Quotables
Quentin Gause on facing Michigan State:
“I am excited about this Saturday. My heart is racing. But I am enjoying the moment. When you think about the past or too far ahead, it gets you all messed up. You just have to think about the now.”
Leonte Carroo on his return to the team:
“What made me most happy was the comfort from my teammates. As soon as I got back in the locker room, they were going crazy. They were happy, showing me nothing but support on the field [Thursday] and making sure I lined up correctly, little things like that. It was just a blessing to be back out here.”
Andre Patton on the benefits of the bye week:
“One thing with having four games in a row in the beginning of the season, your body starts to get a little sore. Having that week off and getting our bodies healthy and being able to go back to smaller details, and focusing on those little things are what helps you win games.”
Fat Cat Top Five
Top Five RU Wide Receivers of the last decade
5.) Tiquan Underwood
4.) Tim Brown
3.) Mohamed Sanu
2.) Leonte Carroo
1.) Kenny Britt
Bobby’s Crystal Ball
Josh Hicks will be RU’s top offensive performer against Michigan State
Michigan State Game Recruit Visitor List
Rutgers 2016 commits
K Alex Barbir - South Forsyth (GA)
WR Ahmed Bah - Grand Street Campus (NY)
WR Taysir Mack - Grand Street Campus (NY)
CB Damon Hayes - Wise (MD)
LB Elias Reynolds - Poly Prep (NY)
OL Justin Morgan - Poly Prep (NY)
LB Jon Pollock - Dr Phillps (FL)
LB Rashawn Battle - Wallenpaupack (PA)
LB Soloman Manning - Colonia
Class of 2016 Rutgers offerees
OL Malcolm Pridgeon - Nassau CC (NY)
ATH Jordan Fuller - Old Tappan
WR Don Stewart Paramus - Catholic NJ
OL Yasir Durant - Imhotep (PA)
OL JohnCarlo Valentin - Imhotep (PA)
Other Class of 2016 Prospects of note
ATH Antoine Brooks - Duval (MD) 5 BCS offers
DB Linwood Crump - Sayreville
DL Andre Mintze - Imhotep (PA)
Class of 2017 Rutgers offers
RB Kurt Taylor - Newton (GA) Rutgers offer
WR Everett Wormley - Burlington Township
TE Devin Miller - Metuchen
OL Isaiah Wilson - Poly Prep (NY) No.15 ranked player in the nation
OL Micah Clark - St. John Vianney No.138 ranked player in the nation
OL Liam Fornadel - Don Bosco
OL Josh Fedd-Jackson - St. Joseph Montvale
OL Robert Martin - St. Joseph Montvale
DL Ethan Wiederkehr - Shoreham Wading River (NY)
DE Mike Tverdov - Union
DE Damion Barber - Harrisburg (PA)
DT Romello Martin - Lincoln (NY)
DT Corey Bolds - Paramus Catholic
DT Owen Bowles - Cedar Creek
LB Nate Procter - Lackey (MD) No.239 player in the nation
ATH Markquese Bell - Bridgeton
ATH Damani Neal - The Bullis School (MD)
Class of 2017 Prospects of Note
QB Kenny Pickett - Ocean
QB Tommy Devito - Don Bosco
QB Jyvon “Silky” Brown - Irvington
RB/DB Al Tariq Jones - Union
RB Chris Chukwuneke - St John’s Vianney
WR Jahmin Muse - Elizabeth
WR Evidence Njoku - Cedar Grove
WR Ezrah Archie - Timber Creek
WR JP Roane - Deptford
OL Dexter Miller - Timber Creek
DE Ryan Thaxton - St. Stephen’s (VA)
DL Josh Paschal - Good Counsel (MD) No.220 player in the nation
DT Jaylen Twyman - HD Woodson (DC) (7 BCS offers)
DT Kurt Hinish - Pittsburgh Central Catholic (PA)
LB Javar Garrett - Penns Grove
LB Antonio DiCerbo Gilman (MD)
LB Ayinde Eley - Good Counsel (MD) 8 BCS offers
LB/DE Keisean Wilson - North Point (MD)
DB Bryce Watts - Toms River North
ATH Bo Melton - Cedar Creek
ATH Isaiah Watson - Cedar Creek
Underclassmen
Rutgers offerees
2018 QB Allan Walters - Paramus Catholic
2018 WR Shaquan Anderson-Butts Harrisburg (PA)
Prospects of Note
2018 WR Jasiah Provillon - Irvington
2018 RB Muraad Salaam - Irvington
2018 OL/DL Lance Turay - Irvington
2019 C/DT Abraham Karama - Irvington
2018 DB Jarrett Paul Christ The King (NY)\
Recruiting Tidbits
On Saturday night, there is a good chance for Rutgers to further solidify the commitments of the Poly Prep duo of Elias Reynolds and Justin Morgan. Their head coach, Rutgers hall of famer Dino Mangiro, isn’t a fan of his players going back on their word when making a commitment. A great atmosphere and a strong outing on the field could help to reinforce their initial decisions.
