Rutgers Football

“We’ve got a big game against Rutgers next week. I am going to do everything in my power to be a part of it and be the starting quarterback when we run out onto the field. And most importantly, get a win.”—injured Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson, as reported by John Taylor of NBC Sports on CollegeFootballTalk.NBCsports.com.

The 3-0 Scarlet Knights face what is arguably their greatest challenge of the season when they travel to Arkansas to face a Razorbacks team that has struggled so far this season.

After rolling over Jacksonville State 49-24 in its season opener, Arkansas was upset by the ULM Warhawks in overtime, 34-31. But when Arkansas dropped last week's conference game to Alabama 52-0, the result reportedly prompted sidelined quarterback Tyler Wilson to criticize his teammates.

"Do I feel that we, at times, gave up out there?" the injured Wilson asked rhetorically about his teammates [as reported by John Taylor of NBC Sports on CollegeFootballTalk.NBCsports.com]. "Absolutely." Wilson's playing status for the Rutgers game remains questionable due to the head injury that took him out of the ULM game in Week 2 and caused him to miss last week's game against the Crimson Tide.

Despite the early-season troubles, first-year coach John L. Smith is trying to keep his Arkansas team together as they prepare for Rutgers.

''I have total confidence in these guys and that the seniors are going to pull us together and the rest of the team is going to pull together,'' Smith said [as quoted by Kurt Voigt on Sports.Yahoo.com]. ''I don't think they're going to splinter and everybody start pointing fingers and going their own way."

The Razorbacks will need to function as a cohesive unit as they will face a Scarlet Knights team that currently ranks fifth in the nation in points against, ninth in rushing defense and 12th in total defense. If Tyler Wilson cannot go at QB, Brandon Allen (20-for-45 for 178 yards) will get the start.

“I’m going to do the best I can to keep everybody together and display a much better product out there on the field," Wilson said of his Arkansas teammates [as reported by Nate Allen on BaxterBulletin.com].

But will he be healthy enough to get on the field?

Without question, the Razorbacks are a much better team with their fifth-year senior quarterback under center, but in this age of heightened awareness regarding concussions and brain injuries, Arkansas is not likely to rush Wilson back onto the field. This week, Wilson is undergoing post-concussive testing to see if he can get clearance to play.

“The results were much better than the previous time,” Wilson said [as reported by Nate Allen on BaxterBulletin.com], "almost real similar to baseline. So that, for me, is very, very positive in my probability for this week.”

"I would imagine that with him on the field, they will be a completely different team," said Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood speaking about Tyler Wilson [per Keith Sargeant's article in Scarlet Scuttlebutt on MyCentralJersey.com]. He’s one of the elite quarterbacks in the country, a great challenge for our defense to defend him, and the weapons that they have.”

Whether it is Wilson or Allen throwing the passes for the Razorbacks offense, the Arkansas QB will be looking to connect with receivers Chris Gregg (17 receptions) and Cobi Hamilton (10 receptions). On the ground, Knile Davis is the workhorse at running back with 54 carries and 191 yards through three games.

“The thing about athletics and football is that you get to go this week and try and get rid of that bitter taste like we’ve said before,” said John L. Smith in anticipation of this week's confrontation with Rutgers [per Arkansas' Athletic Media Relations on ArkansasRazorbacks.com].

But Kyle Flood isn't taking Arkansas (1-2) for granted, despite its uneven play so far this season. Rutgers has been preparing with the expectation that Tyler Wilson will be the starter this week.

“I think they are just a dangerous team in general regardless of what their record is," Flood concluded about his team's Week 4 opponent [reported by Keith Sargeant's in Scarlet Scuttlebutt on MyCentralJersey.com]. "They are as physically talented a group as any group we’ll play all year.”

Game Time: 7:02pm (EDT), 6:02 local time (CDT), September 22; television broadcast on ESPNU.

