Time to move the goalposts

You know, I would have thought that castrating a live bull on broadcast television was against the law in the great state of New Jersey (that’s some great imagery to start off the morning with). Guess Rutgers wasn’t kidding about the whole “learning is a lifetime commitment” thing.

“You can’t spell FRAUDS without USF.” — anonymous longtime Rutgers writer of Italian descent – @NJ_StevePoliti

Glad to see people are starting to see things my way. I’ll be lucky to get four hours of sleep after racing towards the exits midway through the fourth quarter and typing this post up, but I have a feeling that most of you were happy to forgo sleep for a game that was well worth watching.

The results pretty much speak for themselves; to the point where the only interesting question out of last night’s game is whether it’s best interpreted as the culmination of the ongoing Rutgers dominance over USF, or as proof positive that the fledging Rutgers offense is starting to gel. True, the Bulls did beat West Virginia last week, and they did have a relatively good resume on the season. However, USF has had WVU’s number over the past few years, and WVU’s offense has been in the tank as of late.

Truthfully, I never thought USF was any good at all this season. UConn is so profoundly better that it’s a crime that the Bulls have the better win/loss record. Schiano’s soldiers once again prevailed over an overmatched, frankly sloppy Jim Leavitt squad on a Thursday night stage. It was the most lopsided game yet in a series that is rapidly morphing into deeper levels of absurdist comedy by the year. What I wouldn’t have given to be a fly on the wall in the Bulls’ locker room at halftime.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a good win. Certainly not “hollow” or anything of the sort. (By the way, is everything going to be a lovefest today on Rivals with everyone firmly back on the bandwagon? I’d say yes, because that’s usually the rule when Rutgers seems to start their annual late season surge). However, it’s only fair to temper your enthusiasm just a little, because there’s still plenty to work on. No, Rutgers was not as bad as they played in the opener. Not even close. The light is obviously coming on, but they’re not yet a team that will soundly beat good teams every week. This plea will probably fall on deaf ears, just as my optimism did earlier in the year, but; even keel, people. Please?

Our #1 men’s winter sport

Until the basketball team can win scrimmages against MAAC teams, I’m “fairly” confident that Rutgers men’s basketball is going to take a back seat to the wrestling team this year. With two thirds of football season in the books already, it’s time to look for other RU-related athletic diversions over the next few months, because the women can’t play every night. Hear me out. Yes, this is a bit like asking everyone to give up Christmas for Diwali, but what exactly can we do after Santa keeps bringing a lump of coal every year?

By all indications, the Rutgers wrestling program is on an upswing. Within the next few years, it actually has a chance to be pretty good. Like most readers, I’m in the position of being moderately intrigued by year two of the revitalization, while knowing little to nothing about the sport, and probably inclined to jump off the bandwagon at the first hint of struggle.

I needed a level of expertise proportional to this interest, so I asked a friend from Iowa for comment. Now, if you don’t know anything about the state of Iowa beyond all the corn, they’re into amateur wrestling roughly as much as New Jersey is into hair grease and track suits. The Hawkeyes have won 22 national championships, and are back to their winning ways under their new head coach, Tom Brands. In-state rival Iowa State recently lost their coach, Cael Sanderson, to Penn State – lured by the promises of a rich talent poor, infinite resources, and no longer having to stand in Iowa’s shadow. That’s quite the psychological blow to the Cyclones, given that Sanderson was an ISU alum.

That’s right. Those damned blockheads in Happy Valley saw what their infinitely cooler, smarter, and better looking rivals in New Brunswick were doing on the mat, and followed our lead in what was the most brazen theft since Beaver Stadium appropriated that Zombie Nation techno song from German soccer clubs. If there’s anything that can rouse my interest, it’s competition from Penn State, so I had to get to the bottom of all of this.

