Tag: Aron Cruickshank

One reason why Rutgers has a shot at No. 19 Michigan? Aron Cruickshank

Rutgers football has a difference-maker in Aron Cruickshank. The Scarlet Knights need a big performance from Cruickshank at No. 19 Michigan on Saturday.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3gzhz7qrm49z6q player_id=none image=https://rutgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

For Rutgers football, facing a top-notch Michigan team on the road is going to be a challenge. But with Aron Cruickshank on the field, the Scarlet Knights will have a chance against the No. 19 Wolverines.

Especially if the junior wide receiver can get into the open field with the ball in his hands.

Cruickshank has been tremendous for the 3-0 Scarlet Knights through their undefeated run in out-of-conference play, showcasing his elite speed and shiftiness. Now with a huge step up in competition, Rutgers could get a major boost in Ann Arbor if Cruickshank can run wild.

So far this season, Cruickshank has 10 catches for 72 yards but it has been his impact on special teams that is making a difference. He has six punt returns for 161 yards and a touchdown as well as six kickoff returns for 157 yards.

In the second quarter of this past Saturday’s 45-13 win over Delaware, Cruickshank had a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown. The play not only blew the game wide-open, but it also showcased just how much of a playmaker Cruickshank can be in the open field with the ball in his hands.

“I was very excited coming into the year, I thought Aron could be an explosive threat and he’s started off the season being just that. Now, we’re going into Big Ten play so everything goes up to here,” Schiano told reporters on Monday, raising his hand to show the level of conference play.

“It’s harder to do that – what he does in the Big Ten, so let’s see. He is a great returner – like the return on Saturday – he got some great supporting cast blocks but there were a couple points on that touchdown run where he just went right, went left and then went really fast. There were people there, he just ran away from [them]. He’s individually very talented. I think the unit – both [kickoff return] and punt return – are doing a good job as well.”

 

Cruickshank is the current Big Ten co-Special Teams Player of the Week.

This is Cruickshank’s second year at Rutgers, having transferred from Wisconsin last offseason. Last season for Rutgers, he had 37 catches for 239 yards and a touchdown. Cruickshank also had 29 punt returns for 671 yards and two touchdowns in nine Big Ten games in 2020.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh raved about Rutgers this week, including the program’s special teams which he called “really good.”

Rutgers football: Aron Cruickshank’s dominant performance in Week 3 gets Big Ten honor

Aron Cruickshank given Big Ten special teams honor following Rutgers football’s big win over Delaware.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3gzhz7qrm49z6q player_id=none image=https://rutgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

For the first time this season, Rutgers wide receiver Aron Cruickshank has been named Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week. It likely won’t be the last time this year that Cruickshank gets honored by the conference as he is earning a reputation as one of the most dynamic special teams players in the country.

Quicker than quick, Cruickshank had a big game in Rutgers 45-13 win over Delaware. Cruickshank had two punt returns for 77 yards including a 62-yard touchdown return in the second quarter. He also returned a kickoff for 38 yards, also in the second quarter.

The junior wide receiver made an impact in multiple ways including on offense where had three catches for 24 yards as well as one rushing attempt for 14 yards.

 

Perhaps the only surprise is that his teammate, punter Adam Korsak, didn’t once again nab weekly honors alongside Cruickshank. Korsak was last week’s Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week and while he wasn’t busy in Saturday’s win, he had two punts for an average of 56.5 yards per punt.

Rutgers now sits on a 3-0 record ahead of this Saturday’s game at No. 19 Michigan.

What has Syracuse’s Dino Babers worried? Rutgers football’s speed on offense

Rutgers football has speed on offense and special teams, something that Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said his team will need to counter.

[mm-video type=video id=01ff65q1tw4qzyvxhq0b playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ff65q1tw4qzyvxhq0b/01ff65q1tw4qzyvxhq0b-9b774f176223ffb0aad71f78b7a42e37.jpg]

After watching Rutgers season opening win, Syracuse head coach Dino Babers walked away impressed with the Scarlet Knights. In particular, Babers said that Rutgers is a fast team on offense as well as special teams.

Rutgers beat Temple 61-14 this past Saturday in a game where the offense wasn’t necessarily lights out but was efficient. A strong defensive effort, including five forced turnovers, as well as big contributions on special teams, helped spur Rutgers to a blowout win.

Early in the third quarter, the Scarlet Knights held a 26-14 lead over the visiting Owls. Rutgers then began to roll over a tiring Temple side, in particular dominating along the lines to get the win.

Syracuse played a tighter game, beating MAC opponent Ohio 29-9 on the road in what was a loud and festive environment.

“They’re a good team they scored a lot of points. They scored and they got on them in the second quarter, really close to halftime and then they extended it in the third quarter,” Babers told reporters on Thursday.

