Rutgers Football

It’s practically unbelievable, but there is a great chance that the No. 15 ranked Rutgers Scarlet Knights finish the 2012 college football season 12-0 and play in the Orange Bowl. There’s also a chance, albeit smaller, that the program winds up in the BCS National Championship Game.

This is a Rutgers football program that was widely considered to be the worst in the entire nation just 15 years ago, culminating with a 0-11 record back in 1997. It’s a team that was supposed to be rebuilding after former coach Greg Schiano’s defection to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.

Now it’s a squad that is 7-0 under first-time coach Kyle Flood and looks to be smooth sailing from here on out.

There are only two foreseeable problems on the horizon.

One is against Pittsburgh in Week 12, as RB Ray Graham is always tough to contain. The other is the season finale, which will take place on Nov. 29, when the Knights host No. 16 Louisville at High Point Solutions Stadium.

If Rutgers is able to go 11-0 up until that point, earn a hard-fought victory against a ranked Cardinals team and get some luck, there’s a highly realistic possibility that it is going to the BCS title game.

They’ll need the Kansas State Wildcats to fall in or before the Big 12 championship, the Oregon Ducks to do the same with the Pac-12 title game and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to lose a contest before the playoffs begin.

Since the SEC is so crowded at the top, Rutgers would likely play their championship game winner—likely to be the only undefeated team in the conference—if the Knights can get their ranking high enough by the postseason.

One major area of concern for the Scarlet Knights is whether or not Louisville remains undefeated.

Should they accomplish that, it would make for an epic showdown to end the campaign, as it would give them a huge boost in the final BCS standings.

If all of those stars align, the New Jersey-based school could shock the powerhouses down south and out west by competing for the biggest prize in college football. While this all sounds far-fetched going into Week 9, it might not be such a crazy concept in a few weeks.

Keep an eye on these Scarlet Knights; they might surprise you.

Rutgers has defied expectations under new head coach Kyle Flood and stormed out to a 7-0 start this season, but its toughest matchups of the year are still to come. 

The Scarlet Knights currently top the Big East standings with a 4-0 record and are coming off an extremely impressive 35-10 victory over Temple in which they trailed 10-0 after the first quarter, then reeled off 35 unanswered points.

Through tough defense and discipline, Rutgers has fought its way to seven victories, and it will need to do the same going forward.

Here are the games that will give the Scarlet Knights their toughest tests.

November 17, at Cincinnati

Rutgers will host Kent State this coming weekend before getting a week off, then host Army. With two easy home games and a bye on the schedule, the Scarlet Knights will be able to ensure that they are completely ready for this Big East showdown.

The Bearcats, however, are coming off their first loss of the season to Toledo and have to travel to Louisville this Friday. They will also have to take on two more conference opponents in the subsequent weeks.

The Scarlet Knights should be rested while Cincinnati will be weary, and this will give Rutgers’ tough defense an advantage over Munchie Legaux, George Winn and the Bearcats' offense.

In the loss to Toledo, Cincinnati continued to prove it is a slow-starting team. This trend will continue into this game, and the Rutgers defense will not allow the Bearcats to climb back into contention once it jumps out to an early lead.

November 24, at Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh has struggled this season and currently sits at 3-4 on the year and 0-3 in the Big East. 

In this matchup, it will be the Panthers who will be well-rested after getting a week off before hosting Rutgers. 

The key for the Scarlet Knights in this game will be forcing efficient Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri to make mistakes. He has completed 68 percent of his passes and thrown 10 touchdowns compared to only two interceptions.

If the stout Scarlet Knights defense is able to get Sunseri out of his comfort zone, then the team just may take an undefeated record into the last game of the season.

November 29, vs. Louisville

Rutgers’ final game will also be its toughest test of the year. 

Louisville is the only other team in the Big East who is undefeated this season. The Cardinals have followed quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and the conference title appears as if it will be decided during this game. 

The Scarlet Knights must continue to get constant pressure and allow Khaseem Greene and the defense to set the tone during this game. 

For Rutgers to win this game, and possibly the Big East, it must continue to defend at the level it has throughout this season. 

