NCAA Football FanHouse

Rutgers Isn't Just The Cradle Of College Football Anymore

John Radcliff — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:10:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Rutgers Football, NCAA FB History

Rutgers fans are very quick to remind you that their school hosted and won the first college football game. As well they should. It's an important distinction in this beautiful thing we call college football. The 1869 game between what is now Princeton and Rutgers was the first recorded instance of a football game being played between two universities.

Fast forward to 2008, and college football is a time honored tradition in this country. Actually, you don't have to go to 2008. Depending on who your root for, college and football have gone together like Rum and Coke for decades. Which brings me to my point. Workers discovered the remains of a tavern while clearing land around Rutgers Stadium.

While construction workers were excavating the future site of Rutgers University's new football stadium, they unearthed the remains of a tavern and artifacts that are dated back to the 18th-century. Thousands of ceramics, cutlery and bottles were found and said to have been from the Raritan Landing settlement. The tavern that excavators discovered is the legendary Rising Sun Tavern, which was the first building where academic classes were held.

That's right Rutgers students! The next time your parents question why you don't return their calls until the next day, just tell them you were out honoring a Rutgers tradition.....again! Man, classes being taught in a tavern is enough to make me want to go back to school!

Before I get too carried away, I in no way want to suggest that Rutgers students should use this post as an excuse for binge drinking. Or that Rutgers fans have more of a drinking problem than the rest of us. But if we're looking for that missing link between college students and alcohol, we may have just found the origin.

Rutgers Isn't Just The Cradle Of College Football Anymore originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All Hail Your New Rutgers Recruiting Overlords

Adam Jacobi — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:55:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, NCAA FB Recruiting, Rutgers Football

Not pictured: Schiano crashing the trophy down on losing coach Brady Hoke's head. Hoke was 49.

How many high school commitments does your favorite football team have for 2009? Odds are not many, especially if you're a Niners fan. Sure, there's USC with 15 future All-Americans, about whom Pete Carroll is feeling jacked. And there's Texas, loaded as ever, here at the dusk of June. Oh, and also with 19 commitments, of course, is Greg Schiano and Rutgers.

That's right, Rutgers.

No, this story didn't take a sharp detour into Crazyland, where the marching band plays kazoos and the yards are marked with cake frosting; this is actually happening. Rutgers, out there in the Big East and with negative infinity football tradition, is absolutely cleaning up. Their latest success is wideout Shawney Kersey, a lanky, three-star prospect with a four-and-a-half-star name (it's not Barkevious Mingo, but that's all right) who was destined for West Virginia last week.

Kersey's commitment will make it 13 such in June alone, which is more than most teams have, um, at all so far. Most of them hail from New Jersey, which means that recruiting goldmine (see Moreno, Knowshon) may well be drying up for outside teams.

If Rutgers continues to lock up their home state, Big East teams will probably wish--if they don't already--that Schiano had actually accepted one of his rumored offers. For now, though, all your Big East are belong to Greg Schiano.

All Hail Your New Rutgers Recruiting Overlords originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Schiano to Penn State Rumors as Unkillable as JoePa Himself

Brian Cook — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:44:00 EST

Filed under: Penn State Football, NCAA FB Rumors, Rutgers Football

Greg Schiano is a young, successful coach who's turned down offers from Miami and Michigan the past two years. Joe Paterno is a thousand years old and is widely rumored to be entering his final season as Penn State's head coach. Schiano was a Penn State defensive backs coach back before he came to prominence as Miami's defensive coordinator. Add it all up and...

Barring a last-minute power struggle or change of heart, the source indicated that this will be Paterno's last season in Happy Valley, and that Penn State would move quickly after Schiano at season's end.

That's an internet sportsmag called The Phanatic that covers the sports of Philadelphia and environs. Though few have heard of them, they seem to be a relatively up-and-up lot and do feature a couple hundred thousand hits on their site counter. Take or leave that as you please.

Penn State blogs naturally go "urk!?!" at mention of this since Schiano appears to be the only truly attractive option available to Penn State should this be Joe Paterno's last year of vaguely guiding actual Penn State head coach Tom Bradley, nominally the defensive coordinator.

Color this guy skeptical, since the Phanatic's article is explicitly couched in anonymity and vagueness. From appearances, coaching searches are always but always fiascoes. Even if the Phanatic's source is Graham Spanier himself, the situation will change a thousand times before a new Penn State coach is named.

Evidence? Last year during the Michigan coaching search a highly reliable tipster told me Michigan had come to an agreement with its new head coach: Greg Schiano.

Schiano to Penn State Rumors as Unkillable as JoePa Himself originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 30 May 2008 13:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Keeps its BCS Status Sun Rises in the East

John Radcliff — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Football, Pittsburgh Football, West Virginia Football, Big East, Rutgers Football, Cincinnati Football, South Florida Football

Was it really only four years ago that the Big East was in danger of losing it's BCS status? Miami and Virginia Tech left in 2003 and Boston College in 2004. The conference sent Pitt, one of several 8-4 teams in the Big East to lose to Utah in the Fiesta Bowl. And there wasn't much reason to think the conference was going to get better any time soon. The conference was written off by the media and the blogospher didn't even bother to poke fun.

But something happened last week that most of us didn't even notice. The Big East was granted a spot in the BCS through 2013.

The reason is simple: no one noticed the news. No one questioned the Big East's place at the adult table. The reaffirmation wasn't even a note in BCS meeting coverage. "It was quiet,'' Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said Tuesday. "The way I like it."