“Once they had them they took them out – you know once they got them on the ropes, they took them out.

“So, this is an explosive crew. Their skill is really, really good; really fast. They can do things on kickoff returner and [with their] punt returners. This is a very, very skilled unit…We had some opportunities in the Ohio game when some guys got out and we could run them down and it gives you a chance and you have an opportunity to play goal line defense, and our defense did a fantastic job of keeping them out of the end zone. If they get out, they’re going to be really hard to go get. They’ll probably get all of it so we got to really get really cross our t’s and dot our i’s.”

Against Temple, junior wide receiver Aron Cruickshank had a big afternoon on special teams for Rutgers. He had two punt returns for 55 yards and had four kickoff returns for 113 yards.

A former Badger makes USATODAY’s preseason All-America team for 2021

A former Badger makes USATODAY’s preseason All-America team for 2021

In USATODAY’s newly-released preseason All-America first and second team for the 2021 college football season, the Wisconsin Badgers were not given any praise.

We’ve seen the likes of Jack Sanborn, Jake Ferguson, Leo Chenal, Graham Mertz and others make some preseason All-Big Ten teams, but the jump to the national stage hasn’t come quite yet.

USATODAY’s All-America team did have one name to note, though, as they included former Wisconsin Badger Aron Cruickshank as the first-team kick returner.

Cruickshank caught four passes in two years with the Badgers, totaling 40 receiving yards. His biggest impact, though, came carrying the football and on special teams, as he finished his Badger career with 19 carries for 189 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns, averaged 24.6 yards-per-return and took two kicks back for touchdowns.

The former Badger then transferred to Rutgers where he continued his kick-returning dominance, averaging 26.8 yards-per-return and scoring another 2 special teams touchdowns.

We’ll see what Devin Chandler can do for the Badgers returning kicks this season, though he probably won’t top USATODAY’s first-team All-America returner.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

[listicle id=33665]

Former Wisconsin WR Aron Cruickshank named Walter Camp Preseason All-American

Although no current Wisconsin Badgers were named as Walter Camp Preseason All-Americans, former Wisconsin kick returner and wide receiver…

Although no current Wisconsin Badgers were named as Walter Camp Preseason All-Americans, former Wisconsin kick returner and wide receiver Aron Cruickshank was named to the second team as a kick returner.

Related: Wisconsin LB Jack Sanborn named to Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List

Cruickshank transferred to Rutgers after the end of the 2019 season and had an outstanding first season with the Scarlet Knights. In his first season at Rutgers, he had 671 return yards and two kick return touchdowns in addition to his contribution on offense of 239 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.

It is always great to see former Badgers doing so well, and it will be exciting to see how Cruickshank develops in his second season with the Scarlet Knights.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

Opinion: Who will be the third starting receiver for Wisconsin this season?

Last season, Wisconsin relied heavily on the talents of Quintez Cephus to stretch the field and make big plays. Many Wisconsin fans were hoping that former Badger Aron Cruickshank would be the third receiver this season that would take over the role as a deep threat, but he transferred to Rutgers shortly after last season to play under Greg Schiano. 

Last season, Wisconsin relied heavily on the talents of Quintez Cephus to stretch the field and make big plays. Many Wisconsin fans were hoping that former Badger Aron Cruickshank would be the third receiver this season that would take over the role as a deep threat, but he transferred to Rutgers shortly after last season to play under Greg Schiano. 

This left me, as well as many others wondering, who will be Wisconsin’s third starting wide receiver for this season? 

My prediction is that Jack Dunn will beat out Adam Krumholz for this position because of his experience last season. Dunn was a favorite to be used by Paul Chryst for trick plays or misdirections and finished the season with five receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown. The Madison, Wisc. native also contributed heavily last season as the punt returner for the Badgers, which leads me to believe that Dunn was being groomed to be the next starting receiver. 

Up to his redshirt senior season, Adam Krumholz has yet to have made an impact on this team, which leaves me to believe that this trend will continue into this season. Krumholz has neither the game experience nor the favor with Paul Chryst that Dunn has. It is going to take a heck of a camp for Krumholz to crack the starting lineup this season. 

Jack Dunn is not the deep play threat that Wisconsin is looking for, but his experience and play style lends him to be a solid slot receiver next to Kendric Pryor and Danny Davis. Pryor or Davis are going to have to develop a deep threat ability as a part of their game for this season because it definitely will not be Dunn, who has mid-range speed and stands at 5-foot-7.

Wisconsin 2019 Football Season Review: Specialists

How did Wisconsin’s specialists perform during the 2019 season?