Things looked bleak for the Scarlet Knights, who trailed 10-0 at halftime in their game against Temple. But, just as they have all season long, Rutgers made adjustments and found the weaknesses in the Owls' defense to roll up four offensive touchdowns in the second half to roll to a 35-10 victory. The win moved them to 7-0 on the season and 4-0 in the Big East.

"In the second half, we were just able to execute better," explained Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood (as reported by the Associated Press on ESPN.com). Whether it is the tone of Coach Flood's voice or the strategic adjustments he makes at halftime, Rutgers has now outscored opponents 69-3 in the third quarter in 2012.

"I wish there was a magical speech," remarked Flood (as reported by the Associated Press). "It was more technical coaching."

Rutgers won the game with the same formula for success that they have used all season long: a stiff, opportunistic defense and a steady diet of the running game in the form of Jawan Jamison. Defensively, the Scarlet Knights held Temple to 119 rushing yards and just 72 yards passing. So stifling was the defense that Temple was just 5-for-16 on third-down conversions and could only manage nine first downs.

After being held under 100 yards last week, Jamison rolled for 114 yards on 19 carries against Temple and caught five passes, including a 32-yarder for a touchdown. "We just have the ability to fight," said the sophomore running back (per the Associated Press) about the team's second-half comeback. "We play together and punch adversity in the face."

Despite throwing his first interception in over a month, QB Gary Nova (17-of-27, 232 yards) showed continued maturity as he threw four touchdowns in the second half, staking the Knights to a 28-10 lead. Linebacker Khaseem Greene later salted the game away for the Knights when he returned a Temple fumble for a touchdown.

"It's one of the worst third quarters I've seen in a long time," said Temple head coach Steve Addazio (per the Associated Press). "They had to come alive and make some plays, and they made plays in the third quarter."

The unbeaten Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the next Big East team that the Temple Owls will look to knock off when they host them in Philadelphia on Oct. 20. The Owls are coming off a big, 17-14 overtime win against Connecticut, which improved their record to 3-2 on the season and 2-0 in Big East play.

"This is exciting for me, an honor to coach against Steve," declared RU head coach Kyle Flood (as quoted by Marc Narducci of The Inquirer on Philly.com) during his Monday press conference. "Steve was one of the truly fine offensive line coaches in the country before becoming a head coach."

The Owls will be facing a Rutgers defense that is nationally ranked in several categories. Critics are quick to point out, though, that RU's level of  competition so far this year has been subpar.

Attempting to pass against that defense will be Temple quarterback Chris Coyer (54-of-101 for 662 yards and six touchdowns this season), who currently ranks 7th in the Big East with a QB rating of 124.2.

One of his favorite targets is Jalen Fitzpatrick (12 receptions for 196 yards and two touchdowns), who is the highest ranked of Temple's receivers (currently No. 22 in the Big East).

The 50th-ranked Temple rushing attack, however, may be where the Owls look to hurt the Scarlet Knights. They will try to utilize sustained drives to keep the RU offense off the field.

The task of moving the chains on the ground will fall mainly to RB Montel Harris, who has 310 yards this season and three touchdowns. Temple also relies heavily on its fleet-footed quarterback, Chris Coyer, who has 302 yards and two touchdowns through last week.

"It starts with stopping the run," theorized Flood (as quoted in the Stats LLC game preview on ESPN.com). "If you stop the run, you can make a team one-dimensional, you'll have chances to turn the ball over."

The Temple defense relies heavily on the pressure put on the quarterback by DL John Youboty, DE Marcus Green and LB Sean Daniels, who each have two sacks this year.

Rutgers QB Gary Nova has been stingy surrendering interceptions, and defensive backs Chris Hutton, Tavon Young and Vaughn Carraway will have their hands full trying to cover the Knights' talented receiving corps.

In 34 total meetings between the two clubs, Rutgers leads the series 18-16-0, with the most recent meeting back in 2004. The Owls were removed from the Big East following that season, and after a seven-season absence, Temple was reintegrated from the Mid-American Conference.

Now, as they build momentum, the Owls are looking to continue making their mark in the Big East in 2012.

"I think it's real important," indicated Temple head coach Steve Addazio (as quoted by Pat Eaton-Robb of the Associated Press on WJTV.com). "We're going to represent Northeast and Big East football."