It will be a big deal for Rutgers to get top 2016 targets Malcolm Pridgeon, who missed his last planned Rutgers visit, and ATH Jordan Fuller back on campus. Fuller recently placed Rutgers in his final eight.
Philly OL Yasir Durant is close to a decision and is excited to see Rutgers live on the big stage on Saturday.
With the need for defensive backs increased in the 2016 class, keep an eye on Antoine Brooks from Maryland. He plays with great range in the secondary but is equally impressive when he has to come down in the box in the run game, packing a wallop when he hits ball carriers.
Football games are won in the trenches, and a number of Rutgers top local class of 2017 targets on both the OL and DL will be in attendance to observe Coach Browning’s and Coach Panagos’ units work. This will be four-star Micah Clark’s first time to the Rutgers campus since he was offered.
Also worth mentioning is a strong class of 2017 group from Maryland, highlighted by the Good Counsel duo of Josh Paschal and Ayinde Eley from the always talented Good Counsel program that dominated NJ’s DePaul Catholic earlier this year.
OL Lucas Niang - New Canaan (CT)
The Rutgers target has narrowed down his list of 14 offers to five with Oregon, Miami, TCU, Auburn and Rutgers making the cut in no order. Niang has already visited each of the schools at least once and he was the recipient of a visit from Rutgers OC Ben McDaniels during the bye week.
“We talk on a weekly basis, I’ve haven’t been to Rutgers since the summer and I’m trying to set up an official. Coach McDaniels was going to watch my game but it got cancelled due to the rain so he just stopped by,” Niang told Scarlet Nation. “(Rutgers) is close and they could really help me, that it’s a good school and a good team.”
Niang, is working on scheduling his official visits, but will make unofficial visits to colleges for future games if possible.
Class of 2017 NJ Wide Receivers on the cusp of an offer
During the bye week, Rutgers DC Joe Rossi made his way around Central NJ checking out some local talent with Elizabeth’s Jahmin Muse and Mater Dei’s Eddie Lewis receiving visits. Both have seen Rutgers increase its interest after both performed well during Friday Knight Lights in June.
“Coach Rossi told my coach that they are ready to offer me,” said Lewis.
Holding a lone offer from Iowa, Lewis is considered by many as the best NJ receiver in the class of 2017 while Muse isn’t far behind. With Scarlet Nation on location, Muse took a QB keeper 75 yards for a touchdown in the Minutemen’s 10-7 win over Union. Muse told Scarlet Nation that he’ll be at the Michigan State game this weekend and he has also been hearing from Ohio State, Michigan and Temple.
Early Ohio State Game visitors list
Although a number of the class of 2016 commits couldn’t make it to the Blackout tomorrow night, QB Anthony Russo told Scarlet Nation that he’ll be at the October 24th home game vs Ohio State. Rutgers will officially host Florida DB target Henry Miller that weekend and underclassmen targets like 2017 RB Jon Taylor from Salem and 2018 QB Artur Sitkowski of Old Bridge are planning to make it out. 2017 Center Sam Gerak of Ohio will come back out to NJ for the first time since he earned the offer.
Scarlet Nation on Location
Friday Night Matawan at Colonia
Rutgers class of 2016 LB commit Solomon Manning leads the Patriots into battle on Friday night as they host the neighboring Monmouth County school quarterbacked by a class of 2018 name to remember, George Pearson.
More on Carroo
Yesterday marked the first time senior wide receiver Leonte Carroo was able to step onto the field with his teammates since Sept 12th. After his first practice back, he was asked by some media about the incident that took place that night.
