Rutgers football Gameday!

Welcome to the RU football Gameday Johnny has waited all year for -- The Michigan State Spartans.

Michigan State is proof Rutgers can succeed in the B1G. Michigan State had drifted for years in the conference without much to take away from, well any of it. Since Duffy Daugherty retired and after Nick Saban left in 1999 MSU fell into a general malaise winning only one Big Ten title in 1990. They'd have some nice runs and the occasional upset of Ohio State or Michigan but nothing you'd go up on rooftops yelling about.

Kinda sorta like Rutgers for the last 25-30 years. A lot of naysayers said Rutgers would be the doormat of the B1G this year and that has been far from true. Rutgers has established a calling card in only their first year as being a team that is difficult to play against and excellent on special teams. Quick, what's Maryland's calling card? Exactly. It's not as bad as all that Scarlet Knights fans. Mark Dantonio at MSU has taken overlooked two and three star recruits and coached them better than anyone else in the midwest and has become a national power in the process. Rutgers has a good coach in Kyle Flood. If he can have three or four years to get his guys in that FIT the program he's trying to build, and gets guys overlooked with something to prove and yes, nine or ten win seasons are not out of the question. Johnny's not saying it's going to happen overnight or that Rutgers will become Auburn or Alabama any time soon but RU is positioned well right now.

OK, football! This is an A gap blitz. MSU runs these a LOT:

See the two middle linebackers get a healthy running start at the opposing team's backfield? Yeah, and if Gary Nova does not handle these Pat Narduzzi blitzes Rutgers is in for a long day. Why can Michigan St. blitz like this? Their cornerbacks play tight press coverage and are very good at it. They know most long passes are not completed especially when A) the QB is under great pressure and B) The defender is good. The Spartans dare the opposition to throw long. In order for RU to keep things close and hope for an upset Gary Nova is going to have to hit at least three plays of 50 yards or more. He is going to have to prove to the 75,000 green and white fans on Senior Day he can go long and keep going long. Though not a strength Rutgers is going to need to run the ball against the Green Wall for around 100 yards to keep Nova upright when he passes.

When MSU has the ball they have perhaps the most balanced offense in the conference. Pro to be Connor Cook is not afraid to use his arm (Note: At least once a game he WILL throw a pass that makes MSU fans wonder if he's blind) and has a cadre of good receivers and one great one. Tony Lippett, (#14 in your program but #1 in your heart) has had a breakout season. He's big, strong, fast and makes great catches for long gains:

Getting back to how Rutgers can emulate Michigan St. by smart player selection; all everything running back Jeremy Langford was a third team defensive back after his freshman year. It cost MSU nothing to move him and see if his talents didn't fit better elsewhere. Smart good coaching can cover a lot of holes. Look at Langford now, over 100 yards for 13 straight games. He has 33 career TD's. All they did was move him.

Langford has fumbled in the past and as noted above Connor Cook is prone to a horrid throw every so often believing in his arm more than he should. Rutgers is going to need turnovers and will most likely need one of their patented blocked kicks for a score to keep it close and spring what would be a huge upset and BIG program win for Kyle Flood and RU.

All this being said Johnny is gonna go with his deep seeded loyalties today in the rain/snow/fog of East Lansing.

Fearless Forecast:
Michigan St. 45
Rutgers 14