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GRAPHIC BY MATT STEELE

BY STEVEN MILLERCORRESPONDENT

The numbers say it all.The Rutgers football team

ranks last in the Big East insacks allowed, while thePittsburgh defense leads theconference in sacks.

The Panthers are third in thenation in sacks per game, whilethe Scarlet Knights rank 100thout of 120 teams in sacks allowedper game.

When RU meets Pitt tonight,changing those numbers or con-tinuing the trend could decidethe game.

“I think every game is won inthe trenches — whether or notyour offensive or defensive line cancontrol the line of scrimmage,” saidsenior center Ryan Blaszczyk. “Ifthe defensive line controls it, theoffense really isn’t going to be ableto do much. Whereas if the offen-sive line controls it, they can dowhat they want.”

Since RU was last seen onnational television, the offensiveline worked to recover from the five-sack performance by Cincinnati.

When they return to the nation-al stage tonight, it is against anoth-er dominating pass rush, but theoffensive line does not believethere is any more to prove.

“I think every time you go outand play, you have something toprove,” said sophomore left guardArt Forst. “You play for these typesof games, you play for these typesof premier opponents. I’m excitedabout it.”

Twelve dif ferent Pitt players,including four linebackers andeight defensive linemen, havecombined for their 26 sacks this season, led by junior endGreg Romeus.

Romeus has seven sacks onthe season — good for second inthe Big East — and all came inthe past four games againstFootball Bowl Subdivision(Division I-A) opponents.

Even though the Panthers haveso many players with sacks thisseason, they do not blitz often butrely on their defensive line to cre-ate pressure, said Rutgers headcoach Greg Schiano.

Defending against a four-manfront and not the blitz does notmake the challenge any more — or

BRYAN ANGELES/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Rutgers offensive line ranks 100th in the nation and last inthe Big East in sacks allowed per game.

STARTING LINEUP: DEFENSE

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U MG 2 O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 0 9 G A M E DAY

STARTING LINEUP: OFFENSE

TIMBROWNWide ReceiverSenior5’-8”, 210 lbs

ANTHONYDAVISTackleJunior6’-6”, 325 lbs

ARTFORSTGuardJunior6’-8”, 310 lbs

RYANBLASZCZYKCenterSenior6’-4”, 295 lbs

DESMONDWYNNGuardSophomore6’-6”, 290 lbs

KEVINHASLAMTackleSenior6’-7”, 295 lbs

D.C.JEFFERSONTight EndR-Freshman6’-6”, 245 lbs

MOHAMEDSANUWide ReceiverFreshman6’-2”, 215 lbs

TOM SAVAGEQuarterbackFreshman6’-5”, 230 lbs

JACKCORCORANFullbackSenior6’-1”, 230 lbs

JOEMARTINEKRunning BackSophomore6’-0”, 215 lbs

GEORGEJOHNSONRight endSenior6’-4”, 260 lbs

CHARLIENOONANTackleJunior6’-2”, 270 lbs

SCOTTVALLONETackleR-Freshman6’-3”, 270 lbs

ALEXSILVESTROLeft endJunior6’-4”, 260 lbs

DAMASOMUNOZLinebackerSenior6’-0”, 220 lbs

RYAND’IMPERIOLinebackerSenior6’-3”, 245 lbs

ANTONIOLOWERYLinebackerJunior6’-2”, 225 lbs

DAVIDROWECornerbackSophomore6’-0”, 195 lbs

JOELEFEGEDStrong SafetyJunior6’-1”, 205 lbs

ZAIREKITCHENFree SafetySenior6’-2”,215 lbs

DEVINMcCOURTYCornerbackSenior5’-11”, 190 lbs

RUTGERS VS PITTSBURGHKnightsGameday

GAME 6: Rutgers vs. Pittburgh, Rutgers Stadium, 8 p.m. TV: ESPN RADIO: 1450 AM FAVORITE: Pittsburgh by 4.5

Trench warfare to recommence

SCARLET KNIGHTS (4-1)

PASSINGT. Savage

RUSHINGJ. MartinekJ. Brooks

RECEIVINGT. BrownM. SanuD. JeffersonJ. Hayes

DEFENSER. D’ImperioD. McCourtyJ. Freeny

INJURIESOut — S Pat Kivlehan (leg), G Caleb Ruch(leg), Mason Robinson (knee)

YDS693

YDS411236

YDS452182

8434

AVG.138.6

AVG.5.54.6

AVG.21.510.128.011.3

INT110

INT.0

LNG6157

LNG68194620

SCK10

6.5

YoungstownBuffaloNavyN.C. StateLouisvilleConnecticutRutgersSouth FloridaSyracuseNotre DameWest VirginiaCincinnati

W, 38-3W, 54-27W, 27-14L, 38-31W, 35-10W, 24-218 p.m.NoonTBATBATBATBA

TD4

TD54

TD2000

TKL282719

CMP56.5%

NO.7551

NO.2118

33

SCHEDULESept. 5Sept. 12Sept. 19Sept. 26Oct. 2Oct. 10Oct. 16Oct. 24Nov. 7Nov. 14Nov. 27Dec. 5

CincinnatiHowardFIUMarylandTexas SouthernPittsburghArmyConnecticutSouth FloridaSyracuseLouisvilleWest Virginia

L, 47-15W, 45-7W, 23-15W, 34-13W, 42-08 p.m.8 p.m.TBA7:30 p.m.TBATBATBA

SCHEDULESept. 7Sept. 12Sept. 19Sept. 26 Oct. 10Oct. 16Oct. 23Oct. 31Nov. 12Nov. 21Nov. 27Dec. 5

[ ]PITTSBURGH (5-1)

PASSINGB. Stull

RUSHINGD. LewisR. Graham

RECEIVINGJ. BaldwinD. DickersonO. TurnerD. Lewis

DEFENSED. DeCiccoA. GunnG. Romeus

INJURIESQuestionable — DB A. Berry (shoulder),WR C. Saddler (ankle), DB E. Fields (ankle)

YDS1,256

YDS738176

YDS532232169

82

AVG.209.3

AVG.5.65.5

AVG.19.711.010.6

6.8

INT100

INT.3

LNG8528

LNG79372612

SCK057

TD13

TD73

TD3711

TKL423321

CMP66.7%

NO.131

32

NO.27211612

INSIDEthe

NUMBERS

Key MatchupRutgers offensive line vs. Pittsburgh pass rush

The bottom line going into tonight’s game is that the Scarlet Knights are tied with Connecticut and Syracuse for last in the Big East with 14 sacks allowed, and

the Pittsburgh Panthers lead the conference with 26 team sacks.

less — difficult, said senior righttackle Kevin Haslam.

