Nm

Is about to lose to a 3-9 Eastern Illinois team by 10 at home. Even without Murray that is a terrible loss and shows how easy it is to stub your toe in a non-conference game during this time of the year.

Today was a good day to be a Rutgers fan. Wake Forest was the perfect opponent for RU to get back on track....poor defensive team, poor rebounding team, poor ball handling team topped off by shaky psyche after a struggle to beat a cupcake. And it did not matter not one bit that Tyree Appleby somehow played this game after his ankle injury earlier in the week. Rutgers landed enough body blows to go up double digits for most of the game that left the Deacons staggering and then delivered the final haymaker in the later stages of the game to win going away. As and A pluses across the board up and down the roster and for Pikiell and his staff. Could not have scripted it better for everyone to get right on track and bounce back after the Seton Hall debacle

Coach Pikiell came through again and there is no doubt that he can bounce back to from one of his lesser coaching games. The move to press right from the get go to try and disrupt a potentially potent Wake offense from getting too comfortable was genius. Pressuring the inbound, Rutgers got a bunch of steals and easy buckets that reminded of the Bob Wenzel press of the early 90s that seemed to always convert steals into dunks. Wake was clearly not prepared for what they were about to face and Coach Forbes was calling a timeout less than 90 seconds into the game. Rutgers set the tone. Rutgers was going to defend its house and it was going to be the aggressor. It was going to rectify the mistake from the Seton Hall game where it was Rutgers who ended up being harrassed on their own home court. Brought some energy into the RAC crowd which might have been sleepy coming into a noon game off a loss. 8 minutes into the game, RU had 5 steals and was up 10.

That success on defense was giving a spark on offense and RU ended up shooting around 58% in the first half. When Cam was hitting his first couple of shots, you knew he was back on track. Across the board the shots were falling..Paul, Caleb, Andre. Wake was able to chip into the lead by hitting 3s at indordinate rate...6-9 in the first half..some open, some not. But after clawing to within 4, RU turned the jets on with a 12-0 to go up 36-20 and Wake would never get within 10 points the rest of the game. It was a weird game. So many runs by both teams. RU shot so well and defended fairly well but Wake was still shooting 54% and 67% from 3. A 7-0 run to the end half over almost 4 minutes left RUs lead only at 10 but the feeling was that it should be more.

2nd half was more of the same but this time, I think RU was more determined and hungry than in the first half. They were going to be even more aggressive on both ends of the court. Right out of the gate, a Cliff dunk on beautiful ball movement as the shot clock expired. Then back to back 3s by Cam and all of a sudden the lead is up to 16. Wake would try and chip chip away but Appleby would get into foul trouble and actually get pulled. Even as they closed into 12 with about 10 minutes left the game would soon totally slip away. A decisive 6 minute stretch where RU held Wake scoreless, another punishing 11-0 run and RU would force 5 more turnovers as the lead ballooned to 23 at 75-52 and the fat ladies were well on their way to the opera.

This was almost like a perfect game where everyone performed their roles and everyone lived up to their expectations. Seton Hall game showed what happens when the cogs are not in sync. Today showed what happens when they are. Everyone got in the action and it was truly a team win and effort. Individually though Cam had his best and brightest game. Cam was perfect on the day, 15 points, 5-5 fg, 3-3 from 3, 2-2 ft in just 19 minutes (sat for much of the later part of 1st half with foul trouble), 3 assists, 2 steals. This game was just the tonic for him. He was aggressive without forcing his shot. Highlights were the steal on the press and quick layup making them pay and his back to back 3s all on assists by Paul to start the 2nd. I know i have had my doubts about Cam on this level. Wake is not the most physical of teams so I thought Cam could get on track today but it really does quell some fears that he isnt capable of knocking down shots. I thought Mag in just 22 minutes was the key to the defense and him at the top of that press is key. Not flashy numbers..offensively 8 pts on 3-5 but some nice shots were he cleaned up and hit. I really really like how he is coming along. The consistency with him is growing. Cliff while a bit hotheaded today did bounce back and had better postion and played much better D. Wake had nothing inside and it was because of Cliff. 6-9 fg 14 points, 9 boards. 6 turnovers is still an issue that has to be cleaned up but one thing at a time. Hyatt had a very good first half, until a funky last few minutes of that half and was just so so in the 2nd half. Im not big on him taking 10 shots a game. He is very streaky thats for sure. Caleb had a much better game today than vs SHU. He took 11 shots most on the team but I really think all but one were not forced. 13 points, 3 steals, 2 blocks, really tough D. I will take this kind of game from him everynight. Today was the Paul Mulcahy we all know, 7 assists, 3 steals, 10 points in 33 minutes Paul looked for his shots a bit more and gave us his patented Paul scoops under the defender in the 2nd half. Obviously Wake wasnt going to play the same D as SHU and it allowed for Paul to efficiently run that offense, passing and spacing much better.

