losing Lee as well will make it worse. I like Lefeged and think he can take over the starting job, but FS is a big need.

[JetsIn06]

The 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights:

Special Teams

Starter
Redshirting

Kickers

#12 San San Te. 5'9", 165 lbs. FR(RS). 74 OVR

Punters

#93 Teddy Delleganna. 6'2", 190 lbs. SO(RS). 81 OVR


Outlook:

These guys will do for now.

[JetsIn06]

2008 Recruiting

Pipeline:

Our pipeline states are NJ, NY, PA, and FL. Recruiting in Florida is always tough, considering we are competing with the Gators and Seminoles. NJ is ours, and our main competitors for recruits are Syracuse and Pittsburgh in our pipeline states. West Virginia is also a major competitor for recruits.

Major Needs:

Free Safety: With Green graduating after this season and Smart strictly a backup, I'm gonna need a youngster capable of starting quickly.

Cornerback: One of the McCourty's is leaving, the other will be around for one more year. Other than that, we have no starting material. Our pass defense is in rough shape after this season.

Center: I'd really like to upgrade here. Not a glamorous position but the running game could be in trouble with a poor o-line and below average RB's.

Running Back: Okay, maybe not a huge hole, but I want to focus on the running game and the guys we have don't look like anything special.

Minor Needs:

Outside Linebacker: I have two juniors who could handle starting duties, but after that I have no one. I have two years to fill this spot but I'd like to get one this year and redshirt him.

Defensive End: I have a Senior who's graduating and a JR who will take over next year, but need a youngster to redshirt and eventually take over the job.

[JetsIn06]

2008 Recruiting

WEEK ONE TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)


Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Courtney Bowers, PA: *** (#3)
Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

[JetsIn06]

2008 Pre-Season

Rutgers Rank:

We start off the season ranked #55. Not too good.

Pre-Season All Americans:

We don't have any All-American players, but we do have a few All-Big East players.

1st Team:

WR Britt
WR Underwood
FS Greene
SS Lee
P Dellaganna

2nd Team:

RT Gilmartin
DT Westerman

Heisman Watch

I'll try and keep you updated on the Heisman race every couple weeks. Right now, here's what it looks like:

QB Tim Tebow. JR. Florida
HB Chris Wells. JR. Ohio St.
WR Percy Harvin. JR. Florida
QB Chase Daniel. SR. Missouri
WR Michael Crabtree. SO(RS). Texas Tech

[JetsIn06]

2008 Week One:

Recruiting:

I have a few guys who have Rutgers as their top choice. The first thing I did this week was to offer a scholarship to all of those players. They'll occasionally accept the offer immediately.

No dice this week.

I went ahead and went through the need positions next, making offers to all of the players.

WEEK ONE TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Courtney Bowers, PA: *** (#3)
Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Game:

BYE

[JetsIn06]

2008 Week Two:

Recruiting:

Things went pretty well this week. I offered a scholarship the the remaining players and also scheduled some visits with 5 players:

RB Mills: Week 8 (UConn)
DE Goodwin: Week 11 (Syracuse)
DT Williams: Week 5 (FCS East)
OLB Hamby: Week 8 (UConn)
FS Clarke: Week 13 (Army)

WEEK TWO TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Courtney Bowers, PA: *** (#3)
Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Game:

Fresno State (37) at Rutgers (20)

Damn it. Not the way I wanted to start the year. Gave up a ton of passing yards (394). They exposed the pass defense that I was worried about, and it's not getting better anytime soon.

Our passing game was solid, with Britt and Underwood having good games. Our QB Teel was okay, but threw an INT.

The running game wasn't special. With Young getting the bulk of the carries, he ran the ball 15 times for 62 yards. I'd like to get Robinson more carries.

They outgained us on offense 532 yards to 335 yards.

Going 3-10 on 3rd down didn't help us either. Ugh.

[JetsIn06]

2008 Week Three:

Recruiting:

I'm still feeling fairly confident so far. We invited 6 more players to campus for a visit, two of which will be visiting this week.

RB Mitchell: Week 8 (UConn)
C Hayes: Week 3 (North Carolina)
DE Wade: Week 11 (Syracuse)
DT Brown: Week 5 (FCS East)
DT Page: Week 8 (UConn)
ATH Hall: Week 3 (North Carolina)


WEEK THREE TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Courtney Bowers, PA: *** (#3)
Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Game:

North Carolina (30) at Rutgers (37)

Nice! First win of the year against a deceptively tough UNC team.