“It’s really all the same, whetheryou’re going one-on-one with adefensive end or whether you’repicking up a blitz,” Haslam said.“They both have their difficultiesfor different reasons.”

Although RU has not lost to a DaveWannstedt team in the four yearssince Schiano’s former colleague tookover at Pitt, a strong defensive line isalways the mark of his teams.

“Dave goes back a long way asa defensive line coach, so that’salways good,” Schiano said. “FromMiami, to University of SouthernCalifornia, to Dallas and theBears, he always had guys whocould rush the passer and hedeveloped them.”

While the Pitt secondary onlyhas three interceptions this season,its job is made easier by the defen-sive line.

“Their secondary is very goodas well, but they generate such apass rush that quarterbacks are

forced into making poor decisions,”Schiano said.

Freshman quarterback TomSavage is aware of the challengeahead, but also confident that hisoffensive line can handle thePanthers. Nine of the line’s sacksallowed are on Savage, while seniorquarterback Dom Natale has beentaken down five times.

“Obviously it is a step up incompetition,” Savage said. “I justhave to get rid of the ball quickerand go through my progressions. Imake it real difficult on the offen-sive line because I hold onto theball for too long. I just need to staycalm back there because the pro-tection’s awesome.”

Whether or not that shows inthe primetime matchup, theKnights worked all week to getready for the test.

“I think both teams know whatthey’re walking into,” Schiano said.“Both pride themselves on being phys-ical teams, so there should be somehigh speed collisions Friday night.”

“It’s something that we didafter I left high school and wentto prep school — I always talk tohim the night before a game, andit’s something we continue to do,”Greene said. “It’s just basicallymotivational for us. We’ll proba-bly get a little busy [this week],so I’ll just have to talk to himbefore the game.”

Greene played one year atAvon Old Farm before Rutgers,but the pair played together atElizabeth High School. InGreene’s 2006 senior season,they won the North II, Group IVstate championship.

“It was a very, very great teamthat just put it together becauseof the senior leadership headedby Khaseem,” said Elizabeth

head coach Chet Parlavecchio.“He had such a presence on thefield as far as game knowledge.He had such poise on the fieldthat I really believe, withKhaseem, there was nothing youcould tell him that he wouldn’tunderstand. The character goesbeyond any of my expectations.”

Just five games into Greene’sRU career, his character isalready on display.

Against Texas Southern andleading 35-0, TSU’s MartinGilbert broke free down the rightsideline after a short pass.Greene, seemingly out ofnowhere, chased Gilbert morethan 50 yards to take him down atthe 15-yard line.

Referees called the play backbecause of a Texas Southernpenalty, but at the time, Greenethought he saved an insignificant

87-yard touchdown pass in ameaningless game.

“That was the kind of kid hewas, I believe there was nothinghe wouldn’t do for the team, forthe welfare of everybody aroundhim,” Parlavecchio said. “If Iasked Khaseem to play defensivetackle, he would have been thebest tackle on our team. Samething with Raymond, there isnothing on a football field thatRay Graham can’t do.”

The Knights are about to findout exactly what Graham can dowhen he takes the field for Pitt,not that Schiano is unfamiliarwith the tailback.

Both Graham and Lewis — thestarting tailback who attendedBlair Academy in New Jersey —were on the Knights’ recruitingradar and have excelled thus far.

“We knew of them, probablyRay more so because of Khaseemand their relationship,” Schianosaid. “That’s the inexact scienceof recruiting, that’s what drivesyou nuts.”

As rare as it is for a true fresh-man to succeed so quickly, Pittcan thank Greene for helpingGraham to mature.

It happened all the way back inhigh school.

“They were completely differ-ent people,” Parlavecchio said.“Ray is more of a free spirit — hewould laugh and joke — butKhaseem was a little more seri-ous. I think Khaseem was a set-tling influence and he temperedRaymond. If Raymond got frus-trated on the field, Khaseem wasthere to settle the ship.”

But do not expect any of thesame tonight.

In front of a crowd filled withfamily members and friends —half of which will don their Pittattire, the other half in scarlet —according to Greene, it will begame-on for the brothers.

“Once the lights go on andthe whistle blows, they’ll do what-ever they have to do to win,”Parlavecchio said. “They’ll hugbefore the game and they’ll hugafter the game, but in between,it’s going to be to win.”

Redshirt freshman safety Khaseem Greene (20) will line up against his brother, Pittsburgh’sfreshman running back Ray Graham, tonight for the first time since playing Pop Warner.

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M G AMEDAY O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 0 9 G 3

BY STEVEN MILLERCORRESPONDENT

Khaseem Greene plays for aRutgers football team thatpreaches family.

He wears a wristband thatreads, “F.A.M.I.L.Y.,” he studiesin a team meeting room wherethe walls are adorned with theword “F.A.M.I.L.Y.,” and whenentering and leaving the practicefield, he walks under a sign thatsays, “F.A.M.I.L.Y.”

On the back of the No. 34Pittsburgh jersey Friday night, itwill say “Graham.”

But to Greene, that meansfamily too.