You'd never make it as a blogger Mr. Tranghese. You need to rub it in someones face every once in a while. The least you could do is hold up one of those foam we're #1 hands. Or one of six, I guess. How bout a little woot-woot? Oh fine!

Despite the picture on the right, you can't just point to West Virginia and say their two BCS bowl victories and three straight top ten finishes are the reason. But I won't argue with you if you do. It really has been the improvement of several teams in the Big East that has brought the conference back to respectability. Louisville was expected to be one of the better teams in the conference. And mostly, they've come through. But the real surprise has been the improvement of South Florida, Rutgers, and Cincinnati. And more recently, Connecticut.

While the conference still isn't flooding the first round of the NFL draft with players, it is putting a lot more teams in the top 25. Sure, some coaches have left for "greener" pastures. Others like Greg Schiano and Jim Leavitt have made commitments to their schools that don't involve contracts. There's a balance, and certainly enough rising programs and programs that are there to keep the Big East respectable. At least until the Big 11 10 decides to add another team. Wankers.

Big East Keeps its BCS Status Sun Rises in the East originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 07 May 2008 17:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Louisville Wins the Big East Draft Again

John Radcliff — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:29:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Football, Pittsburgh Football, Syracuse Football, West Virginia Football, Big East, Rutgers Football, NFL Prospects, Cincinnati Football, Connecticut Football, South Florida Football

I did this last year, so it seems only fitting that I would do it again.

And it wasn't even close. Louisville had five players drafted, while Pitt and West Virginia had three apiece. Rutgers, South Florida, Cincinnati, and Connecticut had two each. And for the first time since 1975, Syracuse did not have anyone selected.

That's 19 players drafted. And any way I slice it, that's just not all that good for a BCS conference. Looking at the distribution of what rounds the players were taken, it was pretty well spread out over the entire draft for the Big East. But that doesn't make it feel any better. It's especially bad if you look at a team like West Virginia that has had three 11 win seasons in a row along with three straight top ten finishes. They've had exactly four players drafted in the last three years. And Chris Henry and Pac Man Jones the year before that. So we won't even go there.

The ACC? Yeah, that conference we've been quietly laughing at after Miami, Va. Tech, and Boston College left. Yeah, they had 33 players drafted this past weekend. The coaching must really suck over there or something.

Pac 10? Oh, they had 37 players drafted. SEC? 35. Big 10? 28. Big 12? 27. Hell, C-USA had 11 players drafted! Patriot League? Never mind.

Even more upsetting for West Virginia fans, two players left early for the NFL and weren't drafted. Those two being Darius Reynaud and Johnny Dingle. Yeah, sorry folks. Those Dingle-Berry photo's won't be happening anymore. Those are definitely two players the Mountaineers could have used this year, though. I'm not saying that their stock would go up any with one more year of college. But it sure wouldn't go down.

Louisville will have the most holes to fill as well. You don't replace Brian Brohm, Harry Douglas, and Art Carmody. I know there are others, but those three were special at their positions. West Virginia won't be far behind with the loss of Slaton and most of the secondary and defensive line. Rutgers, well we don't know how bad it is because we haven't seen anyone but Ray Rice run the ball. The rest of the conference should be fine. And that's not a good thing if you think about it.

Louisville Wins the Big East Draft Again originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rutgers Refuses to Give Up Home Field to Notre Dame

Charles Rich — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:03:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame Football, Big East, Rutgers Football

When the Big East was reconfigured a few years back, the conference was able to persuade their non-football member Notre Dame to commit to playing more Big East teams in football. To that end, the Irish have a six year home-and-home series with Pitt starting this season, they agreed to play UConn and they also set up a six year series with Rutgers.

Pitt is actually one of their most played opponents in the Irish history (5th behind Navy, USC, Purdue and Michigan State), so that wasn't a surprise. The UConn series required the Huskies to essentially go to neutral fields for their home games by making the games at NFL stadiums in the Northeast.

Rutgers is presently expanding their seating capacity to 55,000 at a cost of over $100 million. The expansion would be completed for the 2009 season. The year the Notre Dame series was to begin was in 2010. Notre Dame, however, was insisting that the Rutgers home games take place at the new NFL stadium at the Meadowlands. Rutgers, unlike UConn, wouldn't accept leaving their own facility so the series is now off.

Rutgers entered into discussions about a possible long-term series with Notre Dame, but at the end of the day both schools could not agree about the site of the games," [Athletic Director Bob] Mulcahy said in a statement issued by the school. "We feel Rutgers' home games should be played on-campus at Rutgers Stadium."

Unlike UConn coach Randy Edsall, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano had no interest in surrendering true home field advantage just to play Notre Dame.
It's hard not to notice and draw the stark contrast between Rutgers and UConn with their decisions on playing Notre Dame. Some of that has to do with where the programs are.

UConn is less than a decade removed from being a 1-AA football team and still trying to prove they are a legitimate program in the BCS. Their stadium was only built a few years ago, and not in any position to expand. They are in upstart, crashing the party attitude. It's about getting attention and making people (and more importantly, recruits) believe they are a legitimate choice.

For Rutgers, they may have been akin to Temple for many, many years, but at least they were a 1-A team (technically). Things have changed for the better with Rutgers. Under Schiano the program has finally moved from that "sleeper" mode to legitimate program. They are just further along in their growth. They have been ranked for more than one week. They have scored big upsets that got national attention. They are in the process of expanding their stadium.

The Scarlet Knights are not about to give Notre Dame a chance to come to New Jersey for a game -- and to recruit -- without at least having them play in Rutgers true home field.

