A quick Gameday thread today as Johnny has thangs to do.
Nebraska comes into Piscataway at 3:30 today on an emotional high. Who wouldn't be after the B1G officials allowed to knock off the #7 by running out of bounds then hiding behind those refereeisms about intended meanings of rules. Until last Saturday this was a lost season in Lincoln, something you don't normally ever see. In fact Nebraska entered November with 6 losses last week for the first time ever. RU is having a bad season without much hope but then again they're only a week behind Nebraska with a win and hope. Nebraska is a funny team. Quite a few of their plays wind up looking broken and thus defenders must hang on in the secondary that much longer. If the Rutgers secondary can play like they did against MSU they'll have a punchers chance as Johnny thinks the front 7 or 8 or the Scarlet Knights can minimize Husker running damage because well, they'll have to.
RU was embarrassed last week at Michigan. Michigan kinda sorta ran things up. How badly does RU want to get back some of that pride and stand up at home and get some of it back against a beatable team with a great pedigree. Will they have enough offense?
Special teams will help decide this one and RU are great at those.
Fearless Forecast
Nebraska 28
Rutgers 20
Showing posts with label scarlet knights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scarlet knights. Show all posts
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Rutgers Football Gameday!
Now, you all know Johnny tries to be a fair arbiter of local sports teams he doesn't cheer for. He tries to explain the good and bad of the teams. Today's RU coverage is gonna be a little (ok a LOT) slanted, because today Johnny's Michigan State Spartans return to Piscataway ad Johnny WILL BE THERE.
Pretty cool thing, Rutgers joining the B1G so Johnny can see his Spartans somewhat locally again. Funny thing, Johnny moves to Jersey City and his beloved Red Wings are in the Eastern Conference of the NHL and make those regular trips to MSG, The Rock and Now the Barclay's Center. Johnny comes east and Rutgers joins the great midwestern bastion of football. Pretty cool deal.
OK, gameday. It's all going to boil down to RU's offensive line vs MSU's front seven. The Scarlet Knights do have a stable of talented running backs but that line is going to have to pave the way for those runners, something hard to do against Athalon's #2 defensive line in America. Lawrence Thomas and Malik McDowell are utter men against boys in a lot of cases. Bounce your run outside and there's All-American DE Shilique Calhoun. The RU line is young. The MSU line is awesome. How will the Knights line hold up? There's your key. Passing may be a better way for Rutgers to move the ball today but it's not a strength.
One advantage RU will have vs the #4 team in the land is special teams. Michigan State is normally has one of the better special team squads but that has not been the case this year. They have given up a kickoff return for a TD vs Western Michigan and a punt return vs Oregon. Rutgers gets a big edge here today.
We can look at this a million different ways and it all comes up the same on paper. Michigan State should win handily behind LJ Scott and the ground game and Connor Cook's arm. The MSU defense should stifle the RU running attack. Should, but that's why games are played.
Still with no Kyle Flood as head coach and MSU looking to lock in before visiting Khaki University next weekend this one seems to be telling Johnny something:
Fearless Forecast:
Michigan State 31
Rutgers 17
Pretty cool thing, Rutgers joining the B1G so Johnny can see his Spartans somewhat locally again. Funny thing, Johnny moves to Jersey City and his beloved Red Wings are in the Eastern Conference of the NHL and make those regular trips to MSG, The Rock and Now the Barclay's Center. Johnny comes east and Rutgers joins the great midwestern bastion of football. Pretty cool deal.
OK, gameday. It's all going to boil down to RU's offensive line vs MSU's front seven. The Scarlet Knights do have a stable of talented running backs but that line is going to have to pave the way for those runners, something hard to do against Athalon's #2 defensive line in America. Lawrence Thomas and Malik McDowell are utter men against boys in a lot of cases. Bounce your run outside and there's All-American DE Shilique Calhoun. The RU line is young. The MSU line is awesome. How will the Knights line hold up? There's your key. Passing may be a better way for Rutgers to move the ball today but it's not a strength.