Greene, a redshirt freshmansafety, and Ray Graham, Pitt’sfreshman tailback, are brothersand — for just the second time —they will line up on opposite sidesof the field.

Graham took their father’s nameand Greene took their mother’s.They have different mothers, butthe name on their jerseys will not beas important as the “F.A.M.I.L.Y.” onGreene’s wristband.

“We ended up on differentteams one year, and I playedagainst him once [in PopWarner],” Greene said. “I got apretty good hit on him one timeand he got a nice little move offon me the play before, but I gothim back when I hit him.”

It was not a guarantee whenGraham arrived at Pitt and Greenebroke camp in Piscataway, but itlooks as if the tailback will get hischance at redemption.

Graham and freshman DionLewis are the top-two tailbacks in ayoung Pitt backfield, and Grahamaverages 5.5 yards per carry.

“I’m just looking forward toplaying,” Greene said. “Whateverhappens — happens; I’m lookingforward to returning to Big Eastplay and playing against mybrother, but I’m just looking for-ward to another game.”

Chances are, the brothersstopped talking this week.

It’s nothing personal, but in theBig East clash, neither can affordto give the other extra motivation.

ALL IN THE FAMILYSafety Greene squares off against brother in Big East tilt

“Once the lights goon and the whistle

blows, they’ll dowhatever they have

to do to win.”CHET PARLAVECCHIO

Elizabeth High School Head Coach


KNIGHT NUGGETSBY THE NUMBERS

BIG QUESTION

RUTGERS WINS IF... PITTSBURGH WINS IF ...

THE ADVANTAGE GOES TO ...

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

FINAL VERDICT

Rutgers has four defensivetouchdowns in the last threegames, equaling the number ofpassing scores by RU quarter-

backs all season. Also, Rutgers has a four-game winstreak vs. Pittsburgh.

4The Pittsburgh offensive lineis second in the Big East con-ference and third in thenation with just four sacks

allowed through the Panthers’ first six games ofthe 2009 season.

4Pittsburgh quarterback BillStull threw for a career-high279 yards against Rutgers lastseason before getting hurt in

RU’s 54-34 upset over the 17th ranked Panthers.

279Senior wideout Tim Brown is just114 yards away from surpassinglast year’s total of 565. Brownwent off for 132 yards and a pair

of touchdowns in last year’s outburst vs. Pitt.

114

PITTSBURGH, 31-17The Stull-to-Baldwin connectionterrorizes the RU defense, whichcan’t get off an effective pass rush

TIM BROWNSENIOR WR

Can the Rutgers defensecontinue to get turnoversvs. Pitt and Bill Stull?

PANTHERS QBBILL STULL

Bill Stull did not turn the ball over againstRutgers last season before getting hurt. To pressure Stull — who has just three

turnovers this year — the RU front sevenneeds to continue to dominate the pass

rush against a tougher offensive line.

“Coach [Schiano] hasbeen teasing me, saying

that the best Big Eastreceiver is coming totown Friday. And all Itold coach was ‘We’ll see after the game.’”

OFFENSE DEFENSE

COACHING HISTORY

MOMENTUM X-FACTOR

THE RUNNING

GAME GETS THE

REPETITIONS IT

DESERVES.In bad weather with a freshmanquarterback, Joe Martinek and

Jourdan Brooks need to takeover on the ground.

THE D-LINE TAKES

ADVANTAGE OF A

STRUGGLING RUOFFENSIVE LINE.

Pittsburgh’s league-leading 26sacks are a good indication ofthe pressure it can put on an

underperforming unit.

Bill Stull and the Panthers have anestablished attack. The Rutgers

offense has been largely anemic.

Despite winning the stat battle, RUgave up 45 points to its only goodfoe. Pitt leads the league in sacks.

Rutgers is the only Big East teamDave Wannstedt hasn’t beaten. RUhas won four straight vs. Pittsburgh.

If Greg Schiano were to grow bushyfacial hair, it would be much better

than the Wannstache.

Friday night, under the lights, in avery important game for Rutgers. Thefour-straight-wins factor plays here too.

Tom Savage’s first real test. It’s hisfirst start against a tough opponent

and first in inclement weather.

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U MG AMEDAYG 4 O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 0 9

BOUNDSOUTof

WITH JONATHAN FREENY

Targum’s Sports Editor Matthew Stein chatswith the junior defensive end about fightingcrime as a shelled reptile, items on the dollar

menu and road tripping to Jamaica ...

THE DAILY TARGUM’S

Matthew Stein: So what was growing up inFlorida like?Jonathan Freeny: Florida’s the bomb. You’venever been to Florida before? I love Florida —that’s my home. Whenever I go home, I don’tgo to too many hot spots though; I just catchup with family and friends and do those typesof things.

MS: You adjust to the weather yet after three years?JF: Yeah, but it never stops being cold. … I cannever get used to that.

MS: If you could be one item on the McDonald’sdollar menu, what would you be?JF: I would be the double quarter-pounder, that’smy favorite sandwich.

MS: You know that’s not on the dollar menu right?JF: Oh, I would be the apple pies then.

MS: What Nickelodeon character are you?JF: That’s a hard one. I would be one of theNinja Turtles — that was my favorite cartoongrowing up. Definitely Donatello, he was myfavorite one.

MS: If you could go on a road trip with anyoneon the team, who would it be?JF: Justin Francis — [he’s] like my best friend onthe team — we spend a lot of time together so Ihave that chemistry with him.

MS: Where do you take that trip to?JF: Pretty much anywhere. Jamaica.

MS: What hurts the most after a game?JF: The whole body hurts, but I would say mostlythe legs, you have to revitalize them going intothe next week.

MS: Do you freestyle?JF: I don’t do the freestyle thing, but on the teamI would say Shamar Graves has the title.

MS: What’s the name of your fantasy team?JF: The Untouchables.