Rutgers Refuses to Give Up Home Field to Notre Dame originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ron Prince Gets His Bill Snyder On

Jeff Adams — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:28:00 EST

Filed under: Fresno State Football, Big 12, WAC, Rutgers Football, NCAA FB Coaching, Kansas State Football

It's been a long time coming, but Tuesday Kansas State fans got the official word. KSU has dropped Fresno State from its 2008 schedule and replaced it with powerhouse Montana State. Kansas State will pay Fresno State $250,000 as part of a buyout agreement.

This is a quick reversal in philosophies for Prince and Kansas State. A year ago at this time, Prince was championing the tough schedules facing KSU in the future and encouraging a move away from previous head coach Bill Snyder's cupcake-laden slates. At that time, he was quoted as saying:

"Where we are in the development of our team and our program, I think having the opportunity to go play those kind of opponents [Auburn and Fresno State] will do nothing but benefit us," coach Ron Prince said Monday.

I suppose the fact that the Wildcats finished 5-7 a year ago, while Fresno State was 9-4 in 2007 might have had something to do with Prince's flip-flop.

On the other end of the deal, Fresno State has added Rutgers to their schedule to replace Kansas State. That move should surprise few. Pat Hill and the Bulldogs have always had the attitude of "any team, any time, anywhere." In fact this isn't the first time that an opponent has backed out of a game against Fresno State.

Hill is used to foes dropping him. Earlier this decade, he saw Oklahoma State and Texas Tech duck out of visits to Fresno. The inability to get opponents to come to his turf has led to Hill's team getting just five home games this fall.

Ron Prince Gets His Bill Snyder On originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keeping "The Man" Busy: Mystery Edition

Adam Jacobi — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:51:00 EST

Filed under: Oklahoma Football, Penn State Football, USC Football, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Pac 10, Rutgers Football, NCAA FB Police Blotter

Here's why athletic directors are frowning today...

It's time to play Guess The Misdemeanor!: As a coach, Greg Schiano has to make decisions. Most of them are easy, like "should I blitz against Syracuse" (yes) and "should I sell an internal organ in order to bribe Ray Rice to stay" (yes again--the left kidney and a lobe of the liver).

When it comes to player discipline, the answers aren't so simple. So when Schiano found out defensive tackle Justin Francis was arrested, he suspended the young man, then informed the media. Nobody likes a secretive coach, after all. But he decided not to provide the specifics of the arrest itself, which we celebrate as an even better decision. Why? Because it allows us the opportunity to engage in reckless speculation! AOL cannot attest to the veracity of any of these rumors, of course--mainly because this author making them up right now--but we're confidently narrowing down the list of possible infractions to the ones listed below.

Riding a puma through the drive-thru at the local Arby's. Pumas are endangered, pal!
Running an illegal bronzer smuggling ring. Yes, it's Jersey, so the market's there, but get a permit, for crissakes.
Parking fifteen stolen cars on the tarmac at Newark International Airport. Pilots do not appreciate "obstacle courses."
Puma bombing. Again with the pumas!

Virginia is for lovers, and State College is for drunk drivers: Penn State tight end Andrew Quarless, who is probably to the point where you can confidently add "Troubled" to the beginning of all descriptions of him, was arrested early Sunday morning on suspicion of DUI. Though the charges weren't formally handed down until Thursday, he was suspended immediately after his arrest by Joe Paterno.

SPECIAL NCAA SHENANIGANS BONUS: According to the Penn State rivals.com affiliate, Quarless was driving a white BMW when he was arrested, and that may be a problem:

Multiple sources have told FOS that the car did not belong to him, but rather a friend he was with late Saturday night.

Yes, the NCAA ban on driving other peoples' cars is unfairly punitive. Who among us has never borrowed a car during college? But obviously, there's room for abuse, so the rule's existence is, on its face, a little understandable. That's why this author would like to reiterate a proposed Hoopty Clause: a player may borrow a car if its list value is below $4,000 and it will absolutely, positively not get a normal person laid. A Bimmer likely violates even that clause too, so expect the NCAA compliance bloodhounds to come sniffing around Penn State pretty soon.

Was that wrong? Should I not have done that?: Among Pete Carroll's myriad qualities and good deeds is his practice of visiting the inner city of Los Angeles late at night, to no fanfare or publicity. There's no way of knowing if he was out there Wednesday night, but if he was, he had clearly chosen the wrong neighborhood--elsewhere in Compton, recruit Maurice Simmons was getting arrested for armed robbery.

According to the police report, the alleged victim flagged down a police officer in the area, and Simmons and another suspect were apprehended shortly thereafter as they left the scene. With the stolen property. And a gun.

Simmons is in jail, held on $50,000 bail, and suspended from the USC football team.

Believe it or not, this is not a repeat: Here's a story about an incoming freshman at one of the top football programs in the nation, arrested in possession of stolen property and a gun. Again. This time, it was Oklahoma recruit Josh Jarboe, who gets an F-minus in both lawfulness and originality. Well, actually, F-plus--he at least got arrested at school, which is probably the worst place to bring a firearm, outside of a hospital nursery or the set of a game show where if you don't have a gun, they give you a million dollars.

There's been no word on whether Oklahoma has suspended Jarboe, but after two felony charges, the news can't be good--it's not like Bob Stoops is going to reward him with orange slices or a car full of money. Jarboe's future with the team is, shall we say, in doubt.