Mike Teel led the passing attack with 249 yards through the air. Going 19 for 26, he has two TD passes.

The running game was much better. Young carried the ball 13 times for 85 yards. However, an injury will leave us without him for next week against Navy. But, after Robinson's 7.1 YPC game today, I'm not worried. He carried the ball only 6 times, but picked up 43 yards. His longest run was 9 yards, which shows me it wasn't luck but consistently good running.

Tiquan Underwood picked up 168 yards through the air and really dominated the UNC secondary.

On defense, our starting DE Watts picked up 2 sacks. San San Te, our kicker, went 3 for 3 on the day.

[JetsIn06]

2008 Week Four:

Recruiting:

Let's see what our two invited players thought about their visits last week.

C Hayes: Week 3 (North Carolina) B+

ATH Hall: Week 3 (North Carolina) B-

We invited another 5 players to visit this week, this time all visiting in Week 5 when we play an FCS team.

QB Cox
TE Young
G Ray
DE Carroll
CB Austin

WEEK FOUR TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Courtney Bowers, PA: *** (#3)
Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Game:

Rutgers (31) at Navy (30)

Wow. What a game this was. Navy came out to an early lead in the first quarter, but then 10 points in the second quarter put us ahead.

Finally, up 31-24, Navy scored a TD with one second left. Rather than kick a XP for the tie, they went for the two-point conversion.

They didn't make it!

Incredible game. I think Mason Robinson won the starting job as well. With Young out for this game, Robinson carried the load with 22 carries for 170 yards.

Mike Teel went 11 for 16 for 169 yards and 2 TD's. Underwood picked up 95 yards through the air.

Our defense was fairly boring...no sacks or INT's.

[JetsIn06]

2008 Week Five:

Recruiting:

This is a huge week for us, with eight players visiting us. Along with the five players listed last week, three new players were invited to this week's game.

SS Arnold
FS Richardson
CB House

WEEK FIVE TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Courtney Bowers, PA: *** (#3)
Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Game:

FCS (3) at Rutgers (42)

Obviously a game we expected to win, but we got it done.

Teel went 23 for 31 with 311 yards and 3 TD passes. Robinson and Young did well, with each running for over 90 yards. Tiquan Underwood continues to play well, with 178 yards receiving this week. Our DT Westerman picked up 2 sacks, as well.

[JetsIn06]

2008 Week Six:

Recruiting:

Let's see how our visits went last week:

SS Arnold: B+
FS Richardson: B
CB House: B
QB Cox: B+
TE Young: B+
G Ray: B+
DE Carroll: B+
CB Austin: B+
DT Brown: B
DT Williams: B-

I guess that's pretty good. We also invited two more recruits.

ATH Henderson: Week 8 (UConn)
OLB Adams: Week 8 (UConn)

In general, we're looking pretty good. Most of our need positions have a 3 or 4 star player who has us 1st. We just have to keep it up and make sure we keep reminding them we're here.

WEEK SIX TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Courtney Bowers, PA: *** (#3)
Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Game:

Rutgers (25) at #4 West Virginia (42)

Well, I knew this was going to be a tough game but didn't think we would get blown out.

Their running game is really all there is to talk about. Their RB, Devine, picked up 198 yard on the ground. Our running game was terrible.

That's all there really is to it.

[JetsIn06]

Around the NCAA Update:

We're six weeks into the NCAA season, and it's been full of surprises. Here are the Top 25 through six weeks.

Top 25

#1. Florida (5-0)
#2. Wisconsin (5-0)
#3. Oklahoma (5-0)
#4. Texas Tech (5-0)
#5. West Virginia (5-0)
#6. Kansas (5-0)
#7. Virginia tech (6-0)
#8. Georgia (4-1)
#9. Ohio St. (5-1)
#10. LSU (4-1)
#11. Missouri (4-1)
#12. South Carolina (6-0)
#13. Texas (4-1)
#14. Arizona St. (4-1)
#15. Virginia (5-0)
#16. BYU (5-0)
#17. Auburn (5-1)
#18. Illinois (4-1)
#19. USC (2-2)
#20. Tennessee (4-1)
#21. Michigan (4-1)
#22. Penn St. (4-2)
#23. Alabama (5-1)
#24. Fresno St. (4-1)
#25. Boston College (5-0)

Race for the Heisman Trophy:

QB Graham Harrell. SR(RS). Texas Tech

1855 yards. 24 TD's. 3 INT's.

QB Chase Daniel. SR. Missouri

1418 yards. 23 TD's. 1 INT.