Quarterback Gary Nova completed a 46-yard pass to Tim Wright that set up a Kyle Federico field goal to put Rutgers up 16-13 late in the fourth quarter of their Big East showdown with South Florida Thursday night on their way to a 23-13 victory.

A crowd of 44,219 saw Nova (23-of-42 for 277 yards and a touchdown) have his best game of the season, avoiding interceptions and sacks to overcome ill-disciplined play by the Scarlet Knights, who committed 11 penalties in the game.

Rutgers won with its usual formula, stingy defense and an aggressive ground attack, feeding workhorse Jawan Jamison the ball 41 times for 151 yards and a touchdown. Many of Jamison's best gains were wiped out by penalties, forcing the Knights into difficult passing situations.

"I told him during the week to get ready for 35 (carries)," admitted Rutgers coach Kyle Flood. I did not anticipate 41, but he did an excellent job with it."

The defense—while giving up 337 total yards to USF—surrendered only 13 points and intercepted Bulls quarterback B.J. Daniels three times in the game. Through three games, the Rutgers defense has given up a mere 25 points this season.

South Florida opened the scoring when Maikon Bonani hit a 41-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. The Scarlet Knights had a chance to answer, but a bad snap and worse hold by J.T. Tartacoff caused Federico's 42-yard field goal attempt to be blocked.

The Bulls added a second field goal, extending their lead to 6-0 over a Rutgers team whose penalty-riddled performance can only be termed dreadful.

In the second quarter, Nova led the Knights down the field on a spotty 12-play, two-minute drive, leading to Federico's 51-yard field goal, cutting the lead to 6-3 with just 28 seconds left in the half.

In the third quarter, a fumbled punt led to the game's tying field goal, before RU receiver Mark Harrison caught a six-yard touchdown from Nova to give Rutgers its first lead in the game, 13-6.

It appeared that the Knights were taking over the game.

But just as he had done last week against Nevada, B.J. Daniels (15 of 33 for 242 yards) brought the Bulls back, completing a 32-yard pass to Derrick Hopkins after the ball went right through the hands of defensive back Marcus Cooper.

From the one-yard line, running back Demetris Murray pounded the ball over and the game was tied 13-13 with just over nine minutes to play.

That is when the RU formula for success kicked in.

After Federico's third field goal gave RU a 16-13 lead with less than three minutes to play, the Bulls took possession looking to score quickly. After a seven-yard gain on first down and two incompletions, Daniels and the Bulls found themselves faced with a 4th-and-3 situation on their own 42. Under pressure, Daniels saw his fourth-down pass to Terrence Mitchell fall incomplete on the left sideline.

"We were fortunate to hold that team to the points that we did," said Flood. "It was a great effort by our defense."

After the turnover on downs, Rutgers' running game did its part, as Jamison took the ball on a 41-yard TD burst to stake Rutgers to a 23-13 lead, putting the game out of reach.

"What it boiled down to is we turned the ball over," said USF coach Skip Holtz. "We just made too many mistakes to come away with a victory."

Rutgers held the ball for 38:34 in the game and rolled up 424 yards, much of it on the strength of Jamison's running. The Scarlet Knights improved to 3-0 and now have more than a week to prepare for next week's clash with Arkansas.

The South Florida Bulls, after escaping with a one-point victory over Nevada, return home to Raymond James Stadium to host a Rutgers team still trying to solve its problems on offense.

Both teams are undefeated and must gear up during a short work week for a Big East showdown on national television this Thursday night.

"I don't know what we'll have to do to win the football game," admitted Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood during his Monday press conference. "I know we'll have to be better than last week." (via Rodger Sherman's article @ SBNation.com)

Rutgers starter Gary Nova (QB rating 119.3) has but three TDs and 288 yards passing this season as compared with Bulls quarterback B.J. Daniels (QB rating 160.9), who has already thrown for six touchdowns and 588 yards in two games.

"They're an excellent football team," added coach Flood about USF at his press conference. "They've got probably one of the best playmakers in our conference on offense playing quarterback for them, a guy who's very difficult to contain."