“I really don’t want to get into the details of what happened. I am just blessed to be back out here,” he said. “I just can’t wait to go out and play Saturday.”
Carroo also talked about how he is maintaining his role as a team captain.
“The biggest thing for me is to make sure my teammates know what type of guy I am. They already know, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t in their ear every day I was out. ...I was texting the receivers, coaching them up, motivating guys before the game, calls at night while they were in the hotel, talking to them nonstop. So even though I wasn’t here physically, they still heard me every single day.”
Carroo also said that during his suspension he was confident that he would return to the field as a Scarlet Knight.
“I knew one day I was going to be back on this team. I just had to stay patient. Unfortunately, the legal process is slow and I am just happy to be back out here.”
Eye on Rutgers
This week’s Eye on Rutgers takes one more look at the Michigan State game and offers three important keys to victory for the Scarlet Knights.
Containing Calhoun
Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun is one of the nation’s top pass rushers. However, he will not just be matched up against RU left tackle Keith Lumpkin being as though he switches sides over the course of a game. That will mean he could find himself matched up against right tackle J.J. Denman who has had his share of struggles this year. The RU offense would be served well by providing some help in those instances with a running back or tight end aiding Denman against Calhoun.
Stretching the field
Rutgers will have a downfield threat back in senior wide receiver Leonte Carroo. Opposite Carroo, RU has another deep threat in Andre Patton. On the season, Patton has 11 catches, although one of his best attributes is his ability to stretch the field. Quarterback Chris Laviano will have a pair of legit targets and if the Spartans opt to go into one-on-one coverage, he could have a chance to connect downfield with Carroo and Patton. For Rutgers to keep the MSU defense honest, there will also need to be some deep passes thrown.
Blitz packages
The RU defensive line has been hampered by injuries, so asking four linemen to provide a consistent pass rush might be a tall order against Michigan State. That is where strategy will have to help out as defensive coordinator Joe Rossi will step square into the spotlight. Mixing up some blitz packages and disguising blitzers can take some of the burden off a young RU secondary. Contending with a top caliber quarterback like Connor Cook is also going to be no easy task. Rossi must find a way to generate pressure on a consistent basis.
Quentin Gause on facing Michigan State:
“I am excited about this Saturday. My heart is racing. But I am enjoying the moment. When you think about the past or too far ahead, it gets you all messed up. You just have to think about the now.”
Leonte Carroo on his return to the team:
“What made me most happy was the comfort from my teammates. As soon as I got back in the locker room, they were going crazy. They were happy, showing me nothing but support on the field [Thursday] and making sure I lined up correctly, little things like that. It was just a blessing to be back out here.”
Andre Patton on the benefits of the bye week:
“One thing with having four games in a row in the beginning of the season, your body starts to get a little sore. Having that week off and getting our bodies healthy and being able to go back to smaller details, and focusing on those little things are what helps you win games.”
Fat Cat Top Five
Top Five RU Wide Receivers of the last decade
5.) Tiquan Underwood
4.) Tim Brown
3.) Mohamed Sanu
2.) Leonte Carroo
1.) Kenny Britt
Bobby’s Crystal Ball
Josh Hicks will be RU’s top offensive performer against Michigan State
Michigan State Game Recruit Visitor List
Rutgers 2016 commits
K Alex Barbir - South Forsyth (GA)
WR Ahmed Bah - Grand Street Campus (NY)
WR Taysir Mack - Grand Street Campus (NY)
CB Damon Hayes - Wise (MD)
LB Elias Reynolds - Poly Prep (NY)