RB Brandon Saine. SO. Ohio St.

950 yards. 6.1 YPC. 8 TD's.

RB Kenny Lewis. JR. Virginia Tech

851 yards. 6.3 YPC. 7 TD's.

RB Brad Lester. SR(RS). Auburn

617 yards. 5.4 YPC. 11 TD's.

[JetsIn06]

2008 Week Seven:

Recruiting:

Only one invite this week.

OLB Alvarez: Week 8 (UConn)

Still looking solid. Hopefully some guys will start committing soon.

WEEK SEVEN TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Courtney Bowers, PA: *** (#3)
Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Game:

Rutgers (20) at Cincinnati (46)

Wow. Cincinnati is a tough team, but 17 carries for 12 yards tough? I don't think so. Our running game was AWFUL today. Losing our starting left guard for the season did more damage than I expected. Passing game was okay, but running less than 1 YPC is just unacceptable.

[JetsIn06]

2008 Week Eight:

Recruiting:

Big week for visits. We have eight players coming onto the campus.

RB Mills
RB Mitchell
DT Page
OLB Alvarez
OLB Adams
OLB Hamby
ATH Henderson
RB Martin

WEEK EIGHT TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Courtney Bowers, PA: *** (#3)
Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Game:

UConn (26) at Rutgers (23)

Well that sucked.

After going up 10-0 to start the game, UConn scored 13 in the 2nd quarter and we could never catch up. Again, our passing game was solid but the running game was less than spectacular.

We lost our starting DE to injury as well, so we won't see him for the next few weeks.

[JetsIn06]

2008 Week Nine:

Recruiting:

No new visits scheduled, but let's see how we did last week.

RB Mills: B
RB Mitchell: B-
DT Page: C
OLB Alvarez: B-
OLB Adams: B-
OLB Hamby: B-
ATH Henderson: B
RB Martin: B-

WEEK NINE TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Game:

Rutgers (17) at #17 Pittsburgh (34)

With the way we've been playing, I wasn't expecting a win here.

For the first time though, our passing game was really bad. Teel threw 3 INT's which killed our hopes. Two sacks on defense made me feel better about that side of the ball, but this season has been incredibly disappointing.

[JetsIn06]

2008 Week Ten:

Recruiting:

No new visits scheduled, no commits. Boring week.

WEEK TEN TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Game:

BYE

[JetsIn06]

Around the NCAA Update:

We're ten weeks into the NCAA season, and you may be surprised to see who tops the NCAA rankings. Here are the Top 25 through ten weeks of college football.

Top 25

#1. Wisconsin (9-0)
#2. South Carolina (9-0)
#3. West Virginia (8-0)
#4. BYU (9-0)
#5. Pittsburgh (8-0)
#6. Florida (7-1)
#7. Ohio St. (8-1)
#8. Georgia (7-2)
#9. Arizona St. (7-1)
#10. Texas Tech (8-1)
#11. Oklahoma (8-1)
#12. Virginia Tech (7-1)
#13. Boston College (7-1)
#14. Virginia (8-1)
#15. LSU (6-3)
#16. Auburn (7-2)
#17. Missouri (7-2)
#18. Texas (6-3)
#19. Alabama (7-2)
#20. Tennessee (6-3)
#21. USC (5-3)
#22. Cincinnati (6-1)
#23. Illinois (6-3)
#24. Clemson (5-3)
#25. Maryland (7-1)

Race for the Heisman Trophy:

QB Graham Harrell. SR(RS). Texas Tech

3642 yards. 45 TD's. 8 INT's.

QB Chase Daniel. SR. Missouri

2465 yards. 36 TD's. 2 INT's.

WR Kyle Jefferson. SO(RS). Wisconsin

60 receptions. 780 yards. 14 TD's.

WR Eric Morris. SR(RS). Texas Tech

67 receptions. 1110 yards. 14 TD's.

RB Mike Davis. SR. South Carolina

1175 yards. 7.6 YPC. 12 TD's.

Award Semi-Finalists

We have one guy in the running, San San Te, our kicker. He's 10th right now in the running for the Groza Award.

[JetsIn06]

2008 Week Eleven:

Recruiting:

We have two players visiting this week.

DE Goodwin
DE Wade

Some good news as well. 4-star running back Robert Mills is a soft commit to Rutgers.

WEEK ELEVEN TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Game:

Syracuse (16) at Rutgers (38)

Finally. We finally get our first conference win.

