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Friday, October 21, 2016

Rutgers 2016 Season Game 8: Minnesota

                                                                                                        (AP Photo)

WHO: Rutgers (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten) at Minnesota (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten)

WHEN: Saturday at noon ET

WHERE: TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota; ESPNU (TV); WOR 710AM, WCTC 1450AM, WENJ 97.3FM, WNJE 920AM, WRSU 88.7FM (Radio)

COACHES: Rutgers: Chris Ash (first season, 2-5); Minnesota: Tracy Claeys (second season, 6-6)

SERIES: This marks the first-ever meeting between the schools. Rutgers is 0-6 all-time against Big Ten West teams (Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois).

LAST WEEK: Rutgers lost on Homecoming to Illinois, 24-7. Minnesota won at Maryland, 31-10.

RUTGERS WINS IF: The Scarlet Knights hold onto the ball and turn a corner offensively under new starting quarterback Gio Rescigno. The redshirt sophomore passed for 120 yards and rushed for 37 more in the second half last week to provide a spark to an offense held scoreless for 11 straight quarters. Will that translate on the road? Five turnovers was the line of demarcation against Illinois. That obviously cannot happen again for Rutgers to have any chance in Minneapolis.

MINNESOTA WINS IF: The Gophers' ball-control offense subjects Rutgers' defense to another strenuous outing. Led by Rodney Smith, Minnesota rushed for 229 yards last week at Maryland, which yields 84.2 yards per game fewer than Rutgers. Oh, and Minnesota ranks fifth in the Big Ten in time of possession. Rutgers' banged up defense, particularly at linebacker, has to find a way to string together some three-and-outs.

EXTRA POINTS: Minnesota is the 11th different Big Ten opponent Rutgers will have faced in three seasons. Only Purdue and Northwestern remain. ... Rutgers is one of two Big Ten teams to be playing for an eighth straight week without a bye, the first time the program has done so since 2008. ... TCF Bank Stadium is the newest Big Ten stadium, opening in 2009 with a capacity of 50,805, nearly two thousand fewer seats than High Point Solutions Stadium. ... The Gophers have no players from New Jersey, Pennsylvania or New York on their roster. Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is the son of former All-Pro NFL cornerback Antoine Winfield.

PREDICTION: Minnesota 34, Rutgers 10


Game week stories

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Friday, October 14, 2016

Rutgers 2016 Season Game 7: Illinois

                                                                                                       (AP Photo)

WHO: Illinois (1-4, 0-2 Big Ten) at Rutgers (2-4, 0-3 Big Ten)

WHEN: Saturday at noon ET

WHERE: High Point Solutions Stadium; ESPNews (TV); WOR 710-AM, WCTC 1450-AM, WENJ 97.3-FM, WNJE 920-AM (Radio)

COACHES: Illinois: Lovie Smith (first season, 1-4); Rutgers: Chris Ash (first season, 2-4)

SERIES: The schools are tied 1-1 all-time. Illinois won the first meeting in 2005 in Champaign, 33-30 in overtime. Rutgers won the second contest in 2006 back in Piscataway, 33-0.

LAST WEEK: Rutgers lost to No. 4 Michigan, 78-0, its worst shutout defeat since 1888. Illinois fell to Purdue at home in overtime, 34-31.

RUTGERS WINS IF: The Scarlet Knights' offense finds its mojo again. It has been 135 minutes and 45 seconds of game time since Rutgers scored a point dating back to Sept. 4 against Iowa. The Knights have completed five forward passes and tallied 155 total yards since the day, but the nightmarish stretch against Ohio State and Michigan is over now. In enters the Big Ten West's cellar dweller. It's now or never for Chris Laviano & Co.

ILLINOIS WINS IF: The Illini exploit Rutgers' defense on the edge. Securing perimeter leverage continues to be an issue for the Knights, who even struggled to stop outside runs and read-option against the likes of Howard and New Mexico (443 total rushing yards). With pocket-passing quarterback Wes Lunt likely to sit this week, dual-threat man Chayce Crouch is a wild card for Illinois and potential matchup problem for Rutgers.

EXTRA POINTS: High Point Solutions Stadium is hosting Homecoming. Rutgers is 53-29-2 all-time in the event, snapping a three-game losing streak last season with a 27-14 win against Kansas. ... This marks Rutgers' 10th unique Big Ten opponent and would be the program's first victory against the Big Ten West. ... Illinois ranks third nationally and first in the Big Ten for fewest turnovers (four). ... Defensive lineman Sean Adesanya (Rahway) and long snapper Sean Mills (Metuchen) are the lone New Jersey natives on Illinois' roster.

PREDICTION: Rutgers 24, Illinois 20


Game week stories

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Friday, October 7, 2016

Rutgers 2016 Season Game 6: Michigan

                                                                                    (AP Photo)

WHEN: Saturday at 7 p.m. ET

WHERE: High Point Solutions Stadium; ESPN2 (TV); WCTC 1450-AM, WFAN 101.9-FM, WENJ 97.3-FM, WNJE 920-AM (Radio)

COACHES: Michigan: Jim Harbaugh (second season, 15-3); Rutgers: Chris Ash (first season, 2-3)

SERIES: The schools are tied 1-1 all-time. Rutgers won the 2014 meeting in Piscataway, 26-24, the Scarlet Knights' first-ever Big Ten victory. Michigan dominated last season in Ann Arbor, 49-16.

LAST WEEK: Rutgers suffered a 58-0 defeat at No. 2 Ohio State, the program's first road shutout since 2002. Michigan grinded out a 14-7 win over then-No. 8 Wisconsin at home.

RUTGERS WINS IF: The Scarlet Knights' defense plays stingy and physical against the Wolverines' power formations. Rutgers' only realistic chance at an upset will be to make this a messy, low-scoring game. Third downs will be especially critical. Michigan is 27th nationally in conversion percentage (47.2%) and first in third-down defense (15.4%). Against a similar pro-style Iowa offense two weeks ago, Rutgers limited the Hawkeyes to 3-of-11 on third downs.

MICHIGAN WINS IF: The Wolverines' offensive line wins the battle up front. Through five games, Michigan averages 209.8 rushing yards. Should the Wolverines' gap schemes overwhelm Rutgers' front seven, QB Wilton Speight and the play-action game will find comfort in Piscataway. Michigan's uber-talented defense, elite in several categories, should have few issues hindering Rutgers' last-place Big Ten offense (333 yards per game).

EXTRA POINTS: High Point Solutions Stadium is holding its first-ever #StripeTheBirthplace promotion. Fans in odd numbered sections will wear black, while those in even numbered sections will wear scarlet. Those in the student section will wear black. ... The 2014 primetime game had a sellout crowd of 53,327, third-largest in school history. ... Michigan's roster features nine players from New Jersey, including three from Paramus Catholic (Jabrill Peppers, Rashan Gary, Juwann Bushell-Beatty). ... This is Michigan's first road game in 2016 after opening the season with a five-game homestand.

PREDICTION: Michigan 31, Rutgers 7


Game week stories

posted by Trentonian Sports @ 1:34 PM   0 Comments