The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

**BookWork123** · 10-22-2019, 05:20 PM

Re: The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

RUTGERS FOOTBALL: A HISTORY

Rutgers, known as the Birthplace of College Football, was the site of the first ever college football game. In this game, Rutgers defeated Princeton 6-4, and a nationwide craze (and rivalry) was sparked. The players on each side had no idea the effects of this first game, nor that some 18-year old would be writing about their exploits 150 years later.

Rutgers has not had a particularly grand history outside being the start of it all, however. Two undefeated seasons in the years of 1961 and 1976 are the brightest spots of this long history, and despite having a history of good players such as Marco Battaglia, Ray Rice, and more, recent years have not been kind to the Knights. Their last winning season was in 1992 under Doug Graber, and they have not achieved much of anything since.

However, something is brewing in New Jersey. A sleeping giant, waiting to be awoken? Greg Schiano is attempting to wake that giant, and perhaps this year can be a breakthrough...

**BookWork123** · 10-22-2019, 05:21 PM

Re: The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

SEASON-BY-SEASON RESULTS

**BookWork123** · 10-22-2019, 05:22 PM

Re: The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

Feel free to post! Season preview should be up either tonight or tomorrow!

**BookWork123** · 10-22-2019, 06:45 PM

Re: The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

2005 SEASON PREVIEW

Can USC repeat as National Champions?

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Aug 25, 2005
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	--	USC Trojans (38)	0	0	1502
2	--	Tennessee Volunteers (22)	0	0	1425
3	--	Iowa Hawkeyes (1)	0	0	1351
4	--	Oklahoma Sooners	0	0	1279
5	--	Florida State Seminoles	0	0	1209
6	--	Texas Longhorns	0	0	1140
7	--	Michigan Wolverines	0	0	1074
8	--	Louisville Cardinals	0	0	1009
9	--	LSU Tigers	0	0	947
10	--	Virginia Tech Hokies	0	0	886
11	--	Miami Hurricanes	0	0	827
12	--	Ohio State Buckeyes	0	0	770
13	--	Florida Gators	0	0	715
14	--	Georgia Bulldogs	0	0	662
15	--	Purdue Boilermakers	0	0	611
16	--	Alabama Crimson Tide	0	0	561
17	--	Boston College Eagles	0	0	514
18	--	Boise State Broncos	0	0	468
19	--	Arizona State Sun Devils	0	0	425
20	--	Auburn Tigers	0	0	383
21	--	Texas Tech Red Raiders	0	0	343
22	--	Virginia Cavaliers	0	0	305
23	--	Pittsburgh Panthers	0	0	269
24	--	UTEP Miners	0	0	235
25	--	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	0	0	203

Heisman Watch - Updated: Aug 25, 2005
NAME	POS	SCHOOL	SEASON STATS
Ryan Finnerty	QB	USC Trojans	--
Micah Oliver	HB	Oklahoma Sooners	--
Thomas Leonard	HB	USC Trojans	--
Erik Irons	QB	Texas Longhorns	--
Dominic McCray	WR	Ohio State Buckeyes	--

Big East (Conference Projections) Conference Standings - Updated: Aug 25, 2005
TEAM	REC	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	STRK
Louisville Cardinals
Pittsburgh Panthers
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
West Virginia Mountaineers
Syracuse Orange
UConn Huskies
USF Bulls
Cincinnati Bearcats

**BookWork123** · 10-22-2019, 07:06 PM

Re: The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

RUTGERS FOOTBALL 2005 PREVIEW

CAN KNIGHTS IMPROVE ON 5-7 CAMPAIGN?

Schedule

Week 1: @ #17 Boston College

Week 2: vs Temple

Week 3: @ Buffalo

Week 4: @ Indiana

**BIG EAST PLAY BEGINS**

Week 5: vs #23 Pittsburgh

Week 6: vs West Virginia

Week 7: @ Syracuse

Week 8: @ UConn

Week 9: vs Navy

Week 10: vs USF

Week 11: @ #8 Louisville

Week 12: BYE

Week 13: vs Cincinnati

Week 14: BYE

Projected Record: 6-6 (2-5)

SCHIANO NAMES STARTING LINEUPS FOR WEEK 1

This week at his Tuesday press conference, Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano named his starting lineup for the team's season opener against #17 Boston College.