Kids these days, with their guns and robberies and rap music. Whatever happened to wholesome entertainment like Lawrence Welk?

Keeping "The Man" Busy: Mystery Edition originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rutgers Enhancing Their Performance With New Mouthpieces

John Radcliff — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:52:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Rutgers Football, NCAA FB Media Watch, The Word

How long has it been since you were aware of HGH or the practice of blood doping? If you're a fan of baseball or a fan of the Olympics, you've probably known about them for a while. In fact, you can't escape news about them. So when I caught this piece over at The Wizard of Odds, I was more than a little taken back.

Last week, we told you about Rutgers planning to try the Pure Power Mouthguard, which promises to safely reproduce some of the effects of steroids and the human growth hormone. The manufacturer says the device aligns an athlete's jaw properly by using bilateral electrical stimulation and relaxes face muscles, allowing the rest of the body to work more effectively.

Wow! Really? A mouthpiece that enhances your performance? I feel like the old man that asks, "what will they think of next?" The thing about steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, besides the repercussions on the human body, is that they create an uneven playing field. And that really is what should be front and center in any discussion about the subject. I mean, let's just say for a minute that this mouthpiece actually delivers on it's promise. Will Rutgers record, no matter what it is, get an asterisk?

OK, maybe I'm jumping the gun a bit there. But hey, back to that old man question. It's not so much what will they think of next, because the money is obviously there for them to invest. And they will think of something else. The question should be what are we going to do when they come up with it. The likely trend will be the production of products that improve performance without the side effects of steroids. So where do we draw the line? As long as no one gets hurt, do we allow every product on the market into our sports? At what point do we quit being human beings, and become Borg-like creatures (nerd alert) totally dependent on the drugs and equipment to perform? Maybe Rome will fall before then.

Rutgers Enhancing Their Performance With New Mouthpieces originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2008 Big East Football Schedules Announced

John Radcliff — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:04:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Football, Pittsburgh Football, Syracuse Football, West Virginia Football, Big East, Rutgers Football, Cincinnati Football, Connecticut Football, South Florida Football

OMG! Football news! February is like the worst sports month in the world! Unless you like meaningless mid-season NBA and NHL games. Sure I love NCAA basketball. But that love has been tainted by my coaches fashion sense and my teams ability to rip defeat from the jaws of victory. So I'm kind of not liking February at all.

Anyhow, some good news today football fans. The Big East released the 2008 football schedule. And while that's nothing compared to being in the stands after hours of tailgating and screaming obscenities at opposing fans and players, it is a reason for hope. The hope that another football season will soon be upon us.

And lookie, there are actually some good out of conference games this year. In September:

Cincinnati @ Oklahoma-Will the Sooners crumble again in the face of Big East might?

Penn St. @ Syracuse- When this game was scheduled Jo Pa was heard saying, "That Paul Pasqualoni is a tricky devil. We're going to have to find a way to shut down McNabb!"

Kansas @ South Florida- The Bulls can't be looking at this game the way they were a year ago.

West Virginia @ Colorado- This game fills the void left by Maryland opting out of the series. And given the size of Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, that's quite a void to fill.

Iowa @ Pitt- Again, Iowa might not like this game as much as they did when they scheduled it.

Rutgers vs. TBA-Ah, the unknown enigma that is TBA. You just never know what team you're going to play.

October has two out of conference games of note. Auburn @ West Virginia and Pitt @ Notre Dame. This could be a buzz kill game for the Mountaineers. Even though it is a Thursday night game in Morgantown and the SEC doesn't know that you can play football on Thursday nights. It will be a tough test wedged in the middle of conference play. This could be a make or break game for West Virginia's national title hopes if they exist. Pitt has a score to settle with the Irish from the 2005 season opening game that, coincidentally, was the last time the Panthers were ranked.

This might be the last football news we get until spring practices start up in about a month. So enjoy it while you can.

2008 Big East Football Schedules Announced originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ray Rice Decides to Deepen the Running Back Draft Pool

Charles Rich — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 21:36:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Rutgers Football, NFL Prospects

It's really not much of a shock, but Rutgers Ray Rice is giving up his senior season to enter the NFL draft. Rice was the third leading rusher in 1-A football this season with 2012 yards. Behind only Kevin Smith of Central Florida and Matt Forte of Tulane.

According to DraftHeadquarters, Rice received word from the NFL Advisory Committee that he would be a late-1st/early-second round draft pick.

With Kevin Smith already declared, Forte a senior, and Arkansas' Darren McFadden expected to declare soon, that means the top four rushers in the NCAA this past season will be in the NFL Draft. In fact with the exception of Kent State's Eugene Jarvis -- a sophomore -- it can be expected that nine of the top ten rushers will be in the NFL Draft.

Michael Hart of Michigan (#6) and Jalen Parmele of Toledo (#9) are both seniors. Juniors Rashard Mendenhall of Illinois (#8) and Jamaal Charles of Texas (#10) have already declared. Oregon Junior Jonathan Stewart (#6) is also expected to skip his senior season for the NFL.

Ray Rice Decides to Deepen the Running Back Draft Pool originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 08 Jan 2008 21:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Also Not Michigan's Next Coach: Greg Schiano

Brian Cook — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:03:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan Football, Rutgers Football, NCAA FB Coaching

Sigh. Michigan made a run at Greg Schiano yesterday or the day before, apparently offering him the Michigan job in all ways but giving him an actual contract to sign. The result:

Greg Schiano is staying as football coach at Rutgers, rejecting overtures from the University of Michigan.