Due to the sputtering Rutgers passing attack, the load for the Scarlet Knights has thus far this season been carried by Jawan Jamison on offense, who has gained 222 yards this season on a whopping 7.9 yards per carry.

But the real story behind Rutgers' 2-0 start has been the special teams and defensive units which have made game-changing plays both of the Knights to two victories.

"They've got a very good defensive football team," remarked USF head coach Skip Holtz about the nation's No. 4-ranked (points against) unit..."It's scheme, it's talent, it's the way that they run and they're very physical." (via Keith Sargeant's article on MyCentralJersey.com).

As evidence of how important Rutgers' special teams have been, senior defensive back Brandon Jones was named Big East Special Teams Player of the Week for his runback of a blocked punt in the victory over Howard. In Week 1 against Tulane, Jones had an interception return for a touchdown.

The Bulls defense will likely key on junior receiver Brandon Coleman, who is the only Rutgers receiver to catch a touchdown pass this year. In fact, of Coleman's four receptions this season, three have been for touchdowns.

By contrast, no fewer than five different receivers have found the end zone this season for South Florida, led by B.J. Daniels' favorite target, receiver Andre Davis (13 catches, 204 yards and two touchdowns).

Injury Notes

Betim Bujari, Andre Civil, Savon Huggins and Marcus Thompson, all injured in the win over Howard, are questionable for the game against USF. In addition, Marvin Booker is still nursing a leg injury and will not play.

Defensive lineman Michael Larrow is still serving his four-game suspension and will miss the contest.

The game is critical for both teams, as Rutgers will next have to tangle with the Arkansas Razorbacks and, then, Big East rival Connecticut; USF will next face Ball State before returning home to battle Florida State.

Game Time: 7:30pm (EDT), Thursday, September 13; television broadcast on ESPN.

Work has been pleasant for Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood. In addition to inheriting a team that earned a postseason bowl berth last year, he corralled coach Schiano's excellent 2012 recruiting class.

Those freshmen, along with returning players from last year's winning season, are part of the reason that the Scarlet Knights are 2-0 so far this season. But to ensure future success, Flood knows that he must keep winning in order to attract new talent to the program.

The most recent commitment to Flood's 2013 Scarlet Knights is linebacker Lester Liston, currently enrolled at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. Liston becomes the 17th prospect to give a verbal commitment to Flood's program.

The 6'2", 225-pound prospect may be utilized by the Knights at any of the three linebacker spots for Rutgers next season, especially given the fact that the RU will be losing senior linebackers Khaseem Greene and Steve Beauharnais via graduation.

Liston is assessed as "a physical playmaker who is capable of making big plays from any spot on the field," according to ESPN.com.

Liston comes to Rutgers as a direct consequence of the hiring of linebacker coach Dave Cohen, who had previously coached at Western Michigan. Liston had attended Grand Blanc High School in Michigan where he played defense as well as offense. In addition to 98 tackles on defense, Liston ran for 699 yards and 23 receptions.

"He's a physical, aggressive player with the mentality you look for in a linebacker," according to Matt Hladik of ScarletNation.com [as reported by The Star-Ledger's Tom Luicci on NJ.com]. "Rutgers was looking for more linebacker help in this class and he could be that so-called thumper in the middle.

Liston had previously committed to Cincinnati, but the Bearcats were unable to tie up the recruit past a verbal when he did not qualify academically. The fact that Rutgers is getting a recruit that had previously been earmarked for a rival Big East team makes the pickup all the more significant.

Gary Nova threw an interception, overthrew and underthrew receivers and the Scarlet Knights committed 11 penalties for 92 yards in a game that was sloppy before the sky opened at halftime and drenched the field with a soaking rain.

But again it was defense, special teams and the running of Jawan Jamison that made the plays that pushed the Scarlet Knights to their second victory of the season.

The Knights made a key defensive stand when the Bison had a 1st-and-goal on the 2-yard line early in the first quarter. After stops on first and second down, a third-down pitch-out to William Parker was fumbled, and Rutgers defensive lineman Scott Vallone recovered to end the threat.