We fired away on all cylinders this week. Mike Teel threw for 4 TD passes, Young ran for 97 yards on 18 carries, and Underwood had 110 yards receiving.

Our young OLB Manny Abreu, a backup, had a great game with a sack and an INT.

[JetsIn06]

2008 Week Twelve:

Recruiting:

Let's see how our visits went last week:

DE Goodwin: A
DE Wade: A-

Nice. That's always good to see.

We got some bad news, though, when we found out that the only QB we were recruiting committed to Penn St. I shouldn't complain, because I didn't spend that much time on him. QB was not a huge need, but it would have been nice to land a 4-star QB just in case Jefferson doesn't work out. Oh well.

WEEK TWELVE TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Game:

Rutgers (51) at USF (34)

Big win for us this week. USF is not a strong team this year, but putting up 51 points is always nice.

Mike Teel threw a whopping 6 TD passes for 388 yards.

Kordell Young ran for 67 yards on 12 carries.

The defense played great as well. We sacked their QB 5 times, with our backup DT Wayne Thomas picking up 2 of them.

[JetsIn06]

2008 Week Thirteen:

Recruiting:

We landed our first commitment!

A previous soft commit officially committed to Rutgers this week! Robert Mills, a **** running back, the 11th best RB in the nation, fills a huge hole for us. We now have a running back that should be able to start for us in the future.

The bad news is DE Goodwin committed to Maryland, and ATH Hall committed to Boston College.

This week we have a visit with:

FS Bob Clarke

WEEK THIRTEEN TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Game:

Army (14) at Rutgers (42)

This win brings us to 6-5.

Mike Teel continues to play really well, throwing 5 TD's this week. Kenny Britt really stepped it up, catching 3 TD passes.

The defense played great, with 6 sacks. DT Tverdov picked up two on his own.

[JetsIn06]

2008 Week Fourteen:

Recruiting:

Let's see how Clarke's visit went:

FS Bob Clarke: B+

We lose a couple recruits this week. C Marcus Hayes committed to Michigan. This is a guy we really wanted, and now we're going to have to search for a new player. We added Scott Foster, a ** C from Maryland to the board.

We also lost DT Josh Brown. We liked Brown but DT is not a huge need and we have some other guys we like there.

WEEK FOURTEEN TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Scott Foster, MD: ** (#41)
Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Game:

BYE

[JetsIn06]

2008 Week Fifteen:

Recruiting:

Yes! We got another commitment this week. RB Wayne Mitchell, a **** player signed with us. That gives us two 4-star RB's coming in next year. I'm feeling much better about the running game now!

However, we lost two more players that we really liked. First, we lost TE Darryl Young. Secondly, we lost SS Kenneth Arnold. I liked both a lot but neither were a huge need.

WEEK FIFTEEN TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Scott Foster, MD: ** (#41)
Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Game:

Louisville (38) at Rutgers (35)

And with that, our regular season comes to an end. We finish with a disappointing 6-6 season.

The finale really made our weaknesses clear. Teel was sacked 6 times. Our running game was week, and we let them get an early lead.

In the 4th quarter though, we scored 25 points and almost came back, we just ran out of time.

S Courtney Greene, who will be graduating, finished his college career nicely with 2 INT's.

[JetsIn06]

2008 Conference Championship Week:

Recruiting:

Good news on the recruiting front. We landed two of the DE's we were going after. 4-star DE Chris Carroll and 3-star DE Ben Wade will join Rutgers next season.

WEEK FIFTEEN TARGET LIST

Name, State: Rating (National Position Rank)
Scholarship Offered
Committed Elsewhere
Committed to RU

Quarterbacks:

Trevor Cox, MD: **** (#9)

Running Backs:

Robert Mills, NJ: **** (#11)
Wayne Mitchell, NJ: **** (#15)
Shane Martin, PA: *** (#49)

Tight Ends:

Darryl Young, PA: **** (#1)

Guards:

Jeremy Ray, NJ: ** (#55)

Centers:

Scott Foster, MD: ** (#41)
Marcus Hayes, NY: *** (#11)

Defensive Ends:

Chris Carroll, CT: **** (#17)
Andre Goodwin, NJ: *** (#34)
Ben Wade, NY: *** (#55)

Defensive Tackles:

Josh Brown, NJ: **** (#20)
Fred Page, CT: **** (#6)
Harvey Williams, NJ: *** (#39)

Outside Linebackers:

Atonio Alvarez, WV: **** (#9)
Lance Adams, LA: **** (#18)
Lee Hamby, PA: *** (#64)

