2020 First Glance: Indiana Heads to Rutgers on Halloween

Written by T.J. inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Week Two:  Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Date & Time: Saturday, October 31, Time is TBD

Venue: SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey

TV: TBD

Scarlet Knights at a Glance

Head Coach: Greg Schiano

Record at Rutgers: 68-67 (from 2001 to 2011 at Rutgers)

Overall Record: 68-67

Last Season: 2-10 (0-9 in B1G)

Scarlet Knights Returning Leaders

Passing: Johnny Langan – 80 of 159 for 840 yards with 4 TDs

Rushing: Isaih Pacheco – 729 yards with 7 TDs

Receiving: Bo Melton – 30 catches for 427 yards with 2 TDs

Tackles: Tyshon Fogg – 104 tackles

Preseason Predictions

Pick Six Previews: #66, #6 in East

Impact Newcomers

Noah Vedral – transfer QB from Nebraska

Malik  Barrow – transfer DT from Ohio State

Brendon White – transfer DB from Ohio State

Michael Dwumfour – transfer DL from Michigan

Biggest Questions Facing the 2020 Scarlet Knights

1.     With a drastically reduced offseason schedule, how will Rutgers handle the complete overhaul of their coaching staff and roster?

2.     Can new OC Sean Gleeson inject any life into one of the worst P5 offenses for each of the past few seasons?

3.     Greg Schiano is going to improve Rutgers, that seems like a given. How quickly can he make the Scarlet Knights competitive in the East?

Program Preview

Rutgers has floundered since joining the Big Ten. Chris Ash did not work out and the Scarlet Knights pulled the plug on his tenure after another disappointing 2-10 season. Greg Schiano was the obvious candidate but he was not interested unless the administration was willing to make guarantees about the level of investment they would put into the program. After eventually receiving those assurances, Schiano agreed to take on the job and he is now back to “Chop Wood” in Piscataway. Early recruiting returns are positive and he brought in ten transfers from Power Five conferences that should go a long way towards helping RU be more competitive this season. Whether or not they can turn that competitiveness into any actual victories is to be determined.

Offensive Preview

Sean Gleeson is the new offensive coordinator, a move that I thought was a great one by Schiano. Gleeson was at Oklahoma State last season and led a high-scoring Princeton offense prior that. He is known as a creative guy and he’ll have to be with a unit that has struggled mightily recently. Rutgers was shutout four times last season and finished 129th in offense with just 13.3 points per game. The first question is who will be playing quarterback. Art Sitkowski is back but I’d put my money on the more mobile Noah Vedral, a late addition from Nebraska. IU saw Vedral when the Hoosiers won in Lincoln in 2019. He’s an accurate short passer and is somewhat mobile but has struggled to impress during his limited playing time. I like the running backs, particularly Isaih Pacheco and I think they’ll try to lean on the running game. Bo Melton is a decent receiver and the passing game should be helped by the addition of Wisconsin transfer Aron Cruickshank in the slot. Still, there is a dearth of legitimate playmakers at the skill positions. The offensive line is the biggest issue and until they get that unit fixed, Rutgers will struggle to improve all that much on offense.

Defensive Preview

The defense was better than the offense but the bar was incredibly low so it’s not saying much. I actually think Greg Schiano is going to have an immediate positive impact on this unit and a decent amount of returners plus some solid transfers will have Rutgers playing better defense quickly. The Scarlet Knights new defensive coordinator (Robb Smith) has not committed to what his base defense is going to be, instead saying they will be “multiple”. Rutgers has to produce more takeaways (they only had ten all of 2019). From a Hoosier perspective, IU will likely look to pound the ball against an undersized defensive line. Tyshon Fogg leads a linebacker unit that gets everyone back and the secondary has some decent young pieces for Schiano to build around.

Special Teams Preview

Both the kicker and the punter return for their senior seasons for Rutgers and a good amount of returning production means Rutgers should be fairly experienced for their coverage and return units. I don’t think they have any difference making returners but it seems unlikely it will be a huge weakness.