That was as close as the Bison would get to scoring in the game, as Howard University was held to 149 total yards on offense for the entire game.

“I feel like the defense played fast and we didn’t give up any points,” said RU defensive back Brandon Jones (as quoted by Tom Luicci of The Star-Ledger on NJ.com).  “Any time you do that it’s a good day.”

Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova went 15-of-27 in the game for just 130 yards with two touchdowns, but again looked tentative in the pocket for the second straight week. Nova spread the ball to seven different receivers, with wide receiver Mark Harrison snagging six receptions in the game. Despite the equitable distribution, only four Rutgers first downs came by way of the pass.

The Knights opened the scoring when Savon Huggins ran in on a one-yard TD plunge in the first quarter. Had that been the only points of the game, it would have been enough.

But then defensive back Brandon Jones—who had an interception returned for a touchdown in Week 1 against Tulane—picked up a blocked Howard punt and ran it in to put Rutgers ahead 13-0.

From there, WR Brandon Coleman added a touchdown reception midway through the second quarter to stake the Knights to a 19-0 lead at the half, and subsequently added a second TD catch in the third quarter to close out the day's scoring when Rutgers went up 26-0.

Due to their schedule, the Scarlet Knights have only a few days to heal up from the injuries sustained against the Bison. Offensive linemen Betim Bujari and Andre Civil, as well as running back Savon Huggins and defensive lineman Marcus Thompson, all left the field Saturday in need of medical attention.

Perhaps the bigger concern is how Rutgers can cure the ills of the passing offense before facing Big East foe USF on September 13.

“I don’t think we played our best football or close to what we’re capable of,” mused defensive lineman Scott Vallone (as reported by Tom Luicci of The Star-Ledger on NJ.com). “So what better time to do that than Thursday night on ESPN against South Florida?”

It wasn't pretty, but head coach Kyle Flood was happy to get his first career win when his Scarlet Knights prevailed over Tulane in the season opener, 24-12.

The aerial attack looked tentative under sophomore quarterback Gary Nova, but determined running by Jawan Jamison (112 yards and a touchdown) and some timely receptions by Brandon Coleman (including a 43-yard touchdown pass) gave the Rutgers offense a boost.

“Gary is a young quarterback and I’m excited about a lot of the things he did,” said coach Flood [as reported by Keith Sargeant on APP.com]. "I’m excited to see how he can progress from week to week and learn from some of these mistakes.”

On the special teams front, freshman kicker Kyle Federico went 3-for-3 on extra points and hit a field goal during the game after missing his first collegiate attempt from a distance of 34 yards.

“I knew I was way too fast and it showed," admitted Federico of his in-game jitters [as reported by The Star-Ledger's Dave Hutchinson on NJ.com]. "My adrenaline got me and I just got too anxious."

But, two hallmarks of Rutgers teams—defense and special teams—showed up when they were needed most. The longest play for Tulane in the game was a 32-yard pass reception by Ryan Grant, and the Green Wave's lone touchdown did not come until under six minutes left to play. Special teams blocked an extra point and produced a long kickoff return that led to points just before halftime.

Now, holding their 1-0 record, Rutgers hosts the Howard Bison in Piscataway, NJ this weekend for the Scarlet Knights' home opener at High Point Solutions Stadium.

The Bison are coming off a come-from-behind win in the AT&T Nation's Football Classic in Week 1 when they defeated Morehouse College, 30-29.

"They do a lot of things on offense," said coach Flood [as reported by Laura Amato on NewYorkSBNation.com] during this week's press conference. "They're coming off a great win with a freshman quarterback."

Howard QB Jamie Cunningham went 10-for-11 in the game for 79 yards and a touchdown in the victory over Morehouse.

"Any time you get a big win like this, it feels really good," Howard head coach Gary Harrell said [as quoted in the game summary on the NationsFootballClassic.com website]. "This was a great Classic and continues to push along the rivalry."

