A summary of Rutgers/Syracuse game
Ruters 35 Syracuse 17
It’s good to see Rutgers improve so much in just a few weeks. A month ago after the Cincinnati loss everyone was questioning the moxie of Rutgers football from the coach on down to the players. I for one had my doubts, but still I believed in the team because I was just as invested in the program as any true fan would be. Now, let’s talk about the game’s heroes, goats and my two cents.
If there were goats in the game, it had to be the entire team as they slept through the first quarter. Teel led the team down the field on the first drive of the game only to throw a “very” bad pass for an INT. The RU receiver was nowhere near the ball. There had to be a mix-up on the route between the QB and receiver. The INT indirectly led to Syracuse’s first TD on Doug Hogue’s 82 yard run. It was 3rd and 8 and every RU defender over pursued a simple stretch play allowing the RB to cut back and run to daylight. You can throw in the poor attempt of a tackle by Courtney Greene, which allowed Hogue to continue on the improbable TD run. The only other goat of the game would be the one special team’s play in which Rutgers, for some unknown reason, forgot to block. I realize the Syracuse player who blocked it was originally lined up on the Rutgers player split wide as the gunner, but the upback on the punt team has to scan the field before setting the team “ready” to run the play. If the upback does his job, he calls the gunner in tight to help with blocking to insure the punt gets off without a hitch. The Syracuse player tipped his hand well before the snap of the ball.
Some of the biggest heroes of the game were Rutgers Defense, Zaire Kitchen, Joe Martinek and Tiquan Underwood. These four played key roles in Rutgers overcoming a slow start and allowing Rutgers to eventually roll to an easy victory. Rutgers Defense recovered well after giving up the 82 yard TD early in the game. A lot of times when a team gets punched in the mouth hard and early in a game they can fall apart, but that wasn’t the case here with Rutgers. Rutgers defense stepped up and limited Syracuse to 51 yards rushing for the remainder of the game. What was even better was Rutgers limiting Syracuse to 35 total yards in passing for the game. Rutgers played perhaps their best defensive game of the year to date.
I think the player who has help jump start the improved play on defense is Zaire Kitchen. For the second game in a row, he created a turnover to change the momentum of the game. Early in the year, Rutgers had a difficult time creating turnovers which played a large part in the losses they suffered. With the game tied at 14-14 early in the 3rd quarter, Kitchen blitzed off the edge sacking Syracuse’s QB Cam Dantley causing him to fumble. Rutgers jumped on the ball and within 3 plays scored the go ahead TD and never looked back. Not to leave the offense out, there were several great performances from that side of the ball, but 2 players jump out Tiquan Underwood and Joe Martinek. Underwood was supposed to be one of the “it” receivers of the Big East. Underwood was missing most of the season due to dropped balls and an inability to get open. Underwood’s 2 TD against Syracuse was easy to notice, but his comeback dates back to Uconn game in which he caught multiple balls. Underwood’s ability to be a factor makes life easier for Teel. He has more than one (1) target. The other factor that makes Rutgers a dangerous team is the ability to run the ball. Kordell Young is getting the pub, but he is doing what s expected of him. Joe Martinek, has been the forgotten man in the RB group. What stands out each and every time he gets in… he makes plays. Martinek just gave Rutgers their version of the “wildcat” offense when he took the direct snap and ran left around the edge past every defender within arms reach. Everyone knew he has size at 6’0 215, but the speed on display was breathtaking in the sense of Martinek out running so called speed guys of Syracuse secondary. It was B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.
It was a great game overall, but I would like to focus my two cents on getting more out of a charged up offense. I wish Coach Schiano would ease the load on Kordell Young due to his size. He has the heart and toughness, but he isn’t Ray Rice. Guys like Jourdan Brooks and Joe Martinek have shown enough ability to carry the ball. It could be like “Earth, Wind & Fire” of the NY Giants where you have 3 capable backs who when used correctly, can wear down an opponent’s defense through the course of a game. How much more effective would the passing game be now that Underwood is back and Corcoran is being using too? The offense may not be the same as later year’s offense in terms of yardage, but it could be more effective in the red zone area which is very important to winning game. Seven points is sure better than 3.
