<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3IJHAX_0vlTlKVd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3IJHAX_0vlTlKVd00" width="1210" height="806" ></figure><p>Time to get ready for the longest road game of the season as the Huskies make their way out to the Birthplace of College Football in Piscataway, NJ. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are rarely considered a contender in the Big Ten, but they are led by a head coach in Greg Schiano who has gotten them near the top during his stints at the helm of his program. Schiano’s overall record at Rutgers hovers around .500, but considering that New Jersey is far from being a talent hot bed, as well as the stiff competition that they face in the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights should be considered a tough out as a well-coached and physical team that is usually led by their defense.</p><h2>The Scheme &amp; Personnel</h2><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3KPYK7_0vlTlKVd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3KPYK7_0vlTlKVd00" width="1920" height="1280" ><p>Schiano is a defensive-minded head coach that first rose to prominence as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes from 1999-2000, so his influence is felt in the Scarlet Knight’s defensive schemes. However, defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak is the man calling plays for the defense these days, and he’s done a great job retooling the defense after being brought onto the staff from Minnesota. Harasymiak is a rising star who’s made a name for himself in coaching circles by finding ways of building effective defenses that get the most out of a roster that is usually outgunned by their opponents. His background as an FCS coach (he was the youngest HC in D1 football when he was named the HC at the University of Maine) taught him how to leverage team speed and versatility when the premium talent up front was hard to find.</p><p>With that experience in mind, Rutgers’ scheme has doubled down on that concept with their own version of the base 4-2-5 defense. Rutgers’ defense often utilizes three safeties instead of three CB-types in their nickel personnel, which allows them to retain some size but also allows them to stay flexible in how they adjust to offensive formations, personnel, and motion, all while keeping their ever shifting coverage disguises under wraps. Compared to UW’s opponents thus far this season, Rutgers’ defense runs a lot more disguised coverages where the pre-snap coverage shells are almost never an indication of what they’re actually running. Instead of seeing two high safeties and having to decipher if it’s Cover 2 or Cover 4, opposing offenses still have to consider Cover 1 or Cover 3 because Rutgers’ safeties are adept at rotating safeties (both into single high and two high shells) post-snap. With that being said, one of their favorite looks appears to be Cover 4 where they’re able to keep their safeties shallow enough to both be factors in run fits while still being flexible enough to drop into deep coverage.</p><p>As you would expect, the safeties are the ones to keep an eye on. Flip Dixon (#10) and Shaquan Loyal (#6) are extremely active against the run and pass, and CB Robert Longerbeam (#7) is considered a strong coverage player that Rutgers may lean on to take away one half of the field. Up front, the Scarlet Knights are still sorting things out. Typically, they’d prefer to let the front four generate pressure and play mind games with the QB in coverage, but after losing last year’s sack leader, Mohamed Toure, to a season ending injury, Rutgers has had to lean more on their blitz packages to generate enough pressure to avoid getting picked apart. Even then, the rush has been limited to just four sacks through four games.</p><h2>Keys to the Game</h2><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1lGi96_0vlTlKVd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1lGi96_0vlTlKVd00" width="1920" height="1280" ><p>If there were ever a game for the coaches to cut Jonah Coleman loose, it’d be against Rutgers. Even if Rutgers’ defense is designed to stop the run with numbers, their run defense has been relatively porous this season. Both Akron and Virginia Tech have been able to average over 6 yards per carry on sizable volume. Limiting the passing attack is how Rutgers stymied opposing offenses (averaging 5.1 yards per attempt allowed or less against the aforementioned teams). </p><p>Given the talent in the backfield, it’s always been assumed that the offense would flow through Coleman or one of the other backs, but through four games, our offense has really relied on big plays in the passing game to get into scoring possession rather than a steady run game. Between Rutgers defense and our own defense, this could turn into a low scoring game with few possessions to go around, so playing complementary offense and selectively looking for deeper shot plays may be the recipe for success against Rutgers.</p></div></body>

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Opponent Defensive Preview: Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Time to get ready for the longest road game of the season as the Huskies make their way out to the Birthplace of College Football in Piscataway, NJ. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are rarely considered a contender in the Big Ten, but they are led by a head coach in Greg Schiano who has gotten them near the top during his stints at the helm of his program. Schiano’s overall record at Rutgers hovers around .500, but considering that New Jersey is far from being a talent hot bed, as well as the stiff competition that they face in the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights should be considered a tough out as a well-coached and physical team that is usually led by their defense.