"These are the guys who worked their butts off all from the final whistle last year to this point here and now, and that's why they're our starters to open the year", Schiano said this afternoon.

Here are your starting Scarlet Knights for the 2005 season!

QB: SR Jamaal Wood
HB: JR Jabari Tautofi
FB: SR Jerry Marshall
WR: SR Eddie Barbato
WR: SR Jacob Murphy
TE: SR Nick Wilkinson
LT: JR Ryan Walker
LG: SO Jason Morales
C: SR Barrett Jones
RG: S Frank Jones
RT: SR Mike Gibson

Analysis: This is a very experienced group entering the year, as all but one starter is either a junior or senior. I'd expect this experience to be the difference is some close games, and they should help propel the Knights to a bowl berth.

LE: SR Shannon Lawrence
RE: SR Travis Smart
DT: SR Elliot Evans
DT: JR P.J. Gray
LOLB: SR Tim Ruud
MLB: JR Noah Hinds
ROLB: SR Daniel Hunter
CB: JR Brigham James
CB: JR Dan Ford
FS: SO Kevin Irons
SS: SR Andre Johnson

Analysis: Similarly to the offense, there is a load of experience at the starting positions on defense. Again, this experience should propel Rutgers over the top in close games and should keep the team focused on the end-goal throughout the year: making a bowl game.

K: SR Antwon Miller
P: SR Steve St-Preux

**BookWork123** · 10-22-2019, 07:55 PM

Re: The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

KNIGHT'S CALL: 2005 RUTGERS RECRUITING PREVIEW

This year, Rutgers has some higher goals than you might expect from a team coming off a 5-win season. They have officially offered 12 recruits scholarships, but insiders report they are focusing their efforts on four separate prospects.

The first of these prospects is Guard Nick McClellan from Phoenixville, PA. Standing at 6'5" and weighing in at 315 lbs, he already has good size for college offensive lineman. He reportedly benches 470 lbs, and squats 680. He clearly comes in with elite size and strength, but Rutgers will have to compete with some good programs to land his services. Currently his favorite school is Rutgers, but powerhouses such as Notre Dame, Ohio State and Michigan are also contenders for Nick.

The second prospect here is halfback Eddie Taylor from Fort Lee, NJ, less than an hour's drive from New Brunswick. The 5'11" prospect runs a 4.39 40-yard dash according to early reports, and from his film as a sophomore and junior he has been a factor in Fort Lee's passing game as well. Rutgers will be up against schools such as Penn State and Virginia Tech for Taylor's services, but if he commits to RU, he could be a dynamic back both running and receiving.

Next up we have linebacker Anthony Fitzpatrick from Lyndhurst, NJ. Also less than an hour's drive from New Brunswick, Anthony is a bit undersized at 5'11", but has solid speed, running a 4.5, and possesses decent instincts on the field. Rutgers is again up against powers such as Virginia Tech, Ohio State, and Michigan, but Fitzpatrick would be a strong get for a senior-laden defense.

Finally, we have Strong Safety Zach Luke. Another out of state prospect, this time from Maryland, Zach has elite height for the safety position, measureing in at 6'3". He also runs around a 4.5 according to initial reports, but his instincts on the field more than make up for less than elite speed. Again, schools such as Notre Dame and Penn State will be competing for Zach's services next season, but he could be a good piece to add to Rutgers' defensive backfield.

That's all we have for the opening edition of Knight's Call! We will keep you updated as recruits trim their lists, take visits, and eventually commit.

GO RU!

