Tag: Noah Vedral

Sofia Chichaikina & Noah Vedral earn Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award

Sofia Chichaikina & Noah Vedral earn Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award

Over the last few years, Sofia Chichaikina and Noah Verdal have been critical pieces to the success of Rutgers swimming and football. On Tuesday, they were recognized for their efforts and named winners of the Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award. The honor is given to athletes who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior.

During her time at Rutgers, Chichaikina made program history. Her resume includes five school records, four Rutgers Aquatic Center pool records, and 10 Big Ten Championship podium finishes. She also holds the school record in the 100 free and with the 400 free, 800 free, and 200 medley relays.

Additionally, at the 2023 Big Ten Championships, Chichaikina helped Rutgers to its highest point total since joining the league. She reached the podium four times, including a seventh-place performance with the 200-medley relay team.

While Vedral did not reset the record books like Chichaikina, he still made an unforgettable impact on Rutgers football. The Nebraska native ranks seventh in program history in completions (337) and total offense (3,876). Vedral also claimed the team’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award the past two years and did not hesitate to give back to the community.

Vedral participated in numerous projects for Chop4Change, a Rutgers football initiative to spread a message of unity and equality. He also participated in the Special Olympics opening ceremony and Saturdays in Motion at the YMCA Somerset Hills.

Although Chichaikina and Vedral will always be remembered for their impacts on their respective sports, this award goes beyond the swimming pool and football field. It is a testament to how they affected those around them on a daily basis.

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RECAP: Rutgers falls at home against Nebraska

Rutgers fell to Nebraska 14-13 Friday night, see what led to their loss in the tightly contested game

Rutgers football had another home game against a Big Ten opponent Friday night, and just like the previous 20 games inside SHI Stadium against conference opponents – it did not go the Scarlet Knights way.

It was a tale of two halves for both teams. The game started with a strong first half for Rutgers. Quarterback Noah Vedral got the start after missing the majority of the season with an injury and promptly marched down the field and ran in what would end up being the only touchdown of the evening for the Scarlet Knights. There were some concerns with Vedral by the time the first half ended as he only completed three of ten pass attempts, but they were all big plays as he had 110 yards through the air. Including the touchdown, he paced the backfield in the first half with 34 yards on six carries. Evan Simon also got some snaps, going 5-for-8 for 81 yards through the air.

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Not to mention in the first half, the Scarlet Knight defense shut down Nebraska. They held the Cornhuskers scoreless and kept the offense to just 134 total yards, keeping their biggest weapons in check. Christian Braswell and Max Melton both tallied interceptions and it looked like Nebraska had no chance of ending their road losing streak.

Then the second half started. Whatever was said to the offense in the halftime meeting clearly made a large impact, as Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson came out like a completely different player. He went 14-for-19 for 133 yards in the second half with two passing touchdowns. Wide receiver Trey Palmer caught three passes after the break (one catch in the first half) for 44 yards and a touchdown, and running back Anthony Grant felt like he was involved in every other play of the second half.

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Rutgers quarterback Evan Simon was picked off three times in the second half, and a rushing attack that totaled 72 yards in the first half, only added an additional 43 yards in the second. To add injury to insult, punter Adam Korsak’s streak of punts not resulting in a touchback came to an end in the second half at 147. What a run for the Australian-born punter.

There were some positives, the defense – despite some injuries and a questionable second half – made plays throughout the game. They held the Cornhusker rushing attack to just 72 yards (2.5 YPC). But, a few of the issues continued to rear their ugly heads. Rutgers finished the game with 9 penalties costing them 97 yards. A key penalty came on what would have been a stop on third-down with 4:12 left in the game. A clock-stopping play where Rutgers defensive back Kessawn Abraham forced Nebraska wide receiver Oliver Martin out of bounds short of the first-down marker, but after stepping out of bounds Abraham threw Martin to the ground and was called for unsportsmanlike conduct.

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What would have been Rutgers getting the ball back, instead kept the clock rolling and led to Nebraska running another 2+ minutes off the clock before giving the ball back to Rutgers, but it was too little too late for the Scarlet Knights. We know they are early in their rebuild, but it is apparent that it is earlier than many fans