Wisconsin finished its fifth season under head coach Paul Chryst as Chryst improved his overall record to 52-16 and has a posted a 34-10 record in conference games. After not winning the Big Ten West Division title in 2018 the Badgers were back in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship game as the West representative for the fourth time in the last six years since the Big Ten went to its current format.

In this Badgers Wire feature we will examine the play of Wisconsin’s specialists from the 2019 season and take a sneak into what the 2020 season may have in store for the position:

Wisconsin excelled in certain areas on special teams in 2019 and then there were other areas where the Badgers were inconsistent.

Let’s begin with the highlight of the special teams in 2019, which was the kickoff return team. The Badgers certainly excelled in this area as Aron Cruickshank was able to return two kicks with one coming against Nebraska and another in the Rose Bowl against Oregon.

Cruickshank certainly proved to be a weapon for the Badgers on special teams as he averaged 29.3 yards per return on 23 attempts. As Cruickshank earned Second Team All-Big Ten on special teams this past year.

Although Cruickshank excelled in this area he wouldn’t have been able to have the success he had if it wasn’t for his blockers helping open up return lanes for him to utilize his speed to help set up Wisconsin with good field position.

When it came to punt returns from a game-to-game basis it was hit or miss. For a second consecutive year Jack Dunn handled the primary responsibilites as the punt returner.

Dunn was able to statistically improve as a punt returner as he improved his average from 5.5 yards to 8.3 and he went for 94 punt return yards to 200.

In terms of punting the football, Wisconsin struggled as Anthony Lotti handled the punting duties. Although he was inconsistent his last two games as a Badger weren’t strong as in the Big Ten Championship game and the Rose Bowl game he struggled to handle a snap resulting in a fumble as Ohio State and Oregon were able to take advantage of the miscue by Lotti.

Overall Lotti finished the season averaging 39.7 yards per punt on 45 attempts.

While the punting game struggled with consistency kickoff specialist Zach Hintze was a model of consistency. Hintze routinely kicked the football in the end zone as 69 of his 89 kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.

Hintze’s strong leg came useful when the Badgers played Purdue as he made a program record 62-yard field goal before halftime. Hintze went 2-for-3 on his field goal attempts.

Collin Larsh was the regular kicker when it came to field goals and PAT’s as he finished the season 12-for-18 on his field goal attempts and made all of his PAT’s except one.

Larsh started the season 3-for-6 on his field goal attempts over the Badgers first six games but ended the year going 9-for-12.

2020 Wisconsin Specialists

Wisconsin will need to find a new kickoff returner as Cruickshank following the season announced he was transferring the Badgers also lose Lotti, Connor Allen who held for PAT’s and field goals, and Hintze. Spring will be important for all the specialists to continue to work and try to make Wisconsin’s kicking and punting game more consistent. Who replaces Lotti at punter and Hintze on kickoffs won’t be determined until fall camp. The Badgers will also likely try a combination at kickoff returner as the two that may get long looks at filling the role could be Isaac Guerendo or Kendric Pryor.

Aron Cruickshank enters transfer portal

More on this breaking story

Jonathan Taylor leaving for the NFL Draft was expected. Tyler Biadasz leaving for the NFL Draft was expected. Quintez Cephus leaving for the NFL Draft was seen as a legitimate possibility at the very least. Wisconsin football knew that those three players probably (if not definitely) weren’t going to be part of the 2020 roster.

This, however, comes as a jolt and a real loss for the Badgers heading into the offseason and spring ball: Aron Cruickshank, who gave Wisconsin a kickoff return touchdown in the Rose Bowl and provided a number of timely boosts in the 2019 season, announced on Wednesday afternoon that he would enter the transfer portal:

The value of Aron Cruickshank as a kick returner was evident and substantial. Cruickshank could flip the field — and shorten it — to reduce the burden carried by the offense whenever it struggled. The touchdown in the Rose Bowl against Oregon was an example of the lightning-in-a-bottle scoring punch Wisconsin needs as a complement to its methodical style of offense. Those home-run-style plays offer a quick-strike component to the Badgers’ identity. They also save hits from running backs — in the case of the 2019 season, Jonathan Taylor. Wisconsin will miss all of that.

What the Badgers will also miss is something they never had: Substantial production as a wide receiver. This was presumably what Cruickshank was going to work on in the offseason, enabling both him and Wisconsin to evolve in 2020. Now, the Badgers aren’t going to enjoy the fruits of that evolution. It will happen elsewhere.

It is interesting to note that Cruickshank gained more scrimmage yards as a rusher in 2019 than as a receiver. Given his speed, if he was a reasonably polished route runner — to the point where he could naturally fit into the passing game — Paul Chryst would have used him. This isn’t on the coaching staff in terms of player usage. This is a developmental question, and Cruickshank needed more time in his evolutionary arc.

