Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Key To The 2022 Offense
Get more third down conversions.
The passing game has to connect down the field a little bit.
2015 was the last time the Rutgers passing game averaged over six yards per try. Last year’s offense averaged under ten yards per completion – 127th in the nation – but that doesn’t matter for the way this team plays as much as hitting the six-yard throw for a first down would.
Rutgers has to control games with the running attack and by keeping drives alive, and it was way too miserable at that. It only converted 31.6% of its chances, going under 30% in seven of the last nine games. That’s the worst the O has been since 2016.
Going back to 2017, Rutgers has only hit 45% in ten games, but it went 7-3 in those.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Key To The 2022 Defense
Take the ball away on a regular basis.
This will be a hard-nosed D that should be able to hold up well enough against the mediocre offenses to hang around in most games – at least for a little while – but realistically, it has to create its own breaks.
Yeah, the D forced a decent 17 takeaways on the year, but eight came in the first two games, six came against Indiana, and a total of three came in the other ten games.
Multiple takeaways haven’t equaled wins over the last several years, but with a sketchy offense, forcing mistakes is a must.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Key Player To The 2022 Season
QB Noah Vedral, Sr.
Rutgers can’t seem to do anything to get steady, excellent quarterback play.
The program has thrown everything at the problem over the years, and still the production hasn’t been there. Last season five different Scarlet Knights threw at least nine passes in an attempt to find something that could click.
Vedral has been around the block. He started out at UCF, followed Scott Frost to Nebraska, and spent the last two years at Rutgers. He has thrown for over 3,800 yards and ran for close to 700 with nine scores in five seasons.
Rutgers just needs him to be okay. To do that, he needs help from …
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Key Transfer
WR Taj Harris, Sr.
The Scarlet Knights lose top two targets Bo Melton and Shaman Jones, but there’s a shot they’ll get more pop with Sean Ryan from West Virginia along with Harris, a big-play receiver who had a good first three years at Syracuse before the offense pivoted to more of a rushing attack.
He’s big, experienced, and he’ll be a No. 1 guy to make life a whole lot easier for the Rutgers quarterbacks.
Rutgers Key Game To The 2022 Season
Nebraska, Oct. 7
Iowa, at Ohio State. That’s how Rutgers starts out the Big Ten season, and then it gets Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers should be improved and far more dangerous, but it’s the middle of the season, it’s a home game, and it’s one of the winnable dates compared to what’s coming over the second half of the season.
Win this, get a week off, and then host Indiana – there’s a chance to a nice midseason mini-run before at Minnesota, Michigan, at Michigan State, Penn State, at Maryland.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: 2021 Fun Stats
– Fumbles: Opponents 23 (lost 10) – Rutgers 14 (lost 4)
– 2nd Quarter Scoring: Opponents 133 – Rutgers 64
– Passing TDs: Opponents 25 – Rutgers 9
Rutgers 2022 Preview
Offense, Defense Breakdown
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Rutgers Top 10 Players | Rutgers Schedule & Analysis