Before Rutgers even gets a chance to reset, the scar from that opening loss to UMass is still hanging over the program. The Scarlet Knights looked disjointed from the start in that game, and according to Scarlet Nation’s Bobby Deren, almost nothing went right.
The biggest issue was up front. Rutgers’ offensive line, which included three players who had been solid starters a year ago, spent the day being shuffled around.
That overhaul came after Greg Schiano replaced two-time Super Bowl champion O-Line coach Pat Flaherty with Jim Turner, who arrived from the UFL. The result was a sharp drop-off from last season’s standard and a Rutgers ground game that managed only 30 total yards.
All-Big Ten running back Antwan Raymong finished with 42 yards on 14 carries and 47 yards after contact, but the line never gave the offense much of a chance.
The defense wasn’t any steadier. Rutgers’ front got little pressure and was pushed around on its way to allowing 397 yards to UMass.
Behind that, the second and third levels were just as shaky. Rutgers started seven transfers, and none of them came from a power-four program.
The coaching staff on that side of the ball was also brand new, with six new defensive coaches and just one year of combined experience as FBS assistants. The whole unit, as Deren put it, looked “outmatched, dazed and confused.”
That’s why Friday’s game feels like a real checkpoint. Deren noted that Rutgers is not built to chase a Big Ten title, but the Scarlet Knights absolutely should have handled UMass. If this turns out to be more than a one-off disaster and Rutgers drops Friday’s game too, the loss could have real consequences for Schiano’s future in Piscataway.
In Other News...
Rutgers QB Uncertainty Just Changed The Stakes For Boston College
Rutgers stumble against UMass already put some extra weight on Fridays meeting with Boston College, and now the quarterback picture has made it even more interesting. Dylan Lonergan left that opener because of an injury, and the Scarlet Knights have moved on to AJ Surace as they try to steady things before heading into Chestnut Hill.
Surace is in line for his first career start, which adds a layer of uncertainty to a game that was already supposed to tell us plenty about Rutgers after a rough Week 1. Lonergan has not practiced since the injury, and his status for Friday is still unclear, leaving Boston College to prepare for a reshuffled offense with more questions than answers. [Read more 🡒]
BC Defense Has One Urgent Problem Before Rutgers Arrives
Boston Colleges defensive staff spent the week after the Cincinnati opener digging into the kind of mistakes that can snowball early in a season, with coordinator Ted Roof pointing first to missed tackles and then to the run defense that had to clean up behind them. The Eagles are trying to get sharper in the fundamentals before Rutgers arrives, and Roof made clear the problem was not just one bad series but a bigger matter of consistency and technique.
The concern is amplified by how much youth is on the field for Boston College, where inexperience has become part of the conversation as the defense tries to settle in. Roofs review suggests the Eagles are still learning how to play faster and more reliably within the system, and this weekend offers a quick chance to show whether that lesson can translate before a second straight opponent starts testing the same soft spots. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College's Home Opener Carries Weight Far Beyond A Bounce-Back
Boston Colleges first home game of the season already had enough weight attached to it, with both the Eagles and Rutgers trying to reset after opening losses. The matchup gives Boston College a chance to settle in at home and show more of the form it hoped to find in September, while the Scarlet Knights arrive needing a clean response of their own after a rough start.
The timing only sharpens the atmosphere. This is Boston Colleges annual Red Bandana Game, the programs tribute to alum Welles Crowther, and it comes on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. So while the on-field focus is on a bounce-back opportunity, the day also carries the kind of significance that reaches well beyond one result. [Read more 🡒]