One advantage RU will have vs the #4 team in the land is special teams. Michigan State is normally has one of the better special team squads but that has not been the case this year. They have given up a kickoff return for a TD vs Western Michigan and a punt return vs Oregon. Rutgers gets a big edge here today.
We can look at this a million different ways and it all comes up the same on paper. Michigan State should win handily behind LJ Scott and the ground game and Connor Cook's arm. The MSU defense should stifle the RU running attack. Should, but that's why games are played.
Still with no Kyle Flood as head coach and MSU looking to lock in before visiting Khaki University next weekend this one seems to be telling Johnny something:
Fearless Forecast:
Michigan State 31
Rutgers 17
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Rutgers football game day!
Well RU football fans, here's your chance to see boorish fan behavior on a level you're just not used to. If you're going to the game in Columbus vs Ohio State today no doubt you'll be coming come to tell tales about THE worst fanbase in the B1G. They are drunken louts with delusions of grandeur in Columbus. Johnny knows, he's seen it first hand sadly on more than one occasion. To use the old Reggie Jackson line, Ohio State thinks they are the straw that stirs the B1G drink. Losing to Michigan State in the B1G title game last year was horrible for them. Johnny read their fans posts and columnists and they just don't understand not being in first....ever. They are rude to opposing fans (If you have a Michigan license plate on your car in late November on a certain game day they'll roll your car) and in general are a sandpapery lot.
There, now you're prepared for the Columbus game day experience. How about the game though Johnny. Yes, the game.
Now, RU is playing well. They have exceeded expectation of just about everyone not wearing a Rutgers jersey. If they have always wanted to know deep down where they matchup against the B1G's better teams here's their chance. Urban Meyer doesn't usually recruit the guys that don't have 4 and 5 starts next to their names in high school. The athletes OSU has will give Rutgers issues. Johnny thinks where that will be most pronounced will be in the trenches. The Buckeyes have a top flight defensive line led by Joey Bosa. Can the Scarlet Knights offensive line keep Gary Nova upright? Yeah, it'll be a big test. Ohio State has those great players that let's face facts, are a cut above RU's players.
But Michigan gets those same 4 and 5 star players and Rutgers beat Michigan. It's why they play the games isn't it? Rutgers has the reputation of being difficult to play against. If they can force OSU's backup QB into some throwing mistakes who knows? Try and keep it close and win it late, RU's best chance.
We'd love to pick Rutgers today, we would. We have no love lost for Old Columbus Town. Have we told you about their fanbase? This is a pic Johnny took in 2011 outside the Prudential Center for the NCAA basketball sub regional. Ohio State fans:
Know what, the Buckeyes lost that night too.
Fearless Forecast:
Rutgers 29
Ohio State 27
There, now you're prepared for the Columbus game day experience. How about the game though Johnny. Yes, the game.
Now, RU is playing well. They have exceeded expectation of just about everyone not wearing a Rutgers jersey. If they have always wanted to know deep down where they matchup against the B1G's better teams here's their chance. Urban Meyer doesn't usually recruit the guys that don't have 4 and 5 starts next to their names in high school. The athletes OSU has will give Rutgers issues. Johnny thinks where that will be most pronounced will be in the trenches. The Buckeyes have a top flight defensive line led by Joey Bosa. Can the Scarlet Knights offensive line keep Gary Nova upright? Yeah, it'll be a big test. Ohio State has those great players that let's face facts, are a cut above RU's players.
But Michigan gets those same 4 and 5 star players and Rutgers beat Michigan. It's why they play the games isn't it? Rutgers has the reputation of being difficult to play against. If they can force OSU's backup QB into some throwing mistakes who knows? Try and keep it close and win it late, RU's best chance.