Now midway through his first season and without a blemish on his record, Flood knows that his team must remain focused in order to to reach its preseason goal of winning the Big East title.

"If you spend too much time patting yourself on the back for what you've accomplished, you're going to lose sight of what you need to accomplish this week," declared Flood (per the Stats LLC game preview). "We'll evaluate the whole body of work at the end of the season."

Game Time: 12pm, Oct. 20, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA. Television: ESPN3

Rutgers has begun the season 6-0, but it doesn't deserve to be mentioned as BCS bowl contenders yet. The Scarlet Knights haven't played a ranked team, and only one of their opponents even has a winning record. That one opponent is Howard, and it plays in the MEAC which is far from a major conference in college football.

Though Rutgers' record is impressive, I'll hold off on any BCS talk until it beats a formidable opponent.

The Scarlet Knights' defense is the biggest reason they're undefeated. They've only allowed 11.5 points per game, and that's the third lowest total in the nation. It's important to see that defense match up against an offense with major weapons.

To a certain extent, this isn't a complete case of soft scheduling. They played Arkansas on September 22, and if you took a look at Rutgers' schedule before the season started, most people would have called that game a major test.

The Razorbacks have been far from a quality team this season. The Scarlet Knights won the game 35-26, but the loss dropped the Razorbacks to 1-3 at the time. That effectively took much of the shine from the Scarlet Knights' victory.

As it stands, they won't play a ranked team until November 17 when they visit the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Bearcats are currently ranked No. 21 in the nation, but anything could happen over the next three weeks.

The same could be said for their season finale against Louisville on November 26. The Cardinals are currently ranked No. 16, but there's a long way to go before that game is played.

Rutgers is in the same situation many mid-tier programs find themselves. They can only beat the teams put in front of them. That said, you can't place a team with no wins over ranked opponents ahead of schools from major conferences.

The jury is still out on Rutgers.

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It no doubt came as a surprise to many that the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, despite the fact that they are 6-0 on the season, debuted at No. 15 in the BCS rankings.

More surprising still may be that the team that currently sits behind them at No. 16—Louisville—was the overwhelming pick to win the conference in the Big East preseason poll. Then again, that same poll picked USF to finish second overall.

Many analysts look at the running game for the Scarlet Knights, their sound special teams play and a defense currently ranked third overall in points against and consider them to be a legitimate BCS threat. Perhaps the biggest surprise has been the ever-maturing play of their sophomore quarterback Gary Nova, who has kept interceptions to a minimum and spread the ball around to a deep receiving corps.

“We have a lot of weapons everywhere,” said Nova (as quoted by Joey Gregory of The Daily Targum on DailyTargum.com). “It’s just a testament to everybody doing their job when they get an opportunity.”

In truth, their next three games are winnable, against Temple (3-2), Kent State (5-1), and Army (1-5), but far from easy. That would put them at 9-0, but a quick review of their first six victories may give critics reason to consider Rutgers nothing more than paper tigers:

Tulane: At 1-5, the Green Wave finally broke their five-game losing streak last week with a one-point victory over Southern Methodist, 27-26. In their five losses, they were outscored 212-45, with the low point a 63-10 loss to Louisiana Monroe. Tulane ranks 93rd nationally in passing yards and 124th in rushing yards.

Howard: With a 4-2 mark for the season, the Howard Buffalo have not beaten a single team with a winning record. Sitting third in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the most convincing win Howard has produced was over an 0-6 Savannah State team, 56-9.

South Florida: Currently last in the Big East, USF is just 2-4 this season, currently mired in a four-game losing streak. Their signature win this season is over the 6-1 Nevada Wolf Pack. USF will likely slip to 2-5 this week, as they face the undefeated Louisville Cardinals on Oct. 20.

Arkansas: Easily the biggest win of the season so far for Rutgers, the victory over the Razorbacks is somewhat tainted by the fact that the Hogs are obviously having a down year. Currently at 3-4 on the season, Arkansas has rebounded in the last two weeks, defeating Auburn and Kentucky. Continued success by the Razorbacks only assists Rutgers' strength-of-schedule. 