As for the rest of the bench....Derek came in early and had success right away and that led to Pike being more confident in play him more minutes especially with Cam with some foul trouble in that first half. Derek played a whopping 26 minutes and had 7 points on 3-6 shooting with a beautiful 3 pointer, the kind that can make RU dangerous in the Big 10 if he can consisently hit that. Derek also had a steal and putback on an inbounds early in the first half. Woofolk got 13 minutes and looks like he is clearly overtaking Reibers for minutes on this team at the 5. Made an nice layup under the hoop that kicked off the decisive final RU run when Wake had closed it to 12. Reiber just a few minutes against Wake might be an ominous sign going forward. Jalen Miller couldnt get off the bench til late but was able to get a bucket and Oskar just came in at the end as well.

Overall the team worked hard for this win. When your offense is that rancid on your home court in the previous game, it can be easy to doubt what you have going. The Ohio State loss obviously played a role in the SHU game and they were not able to match that intensity lveld that the Pirates brought in a rivalry game. Perhaps if it had been any team but SHU, RU would have overcome the OSU disappointment. Key to me was defending the homecourt and setting the tone. You have to beat a bad defensive team by being aggressive. I thought when RU settled into the half court in the first half, they got into trouble. Wake was on fire in the first half, I thought our half court D could have been tighter...in the 2nd half it was. Rutgers did all the things they had to do to win while avoid all the mistakes that could make games like this ugly. RU finished out the game getting strong and still playing hard especially on defense. Great sign of this team willing to pulverize the opponent and those margins do count for the NET so a win like this by 24 points is important. I think the fans can bring their confidence level up a bit after today. Yes our offensive production was somewhat a result of a bad Wake defense. On the other hand we are simply not as challenged on offense and will usually not be facing as tough as D as what SHU threw it us.

Also important was finding a win over a power conference school with a pulse.....This truly was a must win. I do not think Wake is headed for post season but there is some talent there. They beat Wisconsin and do have a very good offensive player. If RU did not approach this game the way they did, it could have been alot dicier so good job all around including Pikiell. Now get through these next 2 potential landmines especially Bucknell. Kudos to the crowd today, didnt think we would get there but had over 7K in the building....looks like a regular thing now though I expect for Bucknell it might be our lowest attendance of the year due to time and being the eve of christmas eve.

Every team that runs the air raid puts up points. It is a system that allows less talented teams to put up points vs teams with superior talent. The concepts are simple, the reads are simple, the implementation is simple. What do we have to lose?

Im watching the western kentucky game right now and every single year no matter who the coach is this is an air raid program and i imagine their AD is only hiring air raid guys. The misconception is that this offensive system doesnt run the ball. They do. They simply just take what the defense gives them.

What would be the negative im missing to running this (yes the occasional 15 degree game in michigan in late november)

RU football signing day

Fans on the board all excited. Getting reports as the letters of intent filtered in.

Updates on each as they come in

Whose will be first? Some still speculate that question

That player on the fence. Do we still have a shot?

It seems like most of this has faded away

If Rutgers Football has another non-winning season (5 wins or less), will GS be on the hotseat at the end of the 2023?

Any minute now

Your thoughts...please tell us how you feel.

My thoughts...GS needs to be put on the 'hot seat'.

psu started 5 players listed as guards. But, the tallest - Seth Lundy at 6'6", 220 is a modern PF. But, even with that, all 5 starters ranged from 6'2 to 6'6.

I don't know if that is their normal lineup or if they have a center out with an injury.

Illinois, on the other hand, started players at 6'10, 6'9 and 6'7. With 6'9, 270 Dain Dainja off the bench.

AND.....psu won 74-59

My Christmas goose came early this year! Get it while you can: 3 stations having their own mini price war or something.

See title. I've got Miami yes, Seton Hall no, Wake Forest no.

1-6, 5 pts, 9 rebs, 2 asst, 1 blk, 0 steals, 2 TOs, 3 fouls, 3-3 FTs. Need a lot more than that in a big game.

Many have said that the future of football is bleak due to the the limited NIL funds available. With basketball only having 13 scholarships and only needing 4 or 5 top players, should Rutgers just go all in and use all of its NIL to get the best basketball players? Or can you not stand the idea of giving up on football?

Follow along as we track all of Rutgers Football’s Early Signing Day activity here, in our national signing day central tracker, and on social media!

Which recruit do you think is going to be the first LOI in?

60 years ago today,a Saturday,I opened the Newark Evening News,turning to the comic section and began to read Peanuts.
In the strip,there was Charlie Brown sitting on a curb with Linus,both saying nothing for the first three panels.
Then in the fourth panel,Charlie jumps up and exclaims:
"Why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just three feet higher?"
Charlie was referencing the last out of the 1962 World Series when McCovey's line drive went right to Bobby Richardson at second instead of into right where it would have scored the tying and the winning runs.

Some wondered whether Roger Maris could have made a play on the runner from second,Willie Mays,but as Giants Manager Alvin Dark put it:"Willie would have been already dressed by that time."

Most people living in NYC did not see this in the NY papers as they were on strike at the time.The only way that they found out about it was by watching the television stations that greatly expanded their news coverage,including the reading of comic strips on the air.

About 2 months later,Charlie repeated his act,this time asking for only two feet.