Harrell is in his second year with the Bison, leading them to a 5-6 mark last season.

Injury Notes:

Tight end Paul Carrezola, nursing a high ankle sprain, may be available for Saturday's game against the Bison, while coach Flood revealed [as reported by The Star-Ledger's Dave Hutchinson on NJ.com] that during this week's practice kick returner Jeremy Deering "turned his ankle," but should play against Howard.

The Rutgers defense will likely be without the services of nose tackle Al Page and defensive end Marvin Booker, both of whom are dealing with leg injuries. The Bison's talented linebacker Keith Pough should be available for the game against the Knights.

Rutgers holds a 2-0 series advantage with Howard, and is 8-0 all-time against the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Knights are 97-36-10 in home openers.

Game Time: 3:30 pm (EDT); television broadcast on the BIG EAST Network (SNY).

Brandon Jones stepped in front of a Ryan Griffin pass to Wilson Van Hooser and returned the ball for a 14-yard touchdown to put the Scarlet Knights up by 11 points with less than 12 minutes left in the game, helping to pace Rutgers to a 24-12 road victory over the Tulane Green Wave in the season opener for both clubs.

Trailing 10-6 with the ball deep in their own end, Griffin locked onto his receiver as soon as he took the snap, telegraphing his intentions to the Rutgers defense, then threw the ball into the teeth of man-to-man coverage.

The pick-6 return by Jones seemed to break the spirit of the Green Wave, who had stayed close with the Scarlet Knights for most of the contest in a game marred by penalties and tentative play by both offenses.

After a scoreless first quarter, Rutgers finally posted the game's first points when running back Jawan Jamison ran left, then cut back to the right and scampered 46 yards for a touchdown. After freshman Kyle Federico's first extra point as Rutgers' kicker, the Scarlet Knights led 7-0.

On the next RU possession, Kyle Flood decided to go for it on 4th-and-3, only to see quarterback Gary Nova's pass intercepted and returned to the Rutgers 40-yard line. Tulane converted several third-down plays, including a 3rd-and-16 before the drive stalled and they settled for a field goal to make the score 7-3 with just 41 seconds left in the first half.

On the ensuing kickoff, Jeremy Deering returned the kick to the Tulane 45-yard line. Rutgers moved the ball to the Tulane 10 and had Kyle Federico kick a 27-yard field goal as time expired to take a 10-3 lead into the locker room.

Both teams struggled in the third quarter, but Tulane was able to sustain a 17-play drive and kick a field goal to tighten the score to 10-6 early in the fourth quarter. At that point, the Rutgers defense took control of the game with the Brandon Jones' first interception of the season.

“Somebody had to step up and make a play," said Jones [as reported by Tom Luicci of The Star-Ledger on NJ.com] about his game-changing play, "and I was happy I was able to do it.”

The turnover appeared to infuse enthusiasm into the Rutgers offense, as on their next possession quarterback Gary Nova (11-for-20, 158 yards) hit Brandon Coleman with a 43-yard touchdown pass to finally give the Scarlet Knights some breathing room at 24-6.   

But Tulane did not quit, and on their next possession, Griffin hit Robert Kelly for a touchdown with 5:07 remaining to draw the game closer at 24-12 when the extra point was blocked.

Rutgers had only to run down the clock and make one more defensive stand, then took possession of the ball with 2:06 to play. With that, Kyle Flood's first game as Rutgers head coach ended with his team escaping New Orleans with a 24-12 victory before a crowd of 26,059.

Defense and special teams—traditionally Rutgers’ strengths—were equal to the task in the game, and were aided by 11 Tulane penalties, which put Tulane into passing situations.

“[W]e killed ourselves with penalties," said Green Wave quarterback Ryan Griffin [as reported by Tammy Nunez of The Times-Picayune on NOLA.com] after the game. "We didn't get a chance to get the run game going."