An offer was never formally made to Schiano, nor were specific contract details discussed, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
But it was understood, the person said, the deal would have had roughly the same framework of one he passed up with Miami last year that would have paid about $2.2 million a year

With Schiano and Les Miles (probably) off the table, Brian Kelly never even getting a look, and Kirk Ferentz's on-again-off-again flirtation with the job at an end, where does Michigan turn? There is no name out there, but Michigan fans are getting excited about...

Les Miles! Which is crazy. But we're all a little crazy these days.

Also Not Michigan's Next Coach: Greg Schiano originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rutgers Louisville: 2nd Half Liveblog

Charles Rich — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:58:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Football, Big East, Rutgers Football

Rutgers @ Louisville | 1st Half | 2nd Half

Welcome back. Thanks to John Radcliff for the fine work of blind liveblogging the first half. It looked like the Scarlet Knights were going to run the Cardinals right out of their own stadium with a 21-3 lead. Louisville QB Brian Brohm has admirably prevented the Cardinals from quitting. It's 28-17 Rutgers, and while Louisville has not come back to win a game they trailed at the end of the half this year the Scarlet Knights have blown two halftime leads (Maryland and Cinci) this season. So, it's hard to write this game off.

Given the meaningless of the game in the scheme of the National Championship picture and the early blow-out status, the crew of Fowler, Flutie and James have seemingly spent most of the game talking about other games. Since it's a Big East game the are ostensibly covering, much of the discussion has been about West Virginia and how they have absolutely no chance of losing to Pitt this Saturday.

That of course led to the latest Lou Holtz halftime pep talk for Pitt. Something I, as a Pitt alum have been looking forward to hearing all season since the pep talk has achieved demented cult status. This one pulled out the classices. Lou Holtz's magic trick with ripping up the newspaper then bringing it back whole. Pitt is the biggest underdog of the weekend. NoHe even ended with Mark May walking on in his old school Pitt jersey. Words fail me.
10:00: Louisville's 1st possession of the second half. The Cardinals start with three straight running plays. Erin Andrews reported that Brohm has a sore ankle. That may have something to do with it.

10:03: Fumble! When Brohm dropped back on a 2nd and 6, Brohm got hit from behind by Eric Foster and the ball came loose. Rutgers recovered and the Scarlet Knights take over at the the Louisville 43.

10:06: Wha' happen? Teel hits Britt and he is tackled short of the 1st down marker. Yet, the official never blew a whistle. As Louisville starts to celebrate, Britt rolled back up and ran it in for a TD. Wow. How did the refs miss that? This has been a horrible season for the Big East refs. It's not been particularly good across college football this season, but the Big East has really had some egregious misses.

10:09: Eventually replay officials reverse the obvious screw up. Rutgers goes for on 4th down and Mike Teel hits Kenny Britt for a perfect throw up top for an easy touchdown. Britt was so wide open, as the corner never believed that Rutgers would throw long on 4th and short with Ray Rice in the backefield.

35-16 Rutgers with more than 11 minutes left in the third quarter. This could be the thing that completely breaks the Cardinals. At the very least it might send the half-filled pizza stadium crowd streaming for the exits on a cold night.

10:16: The Rutgers front four is getting lots of pressue on Brohm. It isn't like they are blitzing that much. They are just getting past the O-line of Louisville.

Bilal Powell the Louisville freshman RB has been having a great game in what has been an otherwise depressing performance for the Cardinals. He is down on the turf in some pain. He did get up and leave under his own power.

10:24: This has been a nice drive for Louisville. Not exactly quick strike, but very steady and a lot on the ground where Rutgers' defense has been more susceptible.

35-24 Rutgers with 6:18 left in the 3d.

10:29: Flutie is now regaling the booth with tales of the Canadian Football League as the topic has shifted to Gray Cup issues. The mute button is my friend.

10:38: Jabu Lovelace has been in regular rotation with Mike Teel at the Rutgers QB spot. Teel is apparently having thigh or hip issues.

10:45: Rutgers has very effectively driven the length of the field mixing the run and pass. I'm not saying the Louisville defense has quit. They just aren't any good. No pressure up front so Teel can throw at will and the corners are too slow. Then there is Ray Rice to just run over people.

10:50: Rutgers ate up the rest of the 3d quarter and into the 4th before having to settle for a 21 yard chip shot.

38-24 Rutgers with 14+ minutes left in the game.

10:53: I believe I mentioned that Rutgers blew 2 halftime leads. Despite dominating the game, they have let Louisville hang around. Powell was back on the kickoff for Louisville and broke off 53 yards to start Louisville inside Rutgers territory. That was followed by a nice screen to Trent Guy for 20+ yards. Then Powell again on a run that he beat Rutgers around the corner and 18 yards into the endzone.

38-31 Rutgers with 12:55 left.

11:00: Louisville's defense with a stop. A stop. There was an assist on Teel. He left the pocket, when he didn't have to. On top of that, he didn't try to go forward. He made it easy for the sack.

11:07: Powell has been injured for part of the season, but wow. Looks like Louisville has a running back for next year. Powell broke off another big run to inside the 5. Brock Bolen then runs off-tackle untouched for the score.

38-38 8:37 left in the game.

Rutgers is collapsing.

Does Louisville actually want to take it?

11:13: Louisville's defense actually looked aggressive. Rutgers got tentative and went 3 and out.

Louisville took over at their own 25.

11:17: Rutgers defense finally makes a stop again. Aided by Harry Douglas dropping a pass that would have been good for a first down.

5:11 left in the game and Rutgers has the ball at their own 24.

