Rutgers heads to Chestnut Hill on Friday night looking for a reset, and the Daily Targum’s writers are split on whether the Scarlet Knights can find it against Boston College.
After a disastrous opening week, Rutgers enters the matchup at 0-1 overall and 0-0 in conference play, while Boston College is also 0-1 and 0-0. The Eagles will wear their red bandana uniforms for a special night tied to the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001.
The prediction board leans Rutgers, but not by much. Of the eight forecasts, six pick the Scarlet Knights, two back Boston College, and nearly all of them center on the same key question: what changes with AJ Surace at quarterback?
James Mertz, the head sports editor, sees two very different outcomes. In one prediction, he has Boston College winning 32-26, writing, "It's tough to see a world where Rutgers allows fewer than 30 points in this game, even against a highly flawed Boston College team.
AJ Surace will be an upgrade from Dylan Lonergan, but the offensive line proved in Week One that it is a liability. KJ Duff will shine as usual, scoring a touchdown with more than 100 receiving yards, but it won't be enough as the Scarlet Knights move to 0-2."
His other two picks go the other direction. Mertz has Rutgers winning 21-20 and 27-24, with the second forecast stressing the same theme: "Both of these teams are coming off of bad games, for Rutgers, I would describe it as worse than bad.
Even with that said, the Scarlet Knights are still the stronger team with a much higher offensive ceiling. With AJ Surace at the helm, a competent showing should help Antwan Raymond get more chances out of the backfield.
Don't expect the Rutgers defense to look pretty, but it will do enough for a close win."
Nathan Thompson is also on Rutgers, projecting a 24-17 win. "Rutgers may have gotten totally embarrassed last week, but that doesn't change the fact that Boston College is also not a good football team.
I still believe the Scarlet Knights will redeem themselves through their built-up anger and frustration, and quarterback AJ Surace will prove why he should be the starter moving forward. Rutgers earns a much-needed victory in Chestnut Hill."
Justin Cheeseman sees a tighter finish, but still gives the edge to Rutgers, 24-21. "This will be an incredibly scrappy and hard-fought game.
Ultimately, Rutgers will earn a huge bounce-back victory on a game-winning field goal. KJ Duff will catch another touchdown, and AJ Surace will lead the Scarlet Knights to a win in a game that will constantly go back and forth."
Not everyone is buying the rebound. Ryan Kindler has Boston College winning 24-21, saying, "Rutgers is still messed up mentally from the humiliating loss against UMass, and despite keeping this one close the whole way, they ultimately fall to Boston College.
Rutgers will stay with Longeran, and he'll have a bounce-back game with fewer turnovers, and he'll shake off some of the nerves he felt in Week One. Boston College, though, will outlast Rutgers in a close game with a late score."
Makali Pennycooke predicts Rutgers to get its first win, 20-17, and points to the quarterback switch as a major reason. "This was tough to predict, but ultimately the Scarlet Knights should pick up their first win of the season against Boston College.
With AJ Surace now the starter, the offense should run a lot better with him under center after a disastrous start from Lonergan. The defense desperately needs to be better after a horrendous start to the season."
Mike Silva has Rutgers pulling away a bit more, 31-27, with Antwan Raymond and the offense bouncing back. "I'm expecting a bounce-back game from Antwan Raymond and the rest of the offense as a whole. AJ Surace needs to lead this offense better than Lonergan, and I see Duff having another great game."
Matthew Risko rounds out the group with a 31-24 Rutgers win. "Making the quarterback change to Surace can be make-or-break in this game. Boston College's defense looked bad last week versus Cincinnati, and with a new quarterback, Rutgers can really explode offensively in this game."
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday, with the game airing on ESPN2 and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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