Tulane star running back Orleans Darkwa missed the game due to an ankle sprain, while Jawan Jamison ran for 112 yards on 18 carries and caught and two passes for 41 yards. Jamison was the highlight player of an otherwise mediocre Rutgers offensive performance.

Rutgers finished the game a dismal 4-for-13 on third downs, and had nine penalties for 72 yards. The offense could amass only 16 first downs in the game on a night that saw no RU receiver catch more than three passes.

“[W]e feel that we have the people in the program right now and the time is right not only to win bowl championships but Big East championships and BCS championships.”—Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood [as quoted by Keith Sargeant on APP.com]

If those words—spoken by Kyle Flood at this year's Big East media day—caused the blood of Rutgers' fans to run cold, there may be good reason. Eerily, they are almost identical to the bold declaration of Flood's predecessor, Greg Schiano, when he was hired as head coach a dozen years ago. 

"We are going to win championships at Rutgers," Schiano had said when taking over the team in 2000. "And we are going to do it the right way."

All the speculation, the planning and the preparation is now over, and all the questions about the final order of the depth chart have now been answered. With the 2012 season opener at Tulane upon them, Kyle Flood and the Scarlet Knights can now take the first legitimate step to fulfilling all their lofty preseason goals and moving towards their first-ever Big East title.

To his credit, the players appear to have bought into Flood's enthusiasm.

"This year I'm going to fill the shoes that Mohamed Sanu left," said senior wide receiver Tim Wright during fall camp [as reported by The Star-Ledger's Tom Luicci on NJ.com]. I'm going to be a big-time athlete. No more role player.''

Throwing those passes to the receivers to begin the season will be sophomore quarterback Gary Nova, who was named the starter on August 20. According to Flood, Nova was just slightly better through camp.

"We are fortunate to have two talented quarterbacks who have won big games for us," declared Flood as he named his starter. "This has been an excellent competition but Gary's body of work ultimately earned him the job."

Questionable, however, will be if any of Nova's passes are thrown the way of Paul Carrezola, whose lower body injury has made the starting tight end questionable for Saturday's game.

Other injuries which may limit the on-field time of players include those to FB Mike Burton and OL Devon Watkis. Third-string RB Paul James will miss Saturday's game due to a high ankle sprain [which was revealed by Coach Flood during his August 27 press conference via BoxScoreNews.com].

Defensive players questionable for the season opener include DL Issac Holmes, LB Jamal Merrell, DL Daryl Stephenson, DB Wayne Warren and DB Lorenzo Waters. Flood also revealed during his press conference [as reported by BoxScoreNews.com] that DL Kenny Kirksey and LB Quanzell Lambert will miss Saturday's game and will be "week to week as we go forward."

Tulane, which has won the last two contests against Rutgers, will unleash several talented offensive players against the Scarlet Knights, including receivers Justyn Shackleford (31 receptions), Wilson Van Hooser (36 receptions), running back Orleans Darkwa (924 yards and 13 touchdowns) and quarterback Ryan Griffin (2,502 yards passing with 13 touchdowns).

"I think they've got weapons in the air," noted Flood in his press conference [via BoxScoreNews.com]. "They've got a weapon at tailback, and they've got a head football coach who was part of one of the more prolific offenses in NFL history, so he'll know how to use those weapons."

The Green Wave returns 16 starters this season, but one important addition to Tulane's offense this year is the return of receiver Ryan Grant, who missed almost all of 2011 with a sports hernia injury.

Rutgers' defense, which ranked 14th nationally last season, will also be without defensive lineman Michael Larrow, who was suspended for four games due to his violation of team rules following an arrest in late July. 

“You can tell everyone knows it’s game time now,” said senior safety Duron Harmon [reported by Tom Luicci of The Star-Ledger on NJ.com], as the team turned its attention to Tulane. "[W]hen you start game-planning for another team like we started doing it really hits you that the season is here.”

Rutgers leads the all-time series against Tulane with a 3-2 advantage. The Scarlet Knights are 72-61-9 in season openers.