Stange statistics tonight. Mike Teel for Rutgers has 18-28 for 247 yards and 2 TDs. Brohm is only 10-18 and 185 yards with 1 TD. Louisville has outgained Rutgers on the ground 225 to 151. Go figure.

11:24: Another Rutgers 3 and out. Louisville has contained Rice, and Teel is getting his happy feet when he drops back as the pressure increases.

11:27: Brohm to Douglas on a beautful 46 yard pas!!!

Louisville is at the 18 of Rutgers with 1:23 left in the game.

11:30: Rutgers' defense has folded like a lawn chair.

On that note, Powell takes an inexplicable 8-yard loss to make the field goal attempt a less solid proposition.

11:31: Rutgers has already used its last timeout with 1:04 left and now 3d and 10.

Louisville just runs straight ahead for a yard and let the clock run down before kicking the FG.

Defending Lou Groza Award winner Art Carmody lines up for a 33 yard FG with 25 seconds left.

41-38 Louisville with 20 seconds left.

Louisville has its first lead of the night. 17 unanswered points by Louisville as Rutgers completely choked this one.

11:35: Kickoff taken to the Rutgers 37 yard line with 15 seconds left.

That's it. Rutgers tried a hook and ladder, but it never got going.

Rutgers completely fell apart in the second half. The third time this season they blew a halftime lead. This was the worst of the bunch. The Scarlet Knights had an 18 point lead early in the 3d quarter and then it all fell apart.

From that point on, the Cardinals outscored Rutgers 20-3. As Louisville got closer, Mike Teel seemed to get tighter. He didn't toss a pick, but his throws were no longer accurate and he wasn't standing firm in the pocket.

Rutgers Louisville: 2nd Half Liveblog originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rutgers-Louisville 1st Half Live Blog

John Radcliff — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:39:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Football, Big East, Rutgers Football

What a difference a year can make. Both teams started the year out in the top 20 with aspirations of a Big East title and a BCS bowl game. With Rutgers accepting a bid to the International Bowl today and Louisville needing a win tonight to become bowl eligible, it's been a season of disappointment for both schools. But that doesn't mean it won't be a good game.

Louisville certainly has plenty to play for. Besides an outside shot at a bowl, they should still have payback on their minds from last years best game. With Louisville undefeated and in the running for a national title shot, an equally undefeated but lower ranked Rutgers won the game on a last second field goal. A field goal that was gift wrapped after Jeremy Ito missed the first kick, but Louisville was offside. Ito nailed the second one, and ruined a perfect season for the Cardinals.

It'll be interesting to see how fired up Rutgers is, or if Louisville isn't. With a bowl game already locked up, Rutgers doesn't have much to play for but respect. Louisville on the other hand has everything to play for, including this being Brian Brohm's last game. Not to mention Harry Douglas and Art Carmody. I'm sure they've had this one circled since last years game ended.

1st Quarter:

Woo Hoo! This is going to be great! The TV just ate itself so this should be interesting to say the least. I won't be able to tell you what is exactly happening on the field since I can't see it. But hey that's no different than some of the TV crews that we're used to. Right? The good news is that someone should be along soon to pick this up.

That didn't take long. Rutgers marches down quickly on a five play drive that ends with Mike Teel hitting Kenny Britt for a 35 yard touchdown. I bet it looked great! Louisville comes back with a quick strike of their own as Brock Bowlen rushed for 55 yards to the Rutgers 18, but the drive stalled and they had to settle for a field goal. And I'm feeling rather silly right now telling you at least what you already know.

Woot! Woot! Rutgers drives 61 yards in 11 plays, capped by a ten yard run by Ray Rice. And the score is 14-3 Rutgers. Don't you just feel like your at the game! It's so real! I'd say Louisville looks flat on defense, but yeah. You know about the whole TV thing. Right? Following the game cast can be fun. No really!

3:53 left in the first quarter, and Louisville has to punt after a three and out. Umm, the dreaded 28 yard out of bounds punt that gets punters fired, or at least a Cower Shower after the game. And Rutgers starts at their own 41. You needed to know that. Trust me.

Rod Council must be a bad boy. Two consecutive pass interference calls for 14 and 15 yards respectively. Keep throwing it to that side Rutgers. Or give it to Rice for a 14 yard touchdown run. RU-21, UL-3.

Louisville already has 5 penalties for 54 yards including a 5 yard false start penalty that turned third and one into third and 6. Hey you guys ever listen to Donavon Frankenreiter? Dang, I can't even finish a paragraph and Louisville has another penalty for delay of game. Mercifully, the first quarter is over. Strangely, Louisville has 8 yards passing, and 72 yards rushing.

2nd Quarter:

Jeremy Ito just stuck his hand up for next on the Cower Shower thing with a 19 yard punt that went out of bounds. Is it windy there or something? So Louisville takes over at their own 31 yard line and 13 minutes left in the half. And just like that, Louisville takes the ball down the field in a little over three minutes to bring the score to RU-21, UL-10. Eight plays and 69 yards, highlighted by a Brian Brohm 30 yard pass to Gary Barnidge, for those of you keeping score at home. And I know you are.

Shew, had to step away for a minute I was talking with Ray Charles about last years national championship game. And we both agreed that Florida looked really fast. So, did I miss anything? Ah, Jeremy Ito missed a 52 yard field goal after a 9 play 45 yard drive stalled for Rutgers. And Louisville loses three yards on three plays and punts the ball back to Rutgers. I understand Louisville fans were a bit upset when Kragthorpe announced this past week that he was 100% committed to Louisville football. I can only imagine how they feel now.