If there were goats in the game, it had to be the entire team as they slept through the first quarter. Teel led the team down the field on the first drive of the game only to throw a “very” bad pass for an INT. The RU receiver was nowhere near the ball. There had to be a mix-up on the route between the QB and receiver. The INT indirectly led to Syracuse’s first TD on Doug Hogue’s 82 yard run. It was 3rd and 8 and every RU defender over pursued a simple stretch play allowing the RB to cut back and run to daylight. You can throw in the poor attempt of a tackle by Courtney Greene, which allowed Hogue to continue on the improbable TD run. The only other goat of the game would be the one special team’s play in which Rutgers, for some unknown reason, forgot to block. I realize the Syracuse player who blocked it was originally lined up on the Rutgers player split wide as the gunner, but the upback on the punt team has to scan the field before setting the team “ready” to run the play. If the upback does his job, he calls the gunner in tight to help with blocking to insure the punt gets off without a hitch. The Syracuse player tipped his hand well before the snap of the ball.
Some of the biggest heroes of the game were Rutgers Defense, Zaire Kitchen, Joe Martinek and Tiquan Underwood. These four played key roles in Rutgers overcoming a slow start and allowing Rutgers to eventually roll to an easy victory. Rutgers Defense recovered well after giving up the 82 yard TD early in the game. A lot of times when a team gets punched in the mouth hard and early in a game they can fall apart, but that wasn’t the case here with Rutgers. Rutgers defense stepped up and limited Syracuse to 51 yards rushing for the remainder of the game. What was even better was Rutgers limiting Syracuse to 35 total yards in passing for the game. Rutgers played perhaps their best defensive game of the year to date.
I think the player who has help jump start the improved play on defense is Zaire Kitchen. For the second game in a row, he created a turnover to change the momentum of the game. Early in the year, Rutgers had a difficult time creating turnovers which played a large part in the losses they suffered. With the game tied at 14-14 early in the 3rd quarter, Kitchen blitzed off the edge sacking Syracuse’s QB Cam Dantley causing him to fumble. Rutgers jumped on the ball and within 3 plays scored the go ahead TD and never looked back. Not to leave the offense out, there were several great performances from that side of the ball, but 2 players jump out Tiquan Underwood and Joe Martinek. Underwood was supposed to be one of the “it” receivers of the Big East. Underwood was missing most of the season due to dropped balls and an inability to get open. Underwood’s 2 TD against Syracuse was easy to notice, but his comeback dates back to Uconn game in which he caught multiple balls. Underwood’s ability to be a factor makes life easier for Teel. He has more than one (1) target. The other factor that makes Rutgers a dangerous team is the ability to run the ball. Kordell Young is getting the pub, but he is doing what s expected of him. Joe Martinek, has been the forgotten man in the RB group. What stands out each and every time he gets in… he makes plays. Martinek just gave Rutgers their version of the “wildcat” offense when he took the direct snap and ran left around the edge past every defender within arms reach. Everyone knew he has size at 6’0 215, but the speed on display was breathtaking in the sense of Martinek out running so called speed guys of Syracuse secondary. It was B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.
It was a great game overall, but I would like to focus my two cents on getting more out of a charged up offense. I wish Coach Schiano would ease the load on Kordell Young due to his size. He has the heart and toughness, but he isn’t Ray Rice. Guys like Jourdan Brooks and Joe Martinek have shown enough ability to carry the ball. It could be like “Earth, Wind & Fire” of the NY Giants where you have 3 capable backs who when used correctly, can wear down an opponent’s defense through the course of a game. How much more effective would the passing game be now that Underwood is back and Corcoran is being using too? The offense may not be the same as later year’s offense in terms of yardage, but it could be more effective in the red zone area which is very important to winning game. Seven points is sure better than 3.