Cornerbacks:

Bobby Austin, PA: *** (#46)
(JUCO) Clayton House, PA: *** (#41)

Free Safeties:

Cody Rodriguez, MD: **** (#3)
Bob Clarke, NY: *** (#50)

Strong Safeties:

Kenneth Arnold, NJ: **** (#10)

Athletes:

Daniel Hall, NJ: *** (#22)
Fred Henderson, PA: ** (#42)

Conference Championships:

ACC

#22 Florida State (24) at #16 Virginia (21)

SEC

#11 Auburn (31) at #3 Florida (38)

C-USA

UCF (49) at Houston (28)

Big 12

#14 Kansas State (30) at #19 Texas Tech (20)

MAC

Miami University (20) at Central Michigan (38)

[JetsIn06]

Bowl Invitation:

Rutgers has been invited to play in the International Bowl on 12/29/08! We will be playing the 7-6 Miami University Redhawks.

[JetsIn06]

First off, big thanks to Ironhead for some ideas and some blatant stealing of his layout

HEISMAN TROPHY AWARD

QB GRAHAM HARRELL - TEXAS TECH
361-508, 4887 yards. 59 Total TD's.

PRE-BOWL RANKINGS

#1. Wisconsin (12-0)
#2. Pittsburgh (12-0)
#3. Florida (12-1)
#4. Ohio St. (11-1)
#5. South Carolina (11-1)
#6. West Virginia (11-1)
#7. LSU (9-3)
#8. Texas (9-3)
#9. BYU (11-1)
#10. Oklahoma (10-2)
#11. Auburn (10-3)
#12. Georgia (9-3)
#13. Arizona St. (10-2)
#14. Kansas St. (10-3)
#15. Tennessee (9-3)
#16. Virginia (11-2)
#17. USC (9-3)
#18. Virginia Tech (9-3)
#19. Texas Tech (10-3)
#20. Maryland (10-2)
#21. Missouri (9-3)
#22. Florida State (9-4)
#23. Fresno St. (10-2)
#24. Boston College (9-3)
#25. Minnesota (9-3)

[JetsIn06]

1. #2 Pittsburgh (12-0)
2. #6 West Virginia (11-1)
3. Cincinnati (8-4)
4. Louisville (6-6)
5. UConn (5-7)
6. Rutgers (6-6)
7. USF (3-9)
8. Syracuse (3-9)

[JetsIn06]

2008 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

ACC: Florida St.                (9-4)  (7-2)
Big 12: Kansas St.              (10-3) (7-2)
Big East: Pittsburgh            (12-0) (7-0)
Big Ten: Wisconsin              (12-0) (8-0)
C-USA: UCF                      (10-3) (8-1)
MAC: Central Michigan           (9-4)  (7-2)
MWC: BYU                        (11-1) (7-1)
Pac-10: Arizona St.             (10-2) (8-1)
SEC: Florida                    (12-1) (8-1)
Sun Belt: FAU                   (9-3)  (6-1)
WAC: Fresno St.                 (10-2) (7-1)

[JetsIn06]

2008 NCAA FOOTBALL AWARDS

Maxwell Award: QB Graham Harrell (Texas Tech - College Player of the Year)
Chuck Bednarik Award: OLB Brandon Logan (Michigan - Best Defenseman)
Davey O'Brien Award: QB Graham Harrell (Texas Tech - Best Quarterback)
Doak Walker Award: RB Mike Davis (South Carolina - Best RB)
The Biletnikoff Award: WR Eric Morris (Texas Tech - Best Wide Receiver)
John Mackey Award: TE Jared Cook (South Carolina - Best Tight End)
Outland Trophy: LT Dallas Reynolds (BYU - Best OL)
Dave Rimington Trophy: C Jim Cordle (Ohio St. - Best C)
Lombardi Award: DT Jake Ricks (Auburn - Best DL)
Dick Butkus Award: OLB Brandon Logan (Michigan - Best Linebacker)
Jim Thorpe Award: SS Larry Asante (Nebraska - Best DB)
Lou Groza Award: K Thomas Weber (Arizona St. - Best Placekicker)
Ray Guy Award: P Britton Colquitt (Tennessee - Best Punter)
Best Returner Award: RB Brandon James (Florida - Best Returner)

Rutgers Player Recognition:

Our kicker San San Te finished 12th in the running for the Lou Groza Award.

We had five players named to the All-Big East team.