Ray Rice makes it 28-10 with a six yard run. And I think I hear the fat lady warming up. Sure anything was possible with last years Louisville offense, but it will take a major gaff for Rutgers to let them back in this game. And unless something amazing happens that I probably still won't see, I'm going to let this one die a peaceful death. I just want to wish Brian Brohm a successful pro career. Respectfully, I'm glad to see you go.

Yup there you go being all like you wanna win this game now, Louisville. Pfft! Brian Brohm connects with Patrick Carter for a 52 yard touchdown. And the score is now RU-28, UL-17 as the teams head into the locker room for halftime.

Rutgers-Louisville 1st Half Live Blog originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You'll Have to Go to the Bars to Watch Rutgers-UConn

John Radcliff — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 19:53:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Rutgers Football, Connecticut Football

If you live in New Jersey, chances are pretty good that you don't get ESPNU. And wouldn't you know it, that's where the Rutger-UConn game is going to be aired this weekend. So the bar owners in Jersey have to be smiling like the butchers dog, because that's about the only place you'll be able to watch the game unless your buddy that has a satellite dish lets you come over. But he's gotta check it with his wife first. Which is code for she's not letting you come over and trash their house again. So it's off to the bars.

If you've been following the Big Ten Network saga with Brian, you can see a disturbing trend in college football broadcasting and broadcasting in general. Where networks are leveraging the fans against the cable providers to start carrying the likes of ESPNU, etc. As noted in the first link, Rutgers already played this game with the NFL Network last year for the Texas Bowl. And they were finally able to put enough pressure on to get the game broadcast on a basic channel. But this isn't a bowl game, and chances are that it won't stir up enough trouble to get the game broadcast this year. Although for the Big East, this is a big game. If UConn wins, that game with West Virginia in November becomes huge. If Rutgers wins, they are all of a sudden right back in the mix. Or their chances for a better bowl just went up.

This is a situation where everyone loses out. The fans that can't watch the game. The cable companies definitely in lost earnings. And ESPN's reputation gets another layer of tarnish. And yet somehow, I'm sure you'll be able to watch Man v Kangaroo if you choose.

You'll Have to Go to the Bars to Watch Rutgers-UConn originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 30 Oct 2007 19:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mountaineers Chop Down Rutgers

John Radcliff — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 15:31:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Football, Big East, Rutgers Football, West Virginia

For the 13th straight time, the Mountaineers were able to defeat the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers 31-3. In a game that started out in Monsoon type weather, the Mountaineers were able to cut back runs against an over-pursuing Rutgers defense to generate big plays.

While West Virginia was able to keep drives alive all day with big plays on third down, Rutgers couldn't help but shoot themselves in the foot. Whether it be with dropped passes, two sure touchdowns, and six overall (by my count). Or with turnovers (4), and drive killing penalties. Statistically, Rutgers was able to hang with West Virginia as Ray Rice managed 142 yards on 30 carries, and Rutgers amassed 314 total yards to the Mountaineers 398. However, when it came time to put the ball in the end zone Rutgers fell well short.

Rutgers had five drives into West Virginia territory. One in the third quarter was stopped on 2nd and 1 from the West Virginia 14 with a holding call that lead to a 41 yard missed field goal by Jeremy Ito. The last two ended with interceptions of Mike Teel passes.

The Mountaineers were lead by Steve Slaton's three rushing touchdowns, and Pat White's 300 yards of total offense. The defense allowed about 60 more yards than their average of 254 per game. But more importantly, held Rutgers when it mattered and held the Scarlet Knights out of the end zone.

Next up, the Mountaineers have a week off before a showdown with Louisville on November 8th in Morgantown. Despite the two teams headed in completely different directions, both of the previous meetings between the two schools have been nothing short of electrifying and I expect this years game to be just as exciting. Rutgers has little time to lick their wounds as the hit the road next weekend for a game against UConn.

Mountaineers Chop Down Rutgers originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 27 Oct 2007 15:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Where Are the Rutgers Fans?

Brian Grummell — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 13:10:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Football, Big East, Rutgers Football

For a new money power, Rutgers fans are acting like old money Atlanta Brave fans who don't always show up to games for a good team. Seventh-ranked West Virginia is in town, you should really be up for this. Instead, it's well-evident on TV that patches of seats are clearly vacant.

West Virginia is too good of an opponent to have this kind of attendance. So what gives? Here's what I think is at work here:

1)Early start - Fans like to tailgate and hang out and stroll into a stadium sometime after noon if not at night. This game's going on at noon Eastern.

2)Rain - It's been pouring for two days in New Jersey. It's slowed down a bit but the air has finally turned cool the last few weeks out East and it's not the most comfortable out there.

3)The Breeder's Cup - It's not often that horse racing's championships end up in New Jersey. I'm sure quite a few Rutgers season ticket holders took advantage of that opportunity to miss this game and catch the Cup.

Too bad, because Rutgers has rewarded their fans with an unusual black alternate uniform today.

Where Are the Rutgers Fans? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 27 Oct 2007 13:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why Yes, West Virginia Does Play Defense

John Radcliff — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Football, Big East, Rutgers Football

One thing that's gotten lost in the shuffle about this years Mountaineer team is the much improved defense. With good reason, the focus has been on Pat White and Steve Slaton this season, much like the last two seasons. But last year's scapegoat has turned things around.