We'd love to pick Rutgers today, we would. We have no love lost for Old Columbus Town. Have we told you about their fanbase? This is a pic Johnny took in 2011 outside the Prudential Center for the NCAA basketball sub regional. Ohio State fans:
Know what, the Buckeyes lost that night too.
Fearless Forecast:
Rutgers 29
Ohio State 27
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Rutgers football Gameday!
It's finally here. Rutgers tonight will truly enter the pantheon of big time college football, a game they helped invent, tonight at 8pm in Piscataway. The Scarlet Knights take on Penn State University in RU's first ever B1G conference game.
All those games against Cincinnati and Louisville UConn, and USF will now be replaced with Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State and yes, the Nittany Scourge. Big time. NCAA playoff conference. It all starts tonight. Rutgers is 2-22 all-time vs. their western neighbors. One of RU's mostest famousest losses was to a 1995 Penn State team that was loaded. PSU QB Mike McQueary, one of the main figures in Penn State's recent "troubles" as the guy who turned in Jerry Sandusky, was sent in against RU to mop up a big win for the Nittany Lions. Was Joe Paterno running up the score against RU here or is there a bigger question here. McQueary was later suspected of betting on college football, some say even his own games. The line on this one was 21 and to get there McQueary needed points. Let's face it, JoePa looks shocked and bummed McQueary did what he's about to do. Doug Grabner, the RU coach at the time, didn't seem to care who the hell called the pass.
Oh the intrigue! Oh the confrontations! Oh the foul language!
So they meet again today. Penn State is a big favorite. Rutgers is at home and will have a full house behind them. PSU fans are calling Rutgers home field (And again we're not corporate whores so it's simply the Rutgers home field or the like -- perhaps a piece of striped astroturf measuring 120 yards by 53 yards in Piscataway) Beaver Stadium East. Will it be today? Let's break it down.
Rutgers is 2-0 with a big win and PSU is 2-0. Rutgers has won on the road and at home and should be playing with a great deal of confidence. Worst case scenario? PSU scores early and then gets a quick turnover and makes it a two score lead early. They have the big boys to grind a game out at that point. Best case? RU gets a quick lead and lets their defense get into the game against a top flight QB in Christian Hackenberg. Johnny thinks, and it's an old adage, the team with the most rushing yards is going to prevail. Penn State has great potential with their two back system yet have struggled to really get it going. Rutgers has indeed had success and are going to need to use the run game to control tempo. Johnny will always take a proven commodity than the potential for one. Advantage Rutgers.
Not in RU's favor today? The fact its a super duper big game at home. How often do really big celebratory games go sideways? This is an interesting phenomenon to Johnny and he has followed it over the years. A team retiring a players jersey almost always loses that game. Call it a distraction from the important routine of game day or loss of focus too often a big new stadium unveiling or the first time a team has played for X at home, they lose. Yes, that's sort of what RU is facing today. The emotion coming out onto THEIR B1G field is going to be overwhelming. That too can lead to substitution mistakes, penalties and missed tackles as players go for huge crowd pleasing hits rather than tackles. Penn State also is going to be coming out sky high as this week the NCAA lifted the last of their sanctions because of the Sandusky case and suddenly they ARE eligible for a bowl game. Who controls that emotional release better? We'll know by 8:30.
It's going to be a hard hitting game. It's going to be a nasty game. Probably some penalties. It'll be chilly. It'll be wet. A rivalry is about to be born. All common sense statistics point to a Nittany Lions win. Readers know when it comes to predictions Johnny left common sense in the rear-view mirror long ago.