DT: Jamal Westerman. SR(RS)
CB: Jason McCourty. SR
FS: Courtney Greene. SR
K: San San Te. FR(RS)
Returner: Tiquan Underwood. SR

[JetsIn06]

Bowl Week:

Here are the results for the first two weeks of bowl games involving ranked teams:

Hawaii Bowl: Southern Miss (17) vs. #23 Fresno State (49)

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl: #21 Missouri (31) vs. #17 USC (14)

Champs Sports Bowl: Michigan State (37) vs. #24 Boston College (14)

Texas Bowl: #19 Texas Tech (37) vs. Penn State (62)

Emerald Bowl: #8 Texas (40) vs. Oregon (17)

[JetsIn06]

International Bowl:

Rutgers (10) vs. Miami University (27)

We cap off the end of a disappointing year with another disappointment.

Not only did we play poorly, but we got a glimpse of next year's starting QB, Jabu Lovelace. He threw two INT's, and I'm hoping he doesn't continue the trend next season.

The running game never got going and our defense didn't make any big plays.

See you in '09!

[JetsIn06]

Bowl Week:

Here are the results for the final week of bowl games before the national championship involving ranked teams:

Meineki Car Care Bowl: #18 Virginia Tech (48) vs. Louisville (14)

Chick-fil-A Bowl: #15 Tennessee (23) vs. #16 Virginia (27)

Outback Bowl: #12 Georgia (46) vs. Iowa (7)

Gator Bowl: Cincinnati (15) vs. #20 Maryland (35)

Capitol One Bowl: #11 Auburn (24) vs. #25 Minnesota (38)

Rose Bowl: #4 Ohio St. (20) vs. #13 Arizona State (42)

Allstate Sugar Bowl: #3 Florida (35) vs. #6 West Virginia (39)

Cotton Bowl: #7 LSU (10) vs. #10 Oklahoma (31)

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: #14 Kansas State (44) vs. #9 BYU (21)

FedEx Orange Bowl: #22 Florida State (24) vs. #5 South Carolina (27)

[JetsIn06]

2008 NCAA National Championship:

vs.



#1 Pittsburgh vs. #2 Wisconsin

After an epic two overtime game, Pittsburgh has won the national championship, 37-34!

[JetsIn06]

2008 Recap:

This was certainly a disappointing year for us, and losing some of our key players won't help. I like where recruiting is headed though, and we landed two players to improve the running game during the season.

Here are some stat leaders:

QB Mike Teel. SR(RS). 271-417, 3740 Yards, 35 TD's-9 INT's

RB Kordell Young. SO(RS). 160 Att. 815 Yards. 5.0 YPC. 7 TD's

WR Tiquan Underwood. SR. 64 Receptions. 1043 Yards. 16.2 YPC. 9 TD's.

MLB Ryan D'Imperio. JR. 60 Tackles.

DT Jamal Westerman. SR(RS). 5 Sacks

FS Courtney Greene. SR. 2 INT's

Now on to the offseason!

[JetsIn06]

2009 Off-Season

Players Leaving

Yikes. We lost a lot of starters this year.

Starter

#74 RG Howard Barbieri. 6'5", 290 lbs. SO(RS). 73 OVR - Transfer (WMU)
#14 QB Mike Teel. 6'4", 220 lbs. SR(RS). 88 OVR
#7 WR Tiquan Underwood. 6'2", 180 lbs. SR. 88 OVR
#80 WR Keith Taylor. 6'4", 190 lbs. SR(RS). 75 OVR
#89 TE Kevin Brock. 6'5", 245 lbs. SR(RS). 75 OVR
#70 RT Mike Gilmartin. 6'5", 290 lbs. SR(RS). 82 OVR

#90 DT Jamal Westerman. 6'3", 260 lbs. SR(RS). 85 OVR
#98 DT Vantrise Sturdivant. 6'8", 270 lbs. SR. 77 OVR
#92 DE Gary Watts. 6'3", 245 lbs. SR. 83 OVR
#34 OLB Kevin Malast. 6'2", 236 lbs. SR. 84 OVR
#25 CB Jason McCourty. 5'11", 185 lbs. SR. 82 OVR
#36 FS Courtney Greene. 6'2", 210 lbs. SR. 91 OVR
#6 SS Glen Lee. 6'2", 195 lbs. SR. 87 OVR

I'm not worried about Barbieri. With three guys at LG, one of them will easily slide over to backup Ruch.

[JetsIn06]

2009 Off-Season

Transfer Requests

None.