Rutgers football Gameday!

Here we are with our little Rutgers Gameday thread and on a two game winning-streak to boot! That's right, a two game Big Ten winning-streak which makes today's game that much more enjoyable if you allow yourselves to dream RU fans. Why, a win today would level the Scarlet Knights record at 4-4 and move them into fourth place ahead of Michigan in the B1G East and people might just start thinking bowl game.

But first, Michigan, in the People's Republic of Ann Arbor today at noon. Let's take a look-see.

The Detroit and SE Michigan media are not being very kind to Jim Harbaugh. They've started pointing out he's the third highest paid coach in NCAA football and they expect more than a 1-4 record vs MSU and OSU and fourth place in the B1G East.. Getting waxed by other B1G teams doesn't help. So no doubt after he does his "Who's got it better than us" song to the team, the Wolverines will run through that tunnel expecting a big bounce back and an easy Homecoming win. Will they get it?

Can Rutgers stop Michigan from running and setting up play action? Can the RU corners spend one great afternoon this year playing like flypaper? That's what it's gonna take friends. We don't think the RU offense will get that much going consistently enough to scare Michigan, even with their pop-gun offense. Defense defense defense must be the order of the day. Somehow Chris Ash's charges must keep Michigan 17 points or under and under 100 yards rushing. Sure, it's a tall order but that's what great wins are made from.

At some point Michigan is going to want to get their next big thing QB of the future Brandon Peters onto the field. RU will see him one of two ways, John O'Korn is awful and inefficient like he was in the rain vs. Michigan State OR he'll come in with Michigan comfortably ahead. Gonna be up to Rutgers to see how that plays out. Either way, expect Jim Harbaugh to find Peters some game time today. Know who else will see the field a LOT? Karan Higdon, Michigan's bell cow running back. He's probably ready to run through walls about now knowing he'll be a big part of Michigan's game planning. Watch what kind of first quarter numbers he puts up. Good or bad it may start to tell what kind of game this will be. The most successful Jim Harbaugh, the Stanford and early Michigan Jim Harbaugh pounded the ball behind a mammoth offensive line and took no prisoners. Two and three tight ends, fullbacks, it was big and imposing. If Michigan starts with long passes and reverses and special teams trickery it would seem he's playing to his critics.

It's just a fact the Wolverines are bigger and stronger in those trenches with many more impact players and important positions. They have a coach ESPN cannot shut up about. They have the history.

So why are they 6-5 their last 11 games?

THAT right there is what RU has to tap into to get the win. Doubt in Michigan's minds. Right now, for the first time really in Johnny's life, Michigan is waiting for something bad to happen near the ends of games. Been that way since the RichRod days. Rutgers cannot afford getting down 14-0 or 17-3 in the first half and make today work. While current Minnesota and former Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck preaches rowing the boat, RU today must "sow that doubt" all around Michigan Stadium. Easier said than done.

When all is said and done in Ann Arbor, and the fans have moved on to Zingermann's or The Real Seafood company, the Mongolian Bar-B-Que or the White Castle on Carpenter and Packard, how does this one play out Johnny, and what about that two game winning streak?

Fearless Forecast
Michigan 30
Rutgers 14

Rutgers football Gameday!

As the calendar moves deeper into November the feeling at the Rutgers football building can't be lobbying for which bowl game you want to make sure you qualify for and impress the committee. It's more a "can the coach save his job and who is playing for a starting job next year, who has quit and how will this impact recruiting" feeling.

First, can Kyle Flood save his job? Our guess is no and we'll pile on unnecessarily and say he shouldn't even if they win out. He's regressed slightly from the Greg Schiano years hasn't he? For every close loss to an MSU there are horrid blow out losses, either way, losses. His suspension didn't help matters and his actions to get that suspension would have been enough for Johnny to show him the door.

Who is playing for a starting job next year? Everyone not a senior. Easy. Nobody should think they have a lock on anything. Who has quit? We'll see and coaches will sure see when they break down game film.

Will this have an impact on recruiting? Oh yeah. After a promising first season in the B1G in which Rutgers represented well, kids now look at a program in disarray, an inconsistent AD, and lacking facilities. If everyone got on the same side and all rowed together and they raised money for a new stadium and got a first class coach it'd STILL be an 5-7 year turnaround to really compete with Michigan State, Ohio State and newly refurbished Michigan. Iowa is a great story but could well be one-year wonders.

Speaking of Michigan. Remember when Rutgers "upset" Michigan last year in Piscataway? Johnny is going to bet the Michigan players remember it well. Today RU plays in the Big Quiet House in Ann Arbor (Anne Arbor is a slut) and things don't look good barring a true upset. Michigan's defense should well handle anything the Scarlet Knights can throw at them and the members of the skunk family will be remembering their last two games, a last-second brain fart loss to Sparty and a last-second brain fart win over Minnesota and will (WARNING--Midwestern colloquialism ahead) try and put the hay in the barn early. The Rutgers defense is going to have to be darned near perfect to keep this one from getting out of hand early, something BYU and Northwestern did a poor job of. No penalties keeping Michigan drives alive. No missed fumble recoveries or dropped interceptions. Play as hard as you can for as long as you can and hope the offense can somehow get two touchdowns. Johnny thinks RU will get those two TD's but that's about all.

Fearless Forecast
Michigan 38
Rutgers 17

Johnny is still laughing too hard to be proud of his undefeated Spartans

They never win easily but if by chance you can take Michigan fans' hearts out like Bruce Lee and show it to them before they die, Johnny is pretty sure it would look like this. Surgery without anesthesia.

Sparty on Wayne! MSU may not win the National title or Rose Bowl or whatever but this play will make Johnny laugh on his deathbed.