39 to 30

Think they may have decent year in ACC. Probably be a Q2 win for RU when all said and done.

Sad news

Without adding more items that are isolated to the discussion about the end of the Ohio State debacle, there are some more important questions that are being cleared up.

A) Cam Spencer looked like he belonged on the floor on both ends. The end of the game was a mixed bag, where he had a great pivot, turn around jumper and then threw away a pass trying to find Caleb, which was a horrible play.....I would have like to have seen the ball move more and run some more clock to get a better look.

B) Aundre Hyatt is a B1G starter......somehow he has gotten into the crosshairs of a lot of fans, but he can make some postup plays and plays with some presence in the paint. Somehow Hyatts play isn't sufficient enough for some critics, but he is 100% a Must-have on the court for me....how anyone keeps advocating Mag starting over Hyatt, just doesn't add up to watching what fits this lineup and what doesn't. Hyatt fits perfectly as the complimentary piece that does a little bit of everything and seems to land with 10 to 13 PPG, if you play him 26 to 28 minutes a night. Sign me up for that into the teeth of the schedule.

C) Caleb has the ear of some referees as the Defensive Player of the Year. He is defending at a high level and the refs are at least listening to him between plays and into and out of timeouts. His offense is pretty solid when he stays on-script.....Caleb when he tries to create on his own, doesn't have all of his legs just yet.....there's upside still there.

D) Woolfork defense and rebounding are important in conference play. I don't know if he is a full time starter down the road, but he appears reliable on both ends. Another positive sign.

E) Mulcahy and Simpson.....wow.....40 minutes between the 2 (27 & 13)....13 points and if not for an uncharacteristic 4 turnovers by Mulcahy, RU wins comfortably. Simpsons 2 2nd half baskets, showed zero fear, on the road and he's going to be put into screen and rolls on defense, because he's a little young, but he will learn and get better down the road. He plays smarter than his actual upside, I think he's a future fixture in RUs bridge from the Geo/RHJ era to the Gavin Griffiths/Dylan Harper era down the road.

F) Brandin Knight.....why am I mentioning an assistant coach and not Steve Pikiell?? Because the roster is evolving from one that used to play very tight in spots, to what we are seeing in the recent last 2 years or so.

I know, RU on the road is a theory that keeps coming up, but the staff and Knight, makes this team play hard through mistakes and it's starting to take on a more confident personality.

Many RU teams wilted and would have lost this game with more frazzled players OR where Vegas had this game pegged, around 6 to 7 points as a loss. The players are connected and it shows during timeouts when Knight and Pike are addressing the players. This roster has played confident basketball on the road in the B1G since the 5 game losing streak 2 years ago, which was the crossroads for this culture and roster. After losing to Penn State and heading to Indiana in 2021, RU sent Mulcahy and McConnell to the starting lineup and Mathis and Young to the bench.

Since that Indiana win, fueled by Myles Johnson and solid defense, RU has played solid on the road, posting a 7-10 record in their last 17 B1G road games.

3-3 in the last 6 B1G road games in 2020-21......4-6 in B1G road games in 2021-22......and while getting robbed last night was criminally bad, the trend line of "RU struggles on the road", is really more past than present. It's impossible to ask for anyone not deemed a blue-blood to be over .500 on the road, especially in this league.

You don't win 7 or what should have been a 8th B1G road game out of your last 17 in conference, without playing with confidence. The sum is better than the parts, I'm giving full credit to the assistant coaches, specifically Knight, for getting this team to dial in mentally on the road.

I feel like RU has closed to loop on whether there's enough there post Geo Baker/RHJ......these games like Indiana and Ohio State were eye-opening for some fans, but showed RU has made some steps forward to me. And it has upside as we move into the teeth of the schedule.

Moving onto the rest of December and looking for more positive things to develop off the bench to make this team even more fun to watch, while being tested the rest of the schedule.

Great read if you have a subscription. Here's a small snippet (link to full article below):

Quarterback​

Houston offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, the first to offer Mac Jones and one of the first major believers in Stetson Bennett: I think people mess up recruiting quarterbacks because they get infatuated with their athletic ability or physically how they look. I’m always gonna evaluate film first and then narrow it down, but what pushes the needle for me is if their release and throwing motion is not natural, then I’m Xing them off. …

Maybe I’m different because I’ve always coached in a throw-first offense, but I strictly want to see his release and his accuracy. Every QB coach will probably lie to you and say they can make a guy a lot more accurate. I don’t think you can improve it that much.

A Power 5 offensive coordinator with two former QBs who could be drafted in April: The No. 1 priority for me is accuracy. A really, really low arm slot is not a great thing because it creates problems with regard to releasing the ball but … how they throw the ball to me doesn’t matter anywhere near as much as how accurate they are. I want a compact quarterback who can get rid of the ball quickly. I don’t like long-arm action quarterbacks, and there are a lot of those.

Full article: https://theathletic.com/3141194/202...ecruiting-film-like-a-college-football-scout/

DENVER (KDVR) — Former running back Ronnie Hillman, who helped the Denver Broncos win the 2015 Super Bowl, has died, according to his family. He was 31.