OL Justin Morgan - Poly Prep (NY)
LB Jon Pollock - Dr Phillps (FL)
LB Rashawn Battle - Wallenpaupack (PA)
LB Soloman Manning - Colonia
Class of 2016 Rutgers offerees
OL Malcolm Pridgeon - Nassau CC (NY)
ATH Jordan Fuller - Old Tappan
WR Don Stewart Paramus - Catholic NJ
OL Yasir Durant - Imhotep (PA)
OL JohnCarlo Valentin - Imhotep (PA)
Other Class of 2016 Prospects of note
ATH Antoine Brooks - Duval (MD) 5 BCS offers
DB Linwood Crump - Sayreville
DL Andre Mintze - Imhotep (PA)
Class of 2017 Rutgers offers
RB Kurt Taylor - Newton (GA) Rutgers offer
WR Everett Wormley - Burlington Township
TE Devin Miller - Metuchen
OL Isaiah Wilson - Poly Prep (NY) No.15 ranked player in the nation
OL Micah Clark - St. John Vianney No.138 ranked player in the nation
OL Liam Fornadel - Don Bosco
OL Josh Fedd-Jackson - St. Joseph Montvale
OL Robert Martin - St. Joseph Montvale
DL Ethan Wiederkehr - Shoreham Wading River (NY)
DE Mike Tverdov - Union
DE Damion Barber - Harrisburg (PA)
DT Romello Martin - Lincoln (NY)
DT Corey Bolds - Paramus Catholic
DT Owen Bowles - Cedar Creek
LB Nate Procter - Lackey (MD) No.239 player in the nation
ATH Markquese Bell - Bridgeton
ATH Damani Neal - The Bullis School (MD)
Class of 2017 Prospects of Note
QB Kenny Pickett - Ocean
QB Tommy Devito - Don Bosco
QB Jyvon “Silky” Brown - Irvington
RB/DB Al Tariq Jones - Union
RB Chris Chukwuneke - St John’s Vianney
WR Jahmin Muse - Elizabeth
WR Evidence Njoku - Cedar Grove
WR Ezrah Archie - Timber Creek
WR JP Roane - Deptford
OL Dexter Miller - Timber Creek
DE Ryan Thaxton - St. Stephen’s (VA)
DL Josh Paschal - Good Counsel (MD) No.220 player in the nation
DT Jaylen Twyman - HD Woodson (DC) (7 BCS offers)
DT Kurt Hinish - Pittsburgh Central Catholic (PA)
LB Javar Garrett - Penns Grove
LB Antonio DiCerbo Gilman (MD)
LB Ayinde Eley - Good Counsel (MD) 8 BCS offers
LB/DE Keisean Wilson - North Point (MD)
DB Bryce Watts - Toms River North
ATH Bo Melton - Cedar Creek
ATH Isaiah Watson - Cedar Creek
Underclassmen
Rutgers offerees
2018 QB Allan Walters - Paramus Catholic
2018 WR Shaquan Anderson-Butts Harrisburg (PA)
Prospects of Note
2018 WR Jasiah Provillon - Irvington
2018 RB Muraad Salaam - Irvington
2018 OL/DL Lance Turay - Irvington
2019 C/DT Abraham Karama - Irvington
2018 DB Jarrett Paul Christ The King (NY)\
Recruiting Tidbits
On Saturday night, there is a good chance for Rutgers to further solidify the commitments of the Poly Prep duo of Elias Reynolds and Justin Morgan. Their head coach, Rutgers hall of famer Dino Mangiro, isn’t a fan of his players going back on their word when making a commitment. A great atmosphere and a strong outing on the field could help to reinforce their initial decisions.
It will be a big deal for Rutgers to get top 2016 targets Malcolm Pridgeon, who missed his last planned Rutgers visit, and ATH Jordan Fuller back on campus. Fuller recently placed Rutgers in his final eight.
Philly OL Yasir Durant is close to a decision and is excited to see Rutgers live on the big stage on Saturday.
With the need for defensive backs increased in the 2016 class, keep an eye on Antoine Brooks from Maryland. He plays with great range in the secondary but is equally impressive when he has to come down in the box in the run game, packing a wallop when he hits ball carriers.
Football games are won in the trenches, and a number of Rutgers top local class of 2017 targets on both the OL and DL will be in attendance to observe Coach Browning’s and Coach Panagos’ units work. This will be four-star Micah Clark’s first time to the Rutgers campus since he was offered.
Also worth mentioning is a strong class of 2017 group from Maryland, highlighted by the Good Counsel duo of Josh Paschal and Ayinde Eley from the always talented Good Counsel program that dominated NJ’s DePaul Catholic earlier this year.
OL Lucas Niang - New Canaan (CT)
The Rutgers target has narrowed down his list of 14 offers to five with Oregon, Miami, TCU, Auburn and Rutgers making the cut in no order. Niang has already visited each of the schools at least once and he was the recipient of a visit from Rutgers OC Ben McDaniels during the bye week.