MS: What do you get from the Grease Trucks?JF: I make my own sandwich. I like chicken ten-ders, French fries, ketchup and mayo.

MS: What’s your favorite picture the Targum hasever run of you?JF: I have no idea. I don’t read.

MS: Tattoos?JF: No tattoos. I’ve never seen one that I wantedenough to put on my body.

MS: How about grills Tim Brown-style?JF: Nah.

The Pittsburgh defensive line continued itsdominant play, sacking quarterback Tom Savagefive times, but in our weekly NCAA Football2010 simulation, the Rutgers defense was up forthe challenge and shut down Pittsburgh in a 28-10 win.

The Scarlet Knights’ defense pressured Pittquarterback Bill Stull all night with six sacks oftheir own. Stull, as he did last week againstConnecticut, struggled with turnovers, throwingtwo picks (one by Devin McCourty and one by JoeLefeged) in the loss.

McCourty returned his pick 32 yards for atouchdown; the senior defensive back also had asack for a safety and limited wide receiverJonathan Baldwin to four catches for 46 yards.

Savage, despite constant pressure, played wellin his first big game as the starter, going 20-for-33for 149 yards and a touchdown pass to unlikelycandidate Pat Brown on an 11-yard connection.

Sophomore Joe Martinek got 19 carries andran for 67 yards and another touchdown.Senior receiver Tim Brown pulled in sevenballs for 77 yards.

The only Pitt touchdown came on a 56-yardtouchdown run by Dion Lewis who finished with20 runs for 98 yards.

The Daily Targum’s simulation is a perfect 5-0,predicting a loss to Cincinnati followed by fourstraight wins.

— Staff Report

D-LINE DOMINATES PITT IN SIM’S SHOCKING VICTORY

ANDREW HOWARD/ PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Rutgers senior wide receiver Tim Brown exploded against Pittsburgh last season, racking up 132yards and two touchdowns as the Scarlet Knights spanked the Panthers 54-34.

O ver the last four years —the only ones underhead coach Greg

Schiano that the Rutgers footballteam has had a winning record —three Big East series stand out.

Pittsburgh, South Florida andWest Virginia.

West Virginia — well, theScarlet Knights simply cannot win.

The Panthers and Bulls areimportant series because theyalways end up the same. Everygame against Pitt has been a vic-tory and every game againstSouth Florida has been painstak-ingly huge, and, with an excep-tion in 2005, RU beat Jim Leavitt’sclub to send them spiraling to alesser postseason venue.

And Pittsburgh? There hasbeen no common factor as to howthe Knights have not lost since2004 except for maybe Ray Rice,but RU’s distinct advantage isbeing the only Big East team DaveWannstedt has never beaten.

“They’ve always had theirway with us,” Wannstedt saidthis week to the media. “So I’msure they’re looking forward tothis game.”

It just so happens that these arethe only three home games left onthe Scarlet Knights’ schedule.

Three incredibly tough gamesthat will mean so much towarddeciding each team’s fate.

And three games in which thecommon trend over the last threeyears has had a great chance ofswitching in the opposite direction.

MATTHEW STEIN

Mindof Stein

Roles can reverse in key home games

Pittsburgh comes intotonight’s game with more talentthan at any other point in theWannstedt era. RU’s biggestweapon, the defensive front thatpressures the quarterback andsparks turnovers, could very wellend up being neutralized by Pitt’sfierce offensive line that onlyallowed four sacks through thefirst six games.

South Florida will probablycome into Piscataway andtrounce the Knights for two rea-sons. Quarterback Matt Grothe,who made his reputation as beinga choke artist against RU’sdefense, is out, and his replace-ment, B.J. Daniels, is much bet-ter to begin with. The ScarletKnights’ history against backupquarterbacks isn’t much to speakof, either.

And George Selvie was alwaysa non-factor thanks to left tacklesAnthony Davis and Pedro Sosa.This year, Davis, and the rest ofthe line for that matter, looks morelike the field hockey team tryingto block the New York Giants.

This will finally be the yearSchiano beats West Virginia.

Closing out the season at home,with a postseason venue almostcertain to be on the line, is theperfect way to the erase memo-ries of 2006 and last season,when RU should have comeaway with a win separated onlyby one score.

The Mountaineers have a tonof talent, and Bill Stewart isrecruiting well, but the man isone of the worst in-game coachesin the conference. All signs pointto the Knights coming out hotwith a Bowl berth on the line justas they did last year.

And even if they don’t win,RU has to come out and com-pete and play well. You can betthat Schiano is planning on alarge number of recruits com-ing out to these games — allgigantic Big East matchups —and he needs to show thesehigh school talents just whattype of competition and whattype of games the Knights arecapable of playing.

If the trends do not changeand RU beats Pitt and USF underthe lights in front of a nationalaudience again, so be it. You can’tcomplain with that result.

But the Scarlet Knightshave to beat West Virginia. It islong overdue.

The season, and the future,depends on it.

— Matthew Stein accepts comments and criticisms at

[email protected]

Rutgers head coach GregSchiano. “I do think it speaks toone thing: mental conditioning. Itis ‘we are going to play this gameto the end whether we are win-ning or losing.’”

Pittsburgh’s two true fresh-men running backs, starter DionLewis and reserve Ray Graham,

do this to perfection.On 131 carries this

season, Lewis rushedfor 738 yards and seventouchdowns, andGraham averages 5.5yards-per-carry with atrio of scores.

“The benefit thatLewis has is that hewas there for thespring,” Schiano said.“Ray is more elusive

even than Lewis, but they areboth dangerous.”

And they spell each other tokeep ahead of the tired defens-es, making themselves thatmuch more dangerous incrunch time.

— Staff Report

In this week’s edition of theDane Truxell Football 101, TheDaily Targum takes a closer lookat the Wannstache.