It has started up front with the usual stinginess against the run. The Mountaineers are ranked 12th in the country against the run, and haven't allowed a 100 yard rusher this year. The thing that has made a huge difference is the sacks and pressure the defense has been able produce. Currently, they are 19th in sacks with 21. By comparison, last year's team didn't get a sack until an October game at Mississippi St.

And all that pressure applied by the defensive front has allowed the secondary to go from 109th nationally in yards allowed per game (243) to fifth (165).

But West Virginia has it's biggest test of the season in stopping Ray Rice and company in Piscataway this weekend. Rice is among the leaders in every major rushing category, and quarterback Mike Teel is one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country when healthy. And Health or not Teel is planning on starting Saturday. West Virginia hasn't faced a team that likes to pound the ball inside this year, well a good one. Rutgers has had success running the ball in the past on West Virginia, and that will be the key. Rutgers has a fine group of wide receivers featuring Tiquan Underwood and Kenny Britt, but all the passing success of Rutgers is dependent on them being able to run the ball.

In their two losses, Rice was held under 100 yards. And while Mike Teel was able to put up some big numbers, he was also forced into some bad throws that cost them. So this is a statement game for the West Virginia defense. They have all the right stats, now they just need to do it against a respected offense.

Why Yes, West Virginia Does Play Defense originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Ray Rice Death March

John Radcliff — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 20:05:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Rutgers Football, The Word

With a huge Big East match up coming up this weekend and a couple of injured quarterbacks for West Virginia and Rutgers, the focus will most likely fall on the running games of the two respective schools.

And that means more of the same for Rutger's Ray Rice. So far, Rice has carried the ball 204 times. That's number one in the country, followed closely by Mike Hart of Michigan and P. J. Hill of Wisconsin at 200. He's proven over the last year and a half that he is probably the most reliable back in the country. Last year he lead the nation in carries with 335. And you rarely if ever hear about injury problems with Rice.

But with the injury to Mike Teel's throwing hand, Rice will be even more of a focus for the Rutgers offense. And likewise for the West Virginia defense. He already had nearly 40 carries against South Florida last week. With a limited passing game, how high will that number go? And at what point will Rice start to wear down? Last year he had Brian Leonard to carry some of the load. This year, there isn't anyone else. The next leading rusher on the team is the back up quarterback with 138 yards. And it falls off sharply after that. With Rutgers heading down the stretch and hopes of a Big East title still alive, every game to the end of the season counts. And coach Schiano will want the ball in the hands of Rice even more. And I guess we'll see just how much Ray Rice can run.

The Ray Rice Death March originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 20:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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USF The Latest to Fall

Charles Rich — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 05:04:00 EST

Filed under: Big East, Rutgers Football, South Florida Football

Really, at this point, is this a shock? Another team rises near the top of the rankings only to go down quickly. The only thing worse than jamming every game into some easy, overarching theme or storyline for the season, is when you just can't ignore it.

Still, there were other storylines.

Trickeration. Rutgers successfully running two fake plays on a punt and field goal resulting in 10 points.

Ray Rice. Rice had 39 carries for 181 yards only 5 days after a 36 carry workload. Not to mention his third straight 30+ carry game. With 818 rushing yards and an impressive performance in a primetime game, Rice has likely re-inserted himself into the Heisman picture.

Rutgers isn't going away. A week after Syracuse Coach Greg Robinson voiced the whisper of Rutgers being a one-year wonder with 2 straight home losses, the Scarlet Knights responded and didn't fold late. When the fans charged the field after the game, it seemed more like relief from the fans that they still have a reason to believe, rather than the joy they had after upsetting Louisville last year.

Rutgers defense. The second half saw Rutgers make a huge adjustment to contain USF QB Matt Grothe. In the first half, the Rutgers D hung back a bit and tried to spy Grothe. This gave him time to look downfield or choose to take off to one of the sides. They tried to contain him in a traditional style that Grothe and USF has exploited all season. In the second half, the defense went aggressive. They took advantage of the speed on the edges with DE Eric Foster with a blitz. Limiting Grothe to have time to look downfield, and with the pressure coming from the corners keeping Grothe from running outside. Instead, they kept him in the pocket. Suddenly, one of the best rushing QBs in the country looked like a statue and was sacked 7 times.

Craig James stayed focused on the game-at-hand. Possibly the biggest shocker of the night. It didn't hurt that the game was close throughout and there was lots of action the whole way through. It made it difficult to wander too far off-topic. Aside from apparently a contractual obligation with ESPN to mention Joe Torre turning down the Yankees extension offer. (I'm a Yankee fan, and I'm sick of the topic.) My personal theory as to why James was that way had to do with his appearance earlier that day on "Pardon the Interruption." It meant he actually had to do prep work for the game, so he might as well use the information that he had jammed in his skull.

The turning point of the game seemed to come when USF blocked the Rutgers FG late in the first half. The Bulls seemingly took it in for a TD to take a 2 touchdown lead. The replays, though, showed that USF pitched the ball forward to allow another Bulls player to pick it up and advance the ball. Between the reversal of the ruling and the time to review the play, there was a definite shift. The reversal reinvigorated a stunned home crowd and the time to review gave the Rutgers defense a chance to catch its breath.

The defense managed held and USF couldn't convert a 45-yard field goal. Rutgers still had a minute to do something. The Scarlet Knights were able to go 48 yards and get a field goal before the half to reduce USF's lead to four. Both the defense and offense for Rutgers went into the half feeling more confident, and carried it over to the second half.

USF The Latest to Fall originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 19 Oct 2007 05:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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