Fearless Forecast
Rutgers 31
Penn State 30
All those games against Cincinnati and Louisville UConn, and USF will now be replaced with Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State and yes, the Nittany Scourge. Big time. NCAA playoff conference. It all starts tonight. Rutgers is 2-22 all-time vs. their western neighbors. One of RU's mostest famousest losses was to a 1995 Penn State team that was loaded. PSU QB Mike McQueary, one of the main figures in Penn State's recent "troubles" as the guy who turned in Jerry Sandusky, was sent in against RU to mop up a big win for the Nittany Lions. Was Joe Paterno running up the score against RU here or is there a bigger question here. McQueary was later suspected of betting on college football, some say even his own games. The line on this one was 21 and to get there McQueary needed points. Let's face it, JoePa looks shocked and bummed McQueary did what he's about to do. Doug Grabner, the RU coach at the time, didn't seem to care who the hell called the pass.
Oh the intrigue! Oh the confrontations! Oh the foul language!
So they meet again today. Penn State is a big favorite. Rutgers is at home and will have a full house behind them. PSU fans are calling Rutgers home field (And again we're not corporate whores so it's simply the Rutgers home field or the like -- perhaps a piece of striped astroturf measuring 120 yards by 53 yards in Piscataway) Beaver Stadium East. Will it be today? Let's break it down.
Rutgers is 2-0 with a big win and PSU is 2-0. Rutgers has won on the road and at home and should be playing with a great deal of confidence. Worst case scenario? PSU scores early and then gets a quick turnover and makes it a two score lead early. They have the big boys to grind a game out at that point. Best case? RU gets a quick lead and lets their defense get into the game against a top flight QB in Christian Hackenberg. Johnny thinks, and it's an old adage, the team with the most rushing yards is going to prevail. Penn State has great potential with their two back system yet have struggled to really get it going. Rutgers has indeed had success and are going to need to use the run game to control tempo. Johnny will always take a proven commodity than the potential for one. Advantage Rutgers.
Not in RU's favor today? The fact its a super duper big game at home. How often do really big celebratory games go sideways? This is an interesting phenomenon to Johnny and he has followed it over the years. A team retiring a players jersey almost always loses that game. Call it a distraction from the important routine of game day or loss of focus too often a big new stadium unveiling or the first time a team has played for X at home, they lose. Yes, that's sort of what RU is facing today. The emotion coming out onto THEIR B1G field is going to be overwhelming. That too can lead to substitution mistakes, penalties and missed tackles as players go for huge crowd pleasing hits rather than tackles. Penn State also is going to be coming out sky high as this week the NCAA lifted the last of their sanctions because of the Sandusky case and suddenly they ARE eligible for a bowl game. Who controls that emotional release better? We'll know by 8:30.
It's going to be a hard hitting game. It's going to be a nasty game. Probably some penalties. It'll be chilly. It'll be wet. A rivalry is about to be born. All common sense statistics point to a Nittany Lions win. Readers know when it comes to predictions Johnny left common sense in the rear-view mirror long ago.
Fearless Forecast
Rutgers 31
Penn State 30
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Rutgers has been shamed into getting a new Scarlet Knight mascot
Just three days into their Big Ten experience, Rutgers is having to change how their mascot looks. Here he is in all his current, well, awfulness:
That may well play in the Big East or whatever no-count conference Rutgers spent last year in but in the Big Ten where one of the most beloved college mascots of all-time resides, which already looks the role of Ser Gregor Clegane, you must step up your effort from John Kerry with a JEEP grill on his head:
That may well play in the Big East or whatever no-count conference Rutgers spent last year in but in the Big Ten where one of the most beloved college mascots of all-time resides, which already looks the role of Ser Gregor Clegane, you must step up your effort from John Kerry with a JEEP grill on his head:
So Rutgers has indeed announced "A New Knight" to be unveiled on August 8. A Sparty-like body with Chris Christie's head? Will the New Knight have a Snooki Knight sidekick? Guess we'll just have to wait.
Oh, and to any Rutgers fans that Johnny will no doubt be offending as a long-time MSU fan, you wanted into the conference, take your hazing like a knight.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Rutgers football Gameday!
Whoa Nellie, it's getting to be late October, there's frost on the pumpkin and a goose egg on the loss side of the Rutgers ledger. All who predicted an undefeated Rutgers ballclub please step forward then admit you just lied.
Down the turnpike they go to Philadelphia and a tilt with the Owls of Temple. The Scarlet Knight offense will be put to the test today maybe not so much physically as mentally. The Owls use a high tempo, high pressure defense. Lots of blitzes and stunts. Thus far Temple is having a better than expected 3-2 overall and 2-0 in the Big East with that defense so Rutgers will have to be mentally sharp to pick up assignments and run the correct hot routes when called upon. Temple is 10th in the nation at sacking the opposing QB and 12th in the nation in creating turnovers. Turnovers, especially those on the road will kill you. Again, smart football from Rutgers gets this done today.
Unlike quite a few commenters on other websites we think today is going to be a close one. We know the Scarlet Knights offense has the firepower to put up a lot of points but this smells of an Admiral Akbar "It's a trap!" game. We think Rutgers today but by barely.
Fearless Forecast:
Soon to be 7-0 Rutgers 22
Doomed to stay in Philadelphia Temple 17
Down the turnpike they go to Philadelphia and a tilt with the Owls of Temple. The Scarlet Knight offense will be put to the test today maybe not so much physically as mentally. The Owls use a high tempo, high pressure defense. Lots of blitzes and stunts. Thus far Temple is having a better than expected 3-2 overall and 2-0 in the Big East with that defense so Rutgers will have to be mentally sharp to pick up assignments and run the correct hot routes when called upon. Temple is 10th in the nation at sacking the opposing QB and 12th in the nation in creating turnovers. Turnovers, especially those on the road will kill you. Again, smart football from Rutgers gets this done today.
Unlike quite a few commenters on other websites we think today is going to be a close one. We know the Scarlet Knights offense has the firepower to put up a lot of points but this smells of an Admiral Akbar "It's a trap!" game. We think Rutgers today but by barely.
Fearless Forecast:
Soon to be 7-0 Rutgers 22
Doomed to stay in Philadelphia Temple 17
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Rutgers football gameday!
What's that Bunky, you loves you some Rutgers football but you hate the trip down to scenic Piscataway? Well we have good news for you, they're are playing in our backyard today and that backyard is better known as Yankee Stadium. Load up the kids and get on the trains, Rutgers and Army kick off at 3:30 in da Bronx.
Something worrisome about a game against the Black Knights of the Hudson on Veterans Day weekend but NOW how does that win last weekend look in the rearview mirror? Win this game and the Scarlet Knights start to rise above a lot of teams in the east (especially with the vacuum left in State College) and bowl scouts take note of this tiny New York City teevee market. This game doesn't need analysis, if Rutgers can keep focus, keep playing outstanding pressure the QB defense and don't fall victim to a special teams meltdown they should win.
Don't you have you Rutgers hats and jackets on yet? Grab those Metro Cards and get going. Go tailgate in the Bronx somewhere cozy and find a place to toss the pigskin around, fire up the Weber pot grill, and play some beer pong all within sight of venerable Yankee Stadium.
Fearless Forecast
Scarlet Knights 31
Black Knights 17
Something worrisome about a game against the Black Knights of the Hudson on Veterans Day weekend but NOW how does that win last weekend look in the rearview mirror? Win this game and the Scarlet Knights start to rise above a lot of teams in the east (especially with the vacuum left in State College) and bowl scouts take note of this tiny New York City teevee market. This game doesn't need analysis, if Rutgers can keep focus, keep playing outstanding pressure the QB defense and don't fall victim to a special teams meltdown they should win.
Don't you have you Rutgers hats and jackets on yet? Grab those Metro Cards and get going. Go tailgate in the Bronx somewhere cozy and find a place to toss the pigskin around, fire up the Weber pot grill, and play some beer pong all within sight of venerable Yankee Stadium.
Fearless Forecast
Scarlet Knights 31
Black Knights 17
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