Just kidding.Since both Rutgers and

Pittsburgh employ a multiplerunning back system, let’s delveinto the importance of keepingeach other fresh andwearing down defenseslate in the games.

In consecutive weeks,late rushing touchdownscame after a grind-it-outrushing style wore downopposing front lines. Twogames ago againstMaryland, sophomoreJoe Martinek busted outfor 130 yards and twotouchdown runs despitegaining only 17 yards on the groundin the previous three quarters.

Last week, it was true fresh-man De’Antwan Williams whogot in the game against TexasSouthern late and busted out forover 100 yards and a touchdown

“I don’t know if I would chalkit up to conditioning,” said

TARGUM S PORTS S TAFFPittsburgh at RUTGERS

No. 20 Oklahoma

at No. 3 Texas

No. 11 Iowa at Wisconsin

No. 4 Virginia Tech

at No. 19 Georgia Tech

Hofstra at Rhode Island

Pittsburgh at RUTGERS

No. 20 Oklahoma

at No. 3 Texas


No. 4 Virginia Tech



Pittsburgh

Oklahoma

Iowa

Va. Tech

Rhode Island

Pittsburgh

Texas

Iowa

Va. Tech

Hofstra

Pittsburgh

Texas

Iowa

Va. Tech

Hofstra

Pittsburgh

Texas

Iowa

Ga. Tech

Rhode Island

MATTHEW STEINSPORTS EDITOROVERALL: 9-6

STEVEN MILLERCORRESPONDENTOVERALL: 7-8

KYLE FRANKOASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR

OVERALL: 6-9

SAM HELLMANFOOTBALL BEAT WRITER

OVERALL: 13-2

WRS U S PORTS S TAFFPittsburgh at RUTGERS

No. 20 Oklahoma

at No. 3 Texas


No. 4 Virginia Tech



Pittsburgh at RUTGERS

No. 20 Oklahoma

at No. 3 Texas


No. 4 Virginia Tech



Pittsburgh

Texas

Iowa

Ga. Tech

Rhode Island

Pittsburgh

Texas

Iowa

Va. Tech

Hofstra

Pittsburgh

Oklahoma

Wisconsin

Va. Tech

Rhode Island

Pittsburgh

Texas

Wisconsin

Va. Tech

Hofstra

DANNY BRESLAUERGENERAL MANAGEROVERALL: 9-6

ARMANDO MARTINEZWRSU PERSONALITYOVERALL: 10-5

JEFF TILLERYPROGRAM DIRECTOR

OVERALL: 7-3

ADAM HELFGOTTSPORTS DIRECTOR

OVERALL: 11-4

GRID PICKSTHIS WEEK’S FOOTBALL ACTION

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 0 9 G 5G AMEDAY

Two-back approachwears down defenses

JOURDANBROOKS

BY MATTHEW STEINSPORTS EDITOR

It all starts in the trenches.Pressure begets indecision, indeci-

sion begets turnovers and turnoversbeget scores.

“Our defensive line is getting off theball and getting to the quarterback. Inturn, it’s helping us in the secondary,”senior cornerback Devin McCourtysaid. “The pressure causes the quarter-back to make throws they usuallywouldn’t make.”

As the takeaways mount and thedefensive scores continue, theRutgers football team’s opportunisticdefense gains confidence and beginsto dominate games.

The numbers explain it all: Eightfumble recoveries and eight intercep-tions in five games amount to 15more turnovers than at this point lastyear. Four defensive touchdowns aretops in the conference, as is theScarlet Knights’ impeccable plus-12turnover margin.

The biggest cause of all the take-aways? Look no further thanthe defensive line.

Sixteen turnovers arethe direct result of theKnights’ 18 sacks.

“It’s extremelyimportant,” saidjunior defensiveend JonathanFreeny, who leadsRU and is sec-ond in the BigEast with 6.5sacks this sea-son. “Not onlydo we stress gettingsacks, but we try to get

G A MG 6 O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 0 9

NSIVE STATS ... JR. JONATHAN FREENY, 6.5 SACKS, 8 TFL ... S

QBH... JR. ALEX SILVESTRO, 15 TKL, 8 QBH, 2 FR ... SO. ERIC

NEW JERSEY S


JEFF LAZARO

The Rutgers football team recorded a season-high seven sacks last week in a 42-0 victory over FCSfoe Texas Southern. Junior end Jonathan Freeny leads the Knights with 6.5 sacks on the season.

sack-fumbles and give the ball back toour quarterback. We try to getturnovers and takeaways and give theball back to the offense.”

Though the Knights’ offense hasbeen anemic for most of the season,that has not halted the defense fromrebounding from an embarrassingdefeat to Cincinnati in the season open-er by stringing together a series ofnear-dominating performances. Whilesome of the defensive strategy remainsa bend-but-don’t-break policy, the prag-matism and work ethic is undeniable.

“It all starts in the trenches, with usgetting pressure on the quarterbackand making him alter his throws,” saidsophomore defensive tackle EricLeGrand, who recorded his lone sackthis season against Maryland. “Itcomes from our work ethic. Every day,grinding out here, working on our tech-nique, getting to the passer.”

What makes the success even moreimpressive is the complete lack of blitz-

ing. The Knights do notemploy a blitz-heavy

s c h e m e ,

E DAY O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 0 9 G 7

SR. GEORGE JOHNSON, 4.5 SACKS, 7 TFL ... SCARLET KNIG

LEGRAND, 14 TKL, 3 QBH ... SO. JUSTIN FRANCIS, 8 TKL, 5Q

SACK EXCHANGE

JEFF LAZARO

The Scarlet Knights’ 18 sacks on the season have led to 16 turnovers and four defensive scores.Ryan D’Imperio, Antonio Lowery, George Johnson and David Rowe have all seen the end zone thus far.

JOHN PENA/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

ILLUSTRATION BY RAMON DOMPOR/ ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

and the defensive front has all but twoof RU’s 18 sacks.