My blogpoll ballot: week ten

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Alabama
2	Florida
3	Cincinnati
4	TCU
5	Texas
6	Georgia Tech	3
7	Pittsburgh	3
8	Boise State	2
9	Oregon	2
10	Miami (Florida)	7
11	Iowa	3
12	Southern Cal	1
13	LSU	1
14	Arizona
15	Houston
16	Ohio State	4
17	Stanford
18	Virginia Tech	2
19	Oklahoma State	4
20	Penn State	7
21	Oregon State
22	South Florida
23	Utah	4
24	Clemson
25	Wisconsin	1
Last week’s ballot

Dropped Out: Oklahoma (#18), California (#21), West Virginia (#25).

10/10 Recruiting Update

I don’t know if there is a connection between Sam Bergen’s injury, and the decision to offer a scholarship to Sayreville LB Dave Milewski, but the timing is interesting, even if he grows into an end. Either way, he’s the latest verbal commitment to Rutgers. NJ.com posted a Milewski highlights package last week. He wasn’t really on the national recruiting radar until recently, so I don’t know enough about Dave to give any further thoughts at the moment.

326 yards and 5 TDs for Chas Dodd on the week.

Jordan Thomas rushed for 155 yards and a TD as Union-Endicott topped Binghamton.

J.T. Tartacoff hauled in a touchdown grab in Montgomery’s loss to Basking Ridge.

State of Rutgers is going premium soon, so you may want to read their recent articles on 2011 prospects Hakeem Flowers, Teddy Bridgewater, and Tanner McEvoy (unlike the first two, a realistic if not likely target) while you can. It’ll be interesting to see how SoR compares with Rivals and Scout once their premium service goes online.

Per the premium sites, 2011 NJ athlete Damiere Byrd picked up a Rutgers offer. Standout shore RB Charles Davis is still high on Rutgers.

“Rutgers is definitely a favorite,” he said. “Basically I’ve been really looking at them and Virginia. With Rutgers, the coaching staff is great from what I know about them. I’ve been around the campus a little bit and it’s very nice. I’ve heard they’re also strong in what I want to go to school for (criminal justice).”

Florida athlete Jeremy Deering injured his collarbone last Friday, and is set to undergo surgery next week. Per the report, one Rutgers assistant was in attendance on the night. DT Richard Ash visited UCLA over the weekend.

The latest update on Maryland DB Lorenzo Waters says he’s open, and has only looked hard at Wake Forest.

Paul Franklin asks whether changing demographics in North Edison are hurting J.P. Stevens football.

Soft Minnesota CB verbal Jabari Price switched to UNC. FL DT Antonio Ford committed to Wake Forest. I’m not happy about TE Jarrett Darmstatter committing to BC. It’s a hard sell when you’re playing two freshmen, and redshirting two more, but I think he’s going to be good. FL CB Keion Payne committed to Miami.

Watchlist: Bill Belton, Devin Fuller, Kevin Hogan, Jonathan Jenkins, T.J. Mutcherson, Gary Nova, Miles Shuler, and Chris Valenti.

Bet they could still beat Notre Dame

Late breaking Twitter news last night: injured Syracuse DT Arthur Jones will miss the remainder of this season, his final year of eligibility. That’s some serious, biblical-level torture, although it was partially inevitable on a roster with little in the way of depth to begin with.

And to think, I thought my only comment on the Cuse today would be to mention ESPN’s dastardly decision to not let SNY (and other conference affiliates) air the game, instead exclusively limiting it to their 360 online service. Dare I ask why on earth SNY and/or the Big East ever agreed to contracts that didn’t stipulate on this, or say, filming games in HD? Can our media expert Tim Pernetti please look over the next TV contract before it’s signed? Not to mention, my provider Comcast added 360 this year to their lineup, and ESPN turns around and takes programming away from one of their properties. This can’t go on.

The USF Bulls have a propensity to run their mouths. Have to say though, even though he’s a numbskull, these comments by Kion Wilson were accurate.

“Their offensive line had extremely a lot of hype going into the game, but they’re second in the Big East in giving up sacks,”  Wilson said. “They don’t handle stunts and pressure very well, so hopefully Coach (defensive coordinator Joe) Tresey will be aggressive with the play-calling, and have our defensive line do a lot of stunting and a lot of blitzing and hopefully we’ll be able to get pressure on the quarterback.”

