Rutgers at South Florida

Written by Matthew Martz

Rutgers is coming off a 41-21 loss to Pittsburgh. The team looks mentally drained, as it should be following the terrible injury to defensive lineman Eric LeGrand who continues his recovery from a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed below his neck.

Now the Scarlet Knights will try to move forward, as they travel to South Florida this week for a Wednesday night game at Raymond James Stadium against South Florida. Game time is 7:00 PM ET.

Last year Rutgers beat the Bulls 31-0.

Our latest college football odds show the Scarlet Knight as -10 ½ over the Bulls with a game total of 41 ½.

The Scarlett Knights did manage to score in three of four quarters in their loss to Pitt, but with their minds elsewhere, it wasn’t enough. Jon Baldwin led the attack, catching several difficult passes including a 45-yard touchdown pass. QB Tino Sunseri threw for three touchdowns on 307 yards as Pittsburgh capitalized on several Rutgers mistakes.

Rutgers coach Greg Schiano on Monday named freshman Chas Dodd as his team’s starting quarterback for Wednesday’s game. Dodd managed only 19 attempts, completing 9 for 62 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in last weekend’s loss.

The loss dropped Rutgers record to 4-3, 3^rd in the Big East. The team was limited offensively before their recent setbacks, scoring 21.1 a game while ranking 82^nd in passing (190.9) and 101^st in rushing (108.7).

On the defensive side of the ball, the team has allowed 19 a game (23^rd) but that low total is a little skewed by the season opening shut out against Norfolk.

Moving forward this season, they need more from their QB’s and it would be nice if one proved to be a vocal leader to pull this team through troubling times. Dodd and Tom Savage have combined for just seven touchdowns and 95 completions at the position this late in the season. Mohamed Sanu is the offensive playmaker rushing for 286 yards and catching another 34, while rolling up six touchdowns.

As for South Florida, it won its game against Cincinnati last week, 38-30, despite a huge game from quarterback Zach Collaros. Collaros threw for 463 yards, completing 30 of 53 with three touchdowns. He took a hard hit in the fourth quarter, hurting his leg and the injury remains day to day.

Meanwhile, South Florida QB BJ Daniels had a breakout of his own, throwing a pair of touchdowns and running for two while providing the catalyst for the win against the two-time Big East Champion.

The Bulls has a solid offensive attack, scoring 25.9 a game to rank 71^st overall.

Most of that is by ground, as the rushing half of the offense is 67^th with over 148 a game, while the passing is 93^rd with 175.4 a game. If BJ Daniels has found his groove, the numbers will improve. He has only six passing touchdowns and 1,089 yards for the season.

RB Moise Plancher has 80 carries for 363 yards and four touchdowns and is could be a threat to the Rutgers weakened defensive front.

Defensively the team has held opposing offenses to 18.6 a game. Last week was only the second time this year an opposing offense had managed over 21 points.

Matt’s Free Prediction: South Florida +10 ½ – Heading into this week’s game, Rutgers will still be distracted by the loss of their teammate. It will take time but they need to find that toughness to stop a promising season from going to waste. Until a leader steps up, they will struggle. If you go SU, I’d put my money on the Scarlet Knights, but I think taking South Florida and the points makes a better bet here.

Comments

2 Responses to “Rutgers at South Florida”

Nate on November 3rd, 2010 2:24 PM

You are an idiot, South Florida is favored by 10 they are not getting points.
Matthew Martz on November 3rd, 2010 2:47 PM

Nate-

Thanks for the catch on the spread. Sometimes we make mistakes and we are happy to make corrections when pointed out to us. However, a little less of the name calling would be appreciated, as it doesn’t really make for an intelligent forum. Thanks for stopping by.

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