“We talk on a weekly basis, I’ve haven’t been to Rutgers since the summer and I’m trying to set up an official. Coach McDaniels was going to watch my game but it got cancelled due to the rain so he just stopped by,” Niang told Scarlet Nation. “(Rutgers) is close and they could really help me, that it’s a good school and a good team.”
Niang, is working on scheduling his official visits, but will make unofficial visits to colleges for future games if possible.
Class of 2017 NJ Wide Receivers on the cusp of an offer
During the bye week, Rutgers DC Joe Rossi made his way around Central NJ checking out some local talent with Elizabeth’s Jahmin Muse and Mater Dei’s Eddie Lewis receiving visits. Both have seen Rutgers increase its interest after both performed well during Friday Knight Lights in June.
“Coach Rossi told my coach that they are ready to offer me,” said Lewis.
Holding a lone offer from Iowa, Lewis is considered by many as the best NJ receiver in the class of 2017 while Muse isn’t far behind. With Scarlet Nation on location, Muse took a QB keeper 75 yards for a touchdown in the Minutemen’s 10-7 win over Union. Muse told Scarlet Nation that he’ll be at the Michigan State game this weekend and he has also been hearing from Ohio State, Michigan and Temple.
Early Ohio State Game visitors list
Although a number of the class of 2016 commits couldn’t make it to the Blackout tomorrow night, QB Anthony Russo told Scarlet Nation that he’ll be at the October 24th home game vs Ohio State. Rutgers will officially host Florida DB target Henry Miller that weekend and underclassmen targets like 2017 RB Jon Taylor from Salem and 2018 QB Artur Sitkowski of Old Bridge are planning to make it out. 2017 Center Sam Gerak of Ohio will come back out to NJ for the first time since he earned the offer.
Scarlet Nation on Location
Friday Night Matawan at Colonia
Rutgers class of 2016 LB commit Solomon Manning leads the Patriots into battle on Friday night as they host the neighboring Monmouth County school quarterbacked by a class of 2018 name to remember, George Pearson.
More on Carroo
Yesterday marked the first time senior wide receiver Leonte Carroo was able to step onto the field with his teammates since Sept 12th. After his first practice back, he was asked by some media about the incident that took place that night.
“I really don’t want to get into the details of what happened. I am just blessed to be back out here,” he said. “I just can’t wait to go out and play Saturday.”
Carroo also talked about how he is maintaining his role as a team captain.
“The biggest thing for me is to make sure my teammates know what type of guy I am. They already know, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t in their ear every day I was out. ...I was texting the receivers, coaching them up, motivating guys before the game, calls at night while they were in the hotel, talking to them nonstop. So even though I wasn’t here physically, they still heard me every single day.”
Carroo also said that during his suspension he was confident that he would return to the field as a Scarlet Knight.
“I knew one day I was going to be back on this team. I just had to stay patient. Unfortunately, the legal process is slow and I am just happy to be back out here.”
Eye on Rutgers
This week’s Eye on Rutgers takes one more look at the Michigan State game and offers three important keys to victory for the Scarlet Knights.
Containing Calhoun
Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun is one of the nation’s top pass rushers. However, he will not just be matched up against RU left tackle Keith Lumpkin being as though he switches sides over the course of a game. That will mean he could find himself matched up against right tackle J.J. Denman who has had his share of struggles this year. The RU offense would be served well by providing some help in those instances with a running back or tight end aiding Denman against Calhoun.
Stretching the field
Rutgers will have a downfield threat back in senior wide receiver Leonte Carroo. Opposite Carroo, RU has another deep threat in Andre Patton. On the season, Patton has 11 catches, although one of his best attributes is his ability to stretch the field. Quarterback Chris Laviano will have a pair of legit targets and if the Spartans opt to go into one-on-one coverage, he could have a chance to connect downfield with Carroo and Patton. For Rutgers to keep the MSU defense honest, there will also need to be some deep passes thrown.
Blitz packages
The RU defensive line has been hampered by injuries, so asking four linemen to provide a consistent pass rush might be a tall order against Michigan State. That is where strategy will have to help out as defensive coordinator Joe Rossi will step square into the spotlight. Mixing up some blitz packages and disguising blitzers can take some of the burden off a young RU secondary. Contending with a top caliber quarterback like Connor Cook is also going to be no easy task. Rossi must find a way to generate pressure on a consistent basis.