**BookWork123** · 10-22-2019, 08:02 PM

Re: The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

WEEK 1 PREVIEWS: 'NOLES-CANES TOPS SLATE

Entering week 1 of the 2005 college football season, there is a sense of excitement in the air. Last week, during "Week 0", as some call it, there was one matchup, as #19 Arizona State defeated Temple 52-20. The Sun Devils' top performer was their wideout Jones, who finished with 9 receptions, totaling up a staggering 191 yards and 2 touchdowns.

This week, gameday will be heading to Tallahassee as the #11 Miami Hurricanes take on the #5 Florida State Seminoles. Both teams have championship aspirations, so this is a big early-season test to see who might live up to that billing.

Elsewhere, the #1 ranked USC Trojans host unranked Hawaii, and #20 Auburn hosts #25 Georgia Tech in an intriguing early season matchup for two sleeper teams in their respective conferences. The final ranked-vs-ranked matchup is the #14 Georgia Bulldogs taking on the #18 Boise State Broncos in Athens. That should be exciting as we see if Boise can play spoiler to the BCS this year.

That's all for this week's preview, tune in next week for the updated Top 25, Heisman Watch, and more!

**BookWork123** · 10-22-2019, 08:12 PM

Re: The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

WEEK 1 PREVIEW: BOSTON COLLEGE

Week 1 of the 2005 college football season sees our Scarlet Knights take on the Eagles of Boston College. The game kicks off at 12:30 PM from Alumni Stadium in Boston.

Boston College is balanced across their offense, and they are led on that front by their senior QB Kenny Moss (82 OVR). Defensively, they have two All-Americans leading the charge. Trai Smith at defensive end (99 OVR), and Tyson Foster at cornerback (96 OVR) lead a talented defensive unit that will give the Knights offense fits all game.

With that said, our prediction for this game is 31-21 in favor of Boston College. Their well-rounded offense will help them keep the Rutgers D off balance early, and their defensive leaders will shut down the Knights offense early on before they score late to keep it close.

As always, GO RU!

**djp73** · 10-23-2019, 06:27 AM

Re: The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

good to see you back! congrats on graduating and getting into Rutgers! following along!

**BookWork123** · 10-24-2019, 04:06 PM

Re: The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

Originally posted by djp73

good to see you back! congrats on graduating and getting into Rutgers! following along!

Thanks! The first game recap will be up shortly.

**BookWork123** · 10-24-2019, 04:20 PM

Re: The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

BIG FIRST QUARTER ALLOWS EAGLES TO PUT AWAY KNIGHTS ON OPENING DAY

On Saturday, September 3 the Rutgers Scarlet Knights took on Boston College to open their 2005 campaign with high expectations. Those expectations were dismantled very quickly, however, as the 17th-ranked Eagles took a 28 point lead in the first quarter, and by the time the dust settled on the game the Knights lost by 17 points.

The Knights only managed 235 total yards on offense, 102 passing and 133 rushing. Jamaal Wood managed to pass for one touchdown, but he also threw two interceptions, which really impeded Rutgers' chances of staging a comeback. Jabari Tautofi shone on the ground, as he mustered 135 yards on 20 attempts, good enough for 6.7 yards/carry, as well as scoring once on the ground.

However, the team could get nothing going on through the first quarter, and the Eagles walked away with an expected season-opening victory.

Next week, the Scarlet Knights come home to New Brunswick to face the Temple Owls, recently evicted from the Big East. The Owls lost to Arizona State in week 0, and had a bye week last week. The Knights, in spite of their poor showing versus BC, are expecting a win, and we'll cover that game in-depth for you as it approaches.

GO RU!

Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Boston College Eagles
Sep 3, 2005	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (0-1)	0	0	0	21	--	21
#17 Boston College Eagles (1-0)	28	3	7	0	--	38

**BookWork123** · 10-24-2019, 05:36 PM

Re: The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

WEEK 1 RECAP AND WEEK 2 PREVIEW

TEXAS-OHIO STATE, LSU-ARIZONA STATE TOP SLATE

Week 1 of the 2005 college football season mostly went chalk, save for three upsets. The less surprising of the two was Miami topping Florida State, as both teams were top 15 ranked entering their heavyweight tilt. The more surprising upsets, however, was the other Miami (of Ohio) beating Ohio State by 4 in the Horseshoe, as well as #15 Purdue dropping to Akron. The loss will drop OSU to #23 in the top 25, and things don't get easier this week as they travel to Austin to take on the Longhorns. Purdue, on the other hand, actually gained a spot to #14 and will head to Tucson to take on Arizona.

Gameday will be headed to Austin this week, but there is another premier matchup between #17 Arizona State and #9 LSU. With an upset, Arizona State could prime themselves for a huge season.

Other notable matchups include #3 Iowa taking on Iowa State in the Battle for the Cy-Hawk trophy, and South Carolina taking on #13 Georgia in an early season SEC clash.

That's all for Gameday next week, tune in next week for a recap of Week 2 and a Week 3 preview!

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Sep 5, 2005
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	USC Trojans (35)	1	0	1499
2	2	Tennessee Volunteers (21)	1	0	1419
3	3	Iowa Hawkeyes (4)	1	0	1359
4	4	Oklahoma Sooners (1)	1	0	1300
5	6	Texas Longhorns	1	0	1185
6	7	Michigan Wolverines	1	0	1129
7	8	Louisville Cardinals	1	0	1081
8	11	Miami Hurricanes	1	0	1046
9	9	LSU Tigers	1	0	1019
10	10	Virginia Tech Hokies	1	0	981
11	13	Florida Gators	1	0	810
12	5	Florida State Seminoles	0	1	788
13	14	Georgia Bulldogs	1	0	777
14	15	Purdue Boilermakers	0	1	710
15	16	Alabama Crimson Tide	1	0	662
16	17	Boston College Eagles	1	0	615
17	19	Arizona State Sun Devils	1	0	522
18	20	Auburn Tigers	1	0	480
19	21	Texas Tech Red Raiders	0	0	434
20	22	Virginia Cavaliers	1	0	391
21	23	Pittsburgh Panthers	1	0	342
22	--	Texas A&M Aggies	1	0	250
23	12	Ohio State Buckeyes	0	1	246
24	--	UCLA Bruins	1	0	201
25	18	Boise State Broncos	0	1	173

Others receiving votes: Cal (152), Colorado (115), Fresno State (74), New Mexico (39), Michigan State (11)

Dropped from poll: #25 Georgia Tech, #24 UTEP

Heisman Watch - Updated: Sep 5, 2005
NAME	POS	SCHOOL	SEASON STATS
Ryan Finnerty	QB	USC Trojans	21-23, 397 Yds, 6 TD
Micah Oliver	HB	Oklahoma Sooners	22 Car, 120 Yds, TD
Thomas Leonard	HB	USC Trojans	10 Car, 60 Yds, 12 Rec Yds
Lee Gibson	TE	Michigan Wolverines	3 Rec, 184 Yds, 3 TD
Joe Greene	HB	Tennessee Volunteers	30 Car, 136 Yds, 4 TD

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSE: James Bernard (HB), Boston College - 15 Car, 300 Yds, 4 TD

DEFENSE: Courtney Johnson (MLB), Penn State - 9 Tkls, 1 TFL, 2 Int, 1 TD

**BookWork123** · 10-25-2019, 02:23 PM

Re: The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

WEEK 2 PREVIEW: TEMPLE

KNIGHTS AND OWLS BOTH SEEKING FIRST WIN VS FORMER CONFERENCE FOE

In Week 2 of the 2005 season, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will be taking on former Big East rival Temple. Temple was in the conference until last season, when they left to pursue football independence. The two teams will face off this week as both seek their first victory of 2005 after losing to ranked teams to open their campaigns.