He obviously didn’t want to spend that time developing his game as a Badger. It’s a tough blow because Cruickshank’s potential is so evident. In many ways, the loss of his actual production as a kick returner pales in comparison to what he might have become as a receiver, if he had another season to put on the “W” and catch passes from Jack Coan.

Yet, in a portrait of the complexity of life, the very fact that Wisconsin fans won’t get to see Aron Cruickshank take the next step as a receiver does, in some way, soften the blow of his exit. It’s not as though Wisconsin is losing a proven receiver; UW is losing a receiver who has a lot to prove. That isn’t a worst-case scenario.

It also isn’t the scenario the Badgers wanted to unfold.

Three takeaways from Wisconsin’s crushing 28-27 loss to Oregon in Rose Bowl

Wisconsin dropped a 28-27 decision to Oregon in the Rose Bowl yesterday. Here are our top three takeaways from the game for the Badgers.

Wisconsin suffered a heartbreaking 28-27 defeat at the hands of Oregon in yesterday’s Rose Bowl Game. Here are our top three takeaways from the game for the Badgers.

The Badgers have no one to blame but themselves.

Jan 1, 2020; Pasadena, California, USA; Oregon Ducks running back CJ Verdell (7) runs against Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Chris Orr (54) in the fourth quarter in the 106th Rose Bowl game at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

There’s no doubt that Wisconsin was on the wrong end of some brutal officiating throughout the game, most notably the atrocious offensive pass interference call on Danny Davis late in the fourth quarter that basically killed the Badgers’ potential game-winning drive.

That being said, as my colleague Matt Zemek astutely noted on Twitter in the aftermath of the game, if you put yourself in a position where you can get destroyed by one poor call, you have no one to blame but yourself. Unfortunately, this is exactly what Wisconsin did.

The Badgers, specifically the offense, could hardly have done more to hand this game to the Ducks on a silver platter.

By most accounts, Bucky was in complete control of this game. For example, Wisconsin outgained the Oregon 322 to 204 and crushed it in time of possession, 38:03 to 21:57. The defense was outstanding all night long. The Badgers had a 17-14 lead at halftime after an 11-yard touchdown reception by Quintez Cephus with 11 seconds left in the second quarter. Coming into the game, Wisconsin was 45-4 when leading at halftime in the Paul Chryst era.

The Badgers also led at the end of the third quarter. Bucky’s record under Chryst when this is the case? 47-3 (now 47-4).

Unfortunately, Wisconsin blew the game as a result of their own errors. The Badgers committed nine penalties that cost them 79 yards, with a few of those serving as absolute drive killers. However, to find the biggest reason for their demise you can point to four brutal turnovers, which Oregon took full advantage of by turning them into 21 points.

This is the reason why last night’s loss ranks right up there among the most painful for Wisconsin throughout recent years. The Badgers had a chance to finally take home a Rose Bowl victory for the first time since 2000, and instead of Oregon beating them, they flat out lost this game on their own.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Who Earned Game Balls from Wisconsin’s 28-27 Loss to Oregon in the 106th Rose Bowl Game?

Who earned game balls from Wisconsin’s loss to Oregon in the 106th Rose Bowl Game? Aron Cruickshank WR, Quintez Cephus WR, Jack Sanborn MLB

PASADENA, Calif. – Here are three players for Wisconsin who earned game balls in a tough 28-27 loss to Oregon in the 106th Rose Bowl Game:

Aron Cruickshank

Cruickshank made an impact as the Badgers kickoff return man returning his second kickoff back of the season back for a touchdown this time from 95-yards out to tie the game at seven. Cruickshank on his second kickoff return in the second quarter resulted in a 47-yard gain setting the Badger offense up at the 50. Cruickshank’s second return allowed Wisconsin the chance of potentially getting points before halftime as the Badgers needed eight plays to give Wisconsin a halftime lead of 17-14.

Quintez Cephus

Cephus play allowed for Wisconsin to get production out of the passing game as he was one of eight players to catch a pass. But Cephus led Wisconsin with seven receptions for 59 yards and one touchdown, which came before halftime. Cephus was able to consistently create the separation he needed in order for him to give Jack Coan a target to throw to and help keep Wisconsin’s offensive drives alive.

Jack Sanborn

Sanborn’s eight tackles led the team and he registered one interception on Oregon’s second offensive possession of the game at the Ducks 27-yard line. The play of Sanborn helped Wisconsin keep contain of the Ducks rushing attack as the Badgers held them to 66 yards on 30 carries. Simply put Sanborn was active throughout the game helping make sure Oregon couldn’t get comfortable on the offensive end.