As is the case with the running backtandem of sophomores Jourdan Brooksand Joe Martinek, keeping fresh is thebiggest key.

To be precise, an eight-man rotation is.“The eight-man rotation is good,”

Freeny said. “Two guys could step rightin and become starters, because theybasically play equal time during thegames anyway.”

Freeny is example A in that respect.RU’s sack leader is behind seniorGeorge Johnson and junior AlexSilvestro on the depth chart, yet playsmore downs than a typical reservebecause of the four-defensive end pack-age head coach Greg Schiano oftenemploys during passing situations.

Joined by sophomore JustinFrancis, the two line up outsideSilvestro and Johnson for a formidablepass rush that has wreaked havoc onlesser offensive lines.

“Right now, it’s the defensive endsgetting the sacks because they’realways one-on-one out there, but no onereally sees what the interior guys really

do, holding up two or threeguys at a time,” LeGrand

said. “But as long as weall get sacks, it’s a

good thing for all of us.”

The biggest problem is thatFreeny and his linemates find themajority of their success againstmuch inferior competition. Throughno fault of their own, given the early-season schedule, only four of RU’s18 sacks came against BowlChampionship Series competition,and Freeny did not record one against either Cincinnati or Maryland.

“It depends on what the teamdoes,” Freeny said. “During the game,I have to adjust to the way theyscheme for me.”

Pittsburgh may not scheme particu-larly for one player, but the Panthersboast an impressive, veteran offensiveline that has allowed just four sacksthus far this season. As Big East playresumes this weekend throughout therest of the season — with the excep-tions of a trip to Army — RU better getused to that.

“The of fensive lines are reallygoing to improve. The one we’replaying this week is one of the best inthe country,” Schiano said. “It’s sen-ior-laden, they are running the foot-ball very well and they are protectingthe quarterback. They’re doing theirjob description.”

Even against the vastly superioroffensive lines the Knights are sure toencounter as Big East play rolls along,RU has continually recruited the talentto succeed in the trenches.

The unit echoed that as long as eachplayer stays hungry and does their job,success will continue.

“It’s like a bull going after a red car-pet,” LeGrand said. “When you

see the quarterback with theball in his hand, that’s basical-ly us trying to get to that ball.”

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U MG A M E DAYG 8 O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 0 9

RUTGERS — A HISTORYThe Daily Targum takes a look at the 10 most memorable games in Rutgers’ football past

BY STEVEN WILLIAMSONSENIOR WRITER

By drubbing Texas Southern 42-0 last Saturday, theScarlet Knights reached the 600-win plateau. While theRutgers football team has a ways to go to catch up with

all-time wins leader Michigan (876), we take a lookback at the 10 biggest games in Rutgers football

history to commemorate the milestone.

10 Rutgers orders out for a bowl win — Dec. 29, 2008.NC State 23, Rutgers 29Trailing 17-6 at the half, it appeared that a third consecu-

tive bowl game victory for the Knights was practically out of reach,but quarterback Mike Teel stepped up in the second half, earningMVP honors in the PapaJohns.com Bowl and sending former AthleticDirector Bob Mulcahy out on a high note.

9 Meet the Spartans — Sept. 10, 1988 Rutgers 17, No. 15Michigan St. 13Yes, the Knights finished the 1988 season with a 5-6 record, but

they certainly started their year off with a bang by upending theSpartans on the road as they went on to down No. 15 Penn State 21-16 for their last win against a ranked foe for 22 years.

8 There’s a new sheriff in town — Oct. 9, 2004. Rutgers 37,Vanderbilt 34Head coach Greg Schiano made his first mark in a big way,

beating SEC foe Vanderbilt and quarterback Jay Cutler 37-34 in come-back fashion on the road behind four touchdowns from running backBrian Leonard.

7 Knights go bowling — Dec. 6, 1978. Rutgers 18,Arizona St. 34

Although it may have taken the Knights (9-2) 28 more yearsclaim their first bowl victory, RU’s first appearance in postseason playin the Garden State Bowl is noteworthy nonetheless.

6 If you’re going through Hell, keep going — Nov. 3, 2001.Rutgers 7, WVU 80No, this wasn’t a score from a basketball game, but in terms of

an indicator of just how far this team has come in less than a decade,look no further.

RU traveled to Morgantown ready for a battle, but found itself onthe wrong side of a slaughter for the worst loss since 1883.

THE DAILY TARGUM

THE DAILY TARGUM

THE DAILY TARGUM

DAN BRACAGLIA/ MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

BRENDAN MCINERNEY/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

THE DAILY TARGUM

1 Pandemonium inPiscataway — Nov. 9,2006. No. 3 Louisville 25,

Rutgers 28Could there have been anoth-

er choice for No. 1? Louisville was the game that

finally put the Knights on themap. Down 25-14 at halftime, RUcame roaring back in the secondhalf, scoring eight points on atouchdown and two-point conver-sion in the third quarter beforeJeremy Ito became the man ofthe hour in the fourth.

The field became a sea of redas time expired after a secondchance field goal by Ito wentright through the uprights forthe lead, as the Knights cappedone of the most emotional winsin team history. The Knightsvaulted into the national pollsand finished the season rankedat No. 12, the highest finish inschool history.

And RU football hasn’t beenthe same since.

5 Knocking on the door —Dec. 2, 2006. No. 13 Rutgers39, No. 15 WVU 41 (3OT)

Fittingly, the game that wouldsend RU to its first BCS game couldnot be decided in regulation. Afterbeating Syracuse and getting blind-sided by Cincinnati, the Knights’final game of the season was also itsmost crucial.

It seemed that victory was withinRU’s grasp in the fourth quarterwhen quarterback Mike Teel hitwide receiver James Townsend onthe numbers in the end zone.

But Townsend dropped it. Though the Knights put six

points on the board in the third over-time, they failed to pick up the two-point conversion and fell to theMountaineers, putting Louisville inthe Orange Bowl.

