The Scarlet Knights have a tall task ahead of them, heading into their Week 10 match-up against No. 4 Michigan. To be honest, not many fans are giving the Scarlets Knights a chance against a team that could be heading to the College Football Playoff.
Rutgers currently has a 4-4 record (1-4 Big Ten) and is sixth in the Big Ten’s Eastern division, Rutgers will need to play a perfect game if they want to slow down Michigan’s high-powered offense.
During Monday’s press availability, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano was asked about Michigan’s running game and how Schiano plans to slow their rushing attack down.
“Why do they have a good running game? They have a very good offensive line,” Schiano told reporters.
“They have two really good backs, probably more, but two that play a lot, and a quarterback that can run and pass. So you have to defend the pass, you have to defend his run. The offensive line is doing a good job blocking. They have got two upper-echelon running backs. So it’s one of the better outfits in America on offense. That’s why you look at where they are ranked in all those statistical categories that are up in the top. Have we played against people like that? Yeah, we have.
“We have to do a great job. We have to be at our very best to have a chance to slow them down. Are you going to stop them? No. No one’s stopped them. But we’re going to do everything we can to the best of our ability and see where that stacks up.”
The Scarlet Knights have to be mentally and physically prepared if they are looking to try to stop a quarterback in J.J. McCarthy who has thrown for a total of 1,464 yards as well as running back Blake Corum. The talented Corum has rushed for a total of 1,078 yards and is getting some legitimate Heisman and Maxwell Award buzz.
That right there is no easy task, especially since McCarthy is just as dangerous with his legs as he is with his arm.
To slow down Michigan’s high-powered offense, Schiano and the Scarlet Knights are going to need to dominate up front. The defensive line led by, Aaron Lewis and Wesley Bailey, will need to win in the trenches. If the Scarlet Knights can keep McCarthy and the Wolverines’ offense in long third-down situations, they might just find themselves on upset alert.
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Michigan’s offensive line is an excellent blocking unit. If Rutgers’ defensive line can’t win the battle up front, look for Schiano to be very aggressive with their linebackers. Schiano might look to blitz on early downs to make McCarthy uncomfortable in the pocket, causing him to make poor decisions with the football.
With all that said, it is still a tall task to stop Michigan’s high-powered offense, but it’s not impossible. The Scarlet Knights need to play their best football if they want to slow down Michigan’s explosive offense.
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