Rutgers will look to improve on their performance on both sides of the ball after a lackluster performance last week, and they will have to contain Temple's star QB, John Lester (84 OVR). Lester, while not a mobile QB, has a more-than-capable arm, and this was shown when he was named 2nd-team All-Independent in the preseason. He doesn't have an outstanding receiver to throw to, but Temple's HB duo of Trevor Williams (85 OVR) and Jason Williams (84 OVR) should be enough to draw the defense's attention and open up passing opportunities.

Defensively, the Owls' front four is their real strength, although star DE Jovon Johnson (85 OVR) is out for the next two weeks with an undisclosed injury. Their line as a whole is strong on that side of the ball, and the Knights' O-Line will need to show up for the Knights to have any hope at winning.

Rutgers' line talent should be good enough to contain any havoc the Owls may wreak, and they have enough talent across the board to secure their first win of the 2005 season.

Our prediction: Rutgers 24, Temple 14

GO RU!

**BookWork123** · 10-26-2019, 01:29 AM

Re: The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

RUTGERS TOPS TEMPLE THANKS TO DEFENSE, SPECIAL TEAMS; IMPROVES TO 1-1

Rutgers football has officially achieved its first win of 2005, beating Temple on a rainy afternoon at Rutgers stadium by a score of 21-16.

The two former conference rivals clashed this time in a non-conference matchup, but the bad blood was still evident, as seen by some trash talking during pregame warmups between the two sides.

Rutgers was able to back up the trash talk early, as their defense forced a missed field goal on Temple's first possession after stiffening up on Rutgers' side of the 50, and Jabari Tautofi broke off a 59-yard touchdown run on the following Rutgers drive. Seems like the start of a blowout win, right? Well, as Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast, my friend!"

Temple scored on the following possession to knot it up at 7-7, but there would be no legitimate scoring threat until near halftime. Rutgers was driving downfield, until Jamaal Wood proceeded to throw an interception. Temple drove downfield, and seemed on the verge of taking at least a field goal lead into the break, until Dan Ford picked off Lester in the end zone to give Rutgers the ball on their own one.

Marshall, the fullback, managed to gain 12 yards on a fullback dive to give the Knights some breathing room, and they managed to run and pass their way downfield to the Temple 48 with 0:06 left in the half. Jamaal Wood proceeded to heave one up to Jacob Murphy, who burnt his man off the line. This, combined with the safety being slow to react led to a catch in the endzone and a 14-7 lead for Rutgers headed into the break.

To open the second half, Rutgers started out very fast, as Travis Stewart, junior wideout and starting kick returner, took the kick 98 yards to the house and opened up a 21-7 Rutgers lead. Temple went 3-and-out and gave the ball back to Rutgers, who did not score but managed to chew some time off the clock. Temple was ready to show they weren't out yet, drawing closer with a field goal, as the score would be 21-10 headed into the fourth quarter.

Rutgers again had the ball, and while they failed to score, they did again chew time off the clock. Temple got the ball back, and managed to work their way downfield and scored a touchdown through the air. However, on the ensuing two-point try, the pass was knocked away, leading to a five-point Rutgers lead. This would be how the game would end, as Rutgers possessed the ball for the final minutes, including converting a fourth-down from midfield to seal the win with about a minute left.

Rutgers' D held Temple to under 250 passing yards and under 100 yards on the ground, both major factors in holding Temple to just 16 points. The Rutgers ground attack, on the other hand, was on point, as Jabari Tautofi and Trey Jenkins combined for 28 attempts on the ground and 253 yards, for an average of 9 yards per carry.

Tautofi was named the player of the game as he ran for the opening touchdown and also tallied 150+ yards on the ground for the Knights.

Looking ahead: The Knights travel to upstate New York to take on MAC foe Buffalo. The Bulls are 0-2, having lost both their games so far to Big East teams in Syracuse and UConn. We'll see if Rutgers can make that 3 losses in a row to Big East teams for Buffalo.

GO RU!

Temple Owls at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Sep 10, 2005	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Temple Owls (0-2)	7	0	3	6	--	16
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-1)	7	7	7	0	--	21

The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

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