4 Pandemonium, Part Two — Oct. 18,2007. No. 2 USF 27, Rutgers 30

Converted quarterback to wide receiverAndrew DePaola’s only career touchdown passas a Knight could not have come at a bettertime. On a fake field goal attempt, DePaolafloated a pass to tight end Kevin Brock, whoran in for the score, putting RU ahead of theNo. 2 ranked Bulls 27-17 in the third quarter.

The Knights held on through the end of thegame, weathering two scores by USF to pull ofthe upset 30-27. Running back Ray Rice flour-ished yet again, making Swiss cheese out theBulls’ defense with a 181-yard performance on39 carries.

The win over a No. 2 opponent marked thelargest takedown of a ranked foe in school his-tory and was the second major victory in aThursday night game in two straight years.

2 Birthplace of college football — Nov. 6, 1869. Princeton 4, Rutgers 6 Before the College Avenue Gym even existed or housed the Rutgers basketball teams, the bare fieldthat sat on that site gave birth to one of America’s most beloved sporting events — college football.

In an intrastate game for the ages, the Knights took on the Princeton Tigers in front of a crowd of 100,winning 6-4 in the first college football game.

3 Rutgers strikes it rich in Texas— Dec. 28, 2006. Rutgers 37,Kansas St. 10

Twenty-six days after the heartbreakerto the Mountaineers in 2006, the Knightstook the field in their second consecutivebowl game — the Texas Bowl. Thoughthey came up five points short of victory inthe Insight Bowl the previous year, theKnights put all history out of mind andtook it to the Wildcats to the tune of 37-10for the first bowl win in school history.

Junior running back Ray Rice ranover the Kansas St. defense for 170yards and a touchdown and was namedthe bowl’s MVP.

On a somber note, the game markedthe final time the legendary Leonard worea RU uniform. The St. Louis Rams draftedhim in the second round of the NFL Draftthat April.

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 0 9 G 9G AMEDAY

GAME OF THE WEEK

1. No. 8 Cincinnati2. No. 21 USF3. Pittsburgh4. West Virginia5. RUTGERS6. Connecticut7. Louisville8. Syracuse

40352925181896

BIG EAST POWER POLL

5-05-05-14-14-13-22-32-4

1-01-02-01-00-10-10-10-2

TEAM RECORD BIG EAST POINTS

* Eight points awarded for first place, seven for second place, etc. * Five members of the Targum sports desk submitted ballots

Football

JOHN PENA/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Huskies named senior Andre Dixon the starting runningback for Saturday’s conference matchup against Louisville.

LOUISVILLE

AT

CONNECTICUT

USF/Pitt was the game ofthe week, but they already

played. The Huskies shouldbe 6-0 this season, but two

horrid fourth quarters blewgames against UNC and

Pittsburgh. A game againsta weak Big East opponent in

Louisville is the perfectchance for head coach

Randy Edsall to help histeam rebound and get back

in the Big East hunt.

Key MatchupUConn QB Cody Endres vs. Louisv ille secondaryEndres was announced the starter over Zach Frazer and takes on a bot-

tom-tier Louisville defense that, despite ranking third in the Big East in pass efficiency, has only eight sacks on the season.

BIGEAST

PREDICTIONCONNECTICUT, 42-18

Louisville is pathetic and Endresgives Connecticut an easy victory

MARSHALL atWEST VIRGINIA

Running back Noel Devine, who nets 6.6 yardsper carry for 631 yards and seven touchdowns

this season, will carry the Mountaineers to theirfifth victory of the season over medicore Marshall.

PREDICTION: West Virginia, 34-7

CINCINNATI atS. FLORIDA

The Bearcats went into South Florida and hadtheir way, trampling the Bulls despite a potentially

serious injury. Starting quarterback Tony Pikewent down clutching his left arm.

THURSDAY: No. 8 Cincinnati 34, USF 17

Season depends on Rutgers stepping up vs. Pitt

F riday night’s primetimematchup againstPittsburgh is put up or

shut up time for the Rutgersfootball program. At thisweek’s press conference, headcoach Greg Schiano was askedabout a comment a nationalanalyst made regarding hisprogram not being up to thelevel of Pitt.

“I’m concerned with being thebest we can be,” Schiano told apack of reporters. “I don’t know ifwe are in Pitt’s league.”

RU needs to show not just Pittbut the rest of the countrytonight that they are at thePanthers’ level with a win. ButSchiano brings up a solid point;in order to beat Pitt at home theScarlet Knights need to be attheir best. The question is: Havewe seen the best from RU yet?

Week one was an embarrass-ment against Cincinnati, andthe last time the nation saw theKnights they were 0-1. Now theteam is 4-1 and the team has ashot at redemption to get backinto the Big East mix. The run-ning game is starting to churnand RU boasts one of the betterdefenses in the conferencenow. But there are still manyquestions unanswered aboutthis team.

Can freshman quarterbackTom Savage compose himselfand be prepared for the biggestgame in his young career thusfar? The offensive line has been

ADAM HELFGOTT

ScarletPulse


True freshman quarterback Tom Savage has yet to turn the ball over and will get his firstlook as a starter against a Big East opponent tonight against Pittsburgh.

less than stellar and Savageknows that first hand. Theyoung QB has been sackednumerous times and suffered aconcussion against FloridaInternational when the pocketcollapsed. The team is seventhin the league in passing offenseand ranks 100 in the nation insacks allowed.

But there is a reason RU haswon 11 of its last 12 games dat-ing back to 2008. Simply put,the defense has forcedturnovers and made big plays.Rutgers has forced 16 turnoversthis season and at least oneturnover in its last 11 games; it

ranks second nationally andfirst in the conference inturnover dif ferential at 2.4. TheKnights defense needs to step itup once again when they face avery good Panther offense.