Game Time: 8:03pm (EDT) 7:03pm local time (CDT); television broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

The Rutgers football program got another boost when the class of 2013 got its 16th verbal commitment.

Safety Bryant Gross from Plantation, Fla., has become the latest Rutgers prospect-turned-recruit when he gave the program his verbal commitment on August 24.

Gross, a student at the American Heritage School, is 6'0", 190 lbs and has a time of 4.5 in the 40-yard dash.

A 2-star prospect (Scout.com), Gross is the ninth defensive recruit for the Scarlet Knights and the third safety (along with fellow recruits Anthony Cioffi and T.J. Taylor) of the class of 2013.

Gross had also received offers from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Georgia State, Hawaii, LSU, Memphis, Purdue, Tennessee State, Tulane, Utah State and Western Michigan (h/t ESPN).

ESPN's rating system categorized Gross as a 3-star prospect, stating that he "has some upside and potential scheme versatility if a program is patient in his development."

With several defensive backs poised to graduate after the 2012 season, including Marcus Cooper, Duron Harmon, Brandon Jones, Mason Robinson and Wayne Warren, Gross is almost certain to contribute to the team as a freshman.

Also eligible to contribute next season is recent South Carolina transfer athlete Sheldon Royster. Royster, who must sit out this season as a transfer student [as reported by Tom Luicci of The Star-Ledger on NJ.com], will join the Scarlet Knights as a safety in the Rutgers secondary.

By joining the Scarlet Knights, Royster—the former St. Peter’s Prep graduate—will be reunited with his former high school teammates Keith Lumpkin and Savon Huggins.

While the verbal commitment of Bryant Gross adds to a recruiting class which has been heavily focused on the defense, Rutgers still has not gotten a prospect with higher than a 3-star rating under Kyle Flood.

"Sure, luck means a lot in football. Not having a good quarterback is bad luck."—former Miami Dolphins' head coach Don Shula.

Aside from the uncertainty of Kyle Flood's first season as head coach, the unsettled starting quarterback situation for Rutgers is the most glaring question facing the program in 2012.

“What I would stress to everybody is that when the ultimate decision is made," said head coach Kyle Flood during Rutgers' fall camp according to an article by The Star-Ledger's Tom Luicci on NJ.com. "It won’t be based on one day. It’s going to be based on a body of work.”

Last season, Gary Nova and Chas Dodd split the duty under Greg Schiano's direction, even sharing time at quarterback during the Scarlet Knight's postseason bowl appearance.

The two were nearly statistically identical in 2011.

Dodd, a junior, started eight of the Knights' 13 games last season, with a 56.7% completion percentage (139 of 245) with seven interceptions, passing for 1,574 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Nova, a sophomore, was 116 of 227 (51.1%) in his five starts last year, with 1,553 yards passing, nine interceptions and 11 touchdowns.

By all accounts, the camp battle has been close, and Flood's ultimate decision is not expected until about a week before the opening game on September 1. Until that time, the battle is under daily scrutiny, with teammates, media and fans looking for the slightest indication of which way Flood is leaning.

"Just watching it on the field," Flood said after a recent practice, as reported by The Star-Ledger's Tom Luicci on NJ.com, "I think Gary probably had a little bit better day than Chas did."

Regardless of who starts and who is the backup, the third-string is almost certainly sewn-up by redshirt freshman Mike Bimonte from Manalapan, New Jersey. As a high school senior, Bimonte threw for over 1,700 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Also currently on the roster during fall camp are true freshmen Richard Czeczotka and Blake Rankin. It is doubtful that the Knights will keep five quarterbacks on the roster, and both of these freshmen are likely to sit out the season. The competition will be even more intense next year, when Rutgers' 2013 recruit Chris Laviano joins the program.

For now, as the clock ticks down towards the start of the season, the intensity of competition in camp increases for the starting quarterback job.

"I'm really pleased with the way they've handled it. Again, over time, we'll assess the results," Flood said.