Connecticut: An 0-2 record in the Big East and 3-4 overall does not help convince detractors that the Rutgers' victory over Connecticut was an impressive win. The Huskies' victories this season have come over Massachusetts (0-6), Maryland (4-2) and Buffalo (1-5). 

Syracuse: Rutgers had a tough game against Syracuse before their defense and special teams locked up the win against the Orange, who are just 2-4 on the season. Other than a surprise win against Pittsburgh, the only other victory for the Orange this season came against Stony Brook at the Carrier Dome on Sept. 15.

“I think what we’ve shown this season is we can win games a lot of different ways,” said RU head coach Kyle Flood (as quoted by Dave Hutchinson of The Star-Ledger on NJ.com). “When you say you won the game with defense and special teams, that doesn’t mean the offense wasn’t a part of it.”

Should Rutgers get past a scrappy Temple club in Philadelphia this week, defeat an improved Kent State team and handle the Army Black Knights, the 9-0 Scarlet Knights would then face the toughest stretch of their 2012 schedule. In the final three weeks, Rutgers plays No. 21 Cincinnati, Big East rival Pittsburgh and current No. 16 Louisville.

If all breaks right for college football fans, the Scarlet Knights-Cardinals matchup on Nov. 29th could decide the Big East title.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights will lay their perfect 6-0 record on the line when they travel to take on the Temple Owls this Saturday for a Big East showdown.

Temple sits at 3-2 this season, but it is a perfect 2-0 in conference, and if it can pull off the upset here it will be in fine shape to win the conference, which would be fairly amazing given it moved back to the Big East from the MAC this year.

This is a pivotal conference game, and it should be a blast to watch. 

Where: Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

When: Saturday, October 20 at 12 p.m. ET

Watch: Big East Network 

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Listen: List of Rutgers radio networks, list of Temple radio networks

Betting Line: Rutgers -5 (according to Bet Online on Oct. 16)

Who Might Not Play for Rutgers

*Injury information according to the USA Today on Oct. 16. Click the link for updated info. 

Questionable: Betim Bujari, OL (leg)

Out: Max Issaka, DE (personal), Isaac Holmes, DL (wrist), Michael Burton, FB (leg)

Who Might Not Play for Temple

*Injury information according to the USA Today on Oct. 16. Click the link for updated info. 

Questionable: Kamal Johnson, DL (disciplinary)

What They're Saying 

The Inquirer's Keith Pompey knows that if Temple falls to Rutgers, it won't be because it is underestimating the Scarlet Knights.

Temple coach Steve Addazio always speaks highly of his team's next opponent during the weekly Big East teleconferences, whether the praise is warranted or not.

But on Monday, he took his compliments to another level.

"I'm watching their tape and I feel like maybe, you know, it's like if I'm watching Rutgers or the New York Giants here," said Addazio, whose team will play 19th-ranked Rutgers on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field. "They look great to me."

Rutgers Player to Watch: Jawan Jamison, RB 

Jawan Jamison has been a workhorse this year. He has gained 665 rushing yards at 4.2 per carry, and in his last four games, he is averaging 32.5 carries per game.

Jamison has gone over 100 yards in all but one game this season, which came last week against Syracuse. He will get the ball early and often in this one. 

Temple Player to Watch: Chris Coyer, QB

Junior quarterback Chris Coyer will be more than happy to beat a team with his feet or his arm.

The 6'3", 220-pound signal-caller has run for 302 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 662 yards and six touchdowns against two interceptions.

He is also growing as a leader. Last time on the field, he threw a touchdown pass with the clock nearing zero to send his team to overtime, where it eventually beat Connecticut.

Key Matchup: Rutgers' Rush Defense vs. Temple's Rush Offense

While Coyer is happy beating teams through the ground or air, the Owls would just prefer to do it on the ground as a team. They are actually running for 44.4 yards per game more than they are passing. 

The Owls have three players who have rushed for at least 260 yards this season and they've run for nine touchdowns as a team. 

They are going to have a hard time getting that run game on track this week as they face a Scarlet Knights defense that is second in the nation with 60.8 rushing yards allowed per game. 

Prediction: Rutgers 20, Temple 10

Rutgers' defense will be too much in this one. Along with being second in rush defense, it is third in scoring defense, and that unit will keep the Scarlet Knights undefeated through this weekend.