Steady senior quarterbackBill Stull leads the Pitt offense.Stull has thrown for 13 touch-downs this year and is fourth inthe country in passing efficien-cy. He also has a nice big targetto throw to in sophomore wide-out Jonathan Baldwin, whoalready has 27 catches on theseason. But what RU has toworry about most is the fresh-man running back coming out

of the backfield. Dion Lewis isthe fifth-ranked running back inthe country, averaging 123.0yards per game.

Don’t let Pitt scare you toomuch though, RU fans; don’t for-get you have owned the Panthersthe last four times these teamshave met.

None of the four straightgames against the Pantherswere more impressive than lastyear’s 54-34 win on the road.Last year it was Mike Teel whoexploded for 361 yards and sixtouchdowns to lead the Knightsto an impressive win. It wasKenny Britt and Tim Brown who

each had over 130 yards receiv-ing and at least two touchdowns.And it was a huge interceptionby Kevin Malast that helped putthe game away for RU.

Who will step up this seasonwhen RU needs a win most? TheKnights were 2-5 last seasonwhen they traveled to Pitt. Thewin helped propel RU to fivemore victories, including thebowl game.

This year, the Knights onceagain need a win against Pitt tohelp save the season. This time,the record is better than 2-5, butthe game means just as much. Awin evens the Knights’ confer-ence record and basically guar-antees a fifth straight bowlgame with cupcake gamesagainst Army and Syracuse stillon the schedule.

The four wins for RU havebeen less than impressive.Minus a gusty road victory atMaryland, the team has strug-gled in many areas against less-er opponents like Howard, FIUand Texas Southern.

If RU can put it all togetherthen the critics can rest for aweek. A win on national televi-sion can help erase the disasterfrom week one and also givegreat hype to the rest of the sea-son. The exhibition schedule isover and now the big boys cometo town. The Knights are going tobe tested tonight, and they needto rise to the occasion.

Schiano is right — we do notknow if Rutgers is in Pitt’sleague. History says they are, buthistory doesn’t mean much in thepresent. A win tonight is whatmatters most.

— Adam Helfgott is the SportsDirector at WRSU and hosts aradio show “The Scarlet Pulse”

Friday’s from 6-8 p.m.

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U MG AMEDAYG 1 0 O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 0 9

Scouting Pitt: Stull, Baldwin lethal connectionBY SAM HELLMAN

ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

Greg Schiano called him thebest receiver in the Big East.Devin McCourty says he couldbe the next Kenny Britt, onlybigger. His star ting quar ter-back, Bill Stull, doesn’t haveenough good things to sayabout him.

The consensus, no matterwhom you ask, is that Pittsburghwide receiver Jonathan Baldwin

is going to be a major concern forthe Rutgers football team tonightagainst the Panthers.

“Every once in a while there’sa guy on the field that makes yougo ‘Wow,’” Schiano said. “Deepballs, he’s very good at adjustingto. He’s fast, big and he really is aKenny Britt-type guy — andmaybe bigger.”

Britt, Rutgers’ all-time leadingreceiver and first round draft pickof the Tennessee Titans, had per-haps his best game in scarlet and

white last year against Pittsburghin a 54-34 victory when hegrabbed five balls for 143 yardsand three touchdowns.

But, like Britt, Baldwin alsoexploded in that game as a truefreshman. He had 104 yards and atouchdown in what served as hisbreakout game.

“Just watching him and …playing with Britt, and then see-ing a guy that moves just as wellas Britt and happens to be a littlebit bigger than [him], he hasincredible talent and it’s going tobe a tough matchup,” McCourtysaid of Baldwin.

Stull, Pitt’s first-year startingquarterback at the time, remem-bers the game too. As well asthings went for Teel, they werejust as bad for Stull. After a freakinjury on a quarterback hit, Stullhad to leave the game.

But that was last year. This is this year.Stull, who struggled with

turnovers last season, is a com-pletely different quarterback thisseason, compiling 13 touchdownsand just three picks through thefirst half of this year.

“It’s just really good,” Baldwinsaid of Stull’s evolution. “Lastyear, to me, we really called lastyear his freshman year becausehe’d been here all this time, buthe really hadn’t played a wholeseason. This year he’s so muchmore comfortable and so muchmore confident, and it makeshim a way better quarterback.”

As much as Baldwin, wholeads the Panthers with 27catches for 532 yards and threetouchdowns, credits his quar-


As a freshman last season, wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin had hisbreakout game with 104 yards and a touchdown against Rutgers.


Pittsburgh quarterback Bill Stull went off this year to the tune of1,256 passing yards and 13 touchdowns to only three interceptions.

terback, however, Stull givesall the credit right back to his6-foot-5 wide receiver.

“It’s great having an athletelike that and using his size andspeed,” Stull said. “On dayswhen I’m not really on target,guys like him can really adjustto the ball and make plays,which is nice.”

But when Baldwin takes thefield tonight, despite the acco-lades, he isn’t the consensus-bestreceiver out there — not if

Rutgers senior Tim Brown hasanything to say about it.

“From what I hear from thedefense, he’s a great receiverand he can play,” said Brown,who leads RU with 452 yardsand two touchdowns. “Coach[Schiano] has been teasing me,saying that the best Big Eastreceiver is coming to townFriday. And all I told Coach was‘We’ll see after the game.’ I’mcoming out to play, and I knowhe’ll come out to play too.”

BIG BROTHERWhen RU redshirt freshman safety Khassem Greene takes the field tonight, he will do so against his brother, Pitt tailback Ray Graham. pg. G3


The Rutgers football team faces off againstPittsburgh tonight with a chance to prove thatthe Scarlet Knights are a changed team since

the 47-15 loss to Cincinnati a month ago

JUDGMENT DAY

SWARM THE BALLWith 18 sacks through the first fivegames, the Rutgers defense needs tocontinue pressuring the quarterback tocome out on top. pg. G6-7

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