May not have been the brightest thing to say though, with the way Mr. Invisible has been playing at right end as of late. Although, Anthony Davis has had his own nasty habit of daydreaming about future paychecks this year. At least he’s smart enough to not suggest that Selvie is anything less than an elite player.

Speaking of the whole “revenge” factor that was also mentioned, why is it that the league’s worst gameday coaches seem to emphasize that the most? Jim Leavitt should spend less time acting like a clown on the sidelines, and more managing the clock.

It’s interesting that the Memphis athletic department is so determined to jump to the Big East, given that their football program is in shambles, and just fired their coach yesterday. Don’t really see how they end up a viable candidate any time soon, no matter who is the next hire. The same goes for other the C-USA also-rans. Honestly, Temple looks like the best choice out there for an expansion candidate. I’ve thought that for some time. Before writing a detailed post about it, I wanted to wait for them to actually turn the corner. Now it’ll hinge on keeping HC Al Golden in place, who’d make a lot of sense at Maryland or UVA next year. I’m really hoping that Virginia passes on the NJ native for someone like a Mike London.

What’s the opposite of a pyrrhic victory?

Is there any doubt remaining that Pittsburgh is going to rip Notre Dame to shreds next Saturday?

Sad thing is, if the Gator Bowl has any say about it, they’d still prefer to take the Irish over the Panthers. ND is like an unwanted houseguest that just won’t take a hint. I cannot comprehend their appeal on any level, but that appeal still exists nonetheless.

Which, has to be scaring the living daylights out of the Cincinnati athletic department right now. Jon Gruden and Skip Holtz may have the more obvious ties to South Bend, but it’s increasingly looking like a matter of when, and not if, Brian Kelly will replace Charlie Weis at the helm of the program.

Kelly may talk up the Bearcats to the press, but sports are driven by the bottom line, and college football is no exception. Turning down a Washington may be one thing, but will he be able to say no to Notre Dame and their NBC megabucks when UC is still dragging their feet on promised facility improvements?

But the stadium hurdle will be huge. UC has had a difficult time raising the $13.5 million to $15 million needed for the practice fields. The challenge of raising $50 million to $100 million or more for a stadium renovation looms as a daunting one.

Asked about the stadium Friday, new UC president Greg Williams spoke only in generalities.

“I’m exploring a lot of options,” Williams said.”

Knightly News

There was an absolutely wonderful article on the Rutgers/Princeton game in 1869 in Friday’s Wall Street Journal. The entire piece is recommended reading, but if there’s one vital paragraph, it’s probably the following.

Baseball historians have never been able to agree on the “first” baseball game, but most football historians are on comfortable turf in pinpointing the start of their game with Rutgers-Princeton in 1869. Some have called that contest “primitive football,” some describe it as “primitive soccer,” and still others as “nascent rugby.” In truth, claims can be made for all these descriptions. But as Bob Boyles, co-author of the USA Today College Football Encyclopedia, says: “There are a great many traditions that started on that field in New Brunswick. The kicking factor, the goal posts, the physical contact—the men allowed to run ‘interference,’ an early term for what we call blocking—that pull that game towards the direction of American football and away from soccer or rugby.”

Last week, Beat Visitor posted the exact text of the original 1869 report in the Targum about the game.

I thought that two conference games on Saturday (excepting the Pitt-SU blowout) were rather interesting, for different reasons. Despite starting a 5′7 walk-on at QB, Louisville kept things close at West Virginia. The prime time game between UConn and Cincy was much more exciting. Statistically, Cincy should have won big, but UConn arguably benefitted from a little luck for once. I think that game showed that they’re a pretty good team, and should have a better record than 4-5. Cincy, of course, is very good. However, I’m not completely sold on the Bearcat defense. They’re overrated a bit based on the opener, which had plenty to do with poor personnel and gameplanning on the Rutgers side of things.

Honestly, I’m not sure exactly where to begin with Brett McMurphy’s interview with BE commissioner John Marinatto from last week. What’s the purpose of a quote like this?

The costs of travel could become such that an Eastern school that’s now in a non-Eastern quote-unquote conference might want to look [and think] ‘it makes more sense to be in the Big East.’ There could be a shifting around.

There is no Moise Plancher

there is only, generic_USF_tailback. None of those guys have really stood out to this point, and that’s an underreported aspect that I’d like to briefly consider.

When it comes to next week’s game between Rutgers and USF, a lot of attention, quite rightly, is being placed on freshman QB B.J. Daniels. He’s the Bulls’ leading rusher, which is as much a testament to his prowess as an indictment some some combination of their playcalling and/or depth chart. If you think the Rutgers committee hasn’t looked impressive, check out what USF has mustered in the ground. It’s strange, considering that you’d think with a freshman QB, the Bulls would lean more on the running game.

True, the senior Plancher did play well against West Virginia, but that’s after not seeing many touches since their game against Western Kentucky. They’ve had some injuries on their offensive line too. How come they haven’t had a feature back since Andre Hall skipped town four years ago, though? A reliance on a scrambling QB is part of that; you could just as easily say Hall only saw so many carries because Pat Julmiste was just that bad.

A lot of observers, including myself, were really impressed with backup Mike Ford’s combination of size and athleticism. The dreaded two Is – injuries and inconsistency, have largely held back Ford up to this point. He’s a guy you want to file away for the future, as a textbook example of a prospect the New  York Giants could pluck out of obscurity and turn into their next feature back. Ford hasn’t shown all that much as of late, with freshman Lindsey Lamar pushing for more touches.

Scrambling’s fine, but it is an invitation to get your quarterback hit. Not having an effective, traditional running game does make the Bulls somewhat one-dimensional, and I think that’s to our advantage on Thursday. They’re like a far, far more talented FIU in that respect.

Talk about burying the lede

Buried in an article in yesterday’s Boston Herald about RB Josh Haden’s impending transfer from Boston College was a brief tease about “mutual interest” with Rutgers and ECU. My 100% speculation about that one is that Coach Trivers is very connected to the prep scene in Maryland, and could open a few doors. However, I’d prefer not to take Haden for several reasons. I think he’s more of a a scat back than a feature guy, he would have to sit a year then only have two to play, and Rutgers is in the mix for better prospects over the next two years. Wouldn’t necessarily be that upset if this does end up bearing fruit, but I’d lean against it. Most transfers do not work out.

Well, you can stop worrying that Army press release, because the game is officially moving to the new Giants Stadium. Anyone who dares use the “Meadowlands” name can get lost.

If you haven’t read Aditi’s article about Tim Brown and Andre Dixon, you should.

USF returned a bunch of tickets to Rutgers for next Thursday’s game, and they can be yours for only $25. Buy a couple just so you can make crude remarks to Jenn Sterger (let me be clear about this, for being a Z-lister, not for her gender or anything like that), and then sneak back in after you’re tossed by security.

A National Football Post columnist reviewed the play of Tim Brown and Anthony Davis against UConn. I don’t really agree with his assessment of how Davis played, but make up your own mind.

This was making the rounds on Rivals yesterday – lost in the recent ACC bowl shuffle (refresher: losing Gator, adding Sun) is that the Tire Bowl (see, it’s much more fun to say than “Meineke Car Care”, isn’t it) is increasing its conference payouts, leading to a jump over the Music City Bowl in the ACC’s pecking order. I’m not too happy with the way things worked out with the bowl renegotiations, but this is a positive development.

You’re welcome, America

On November 6th, 1869, Rutgers defeated Princeton, 6-4, in the first ever game of intercollegiate football. Rutgers later paved over the site of the game with a parking lot. Who’s up for candlelight vigil tomorrow behind the College Ave gym?

Last January, I posted links to several interesting articles about that historic first. I’m curious to see if the athletic department does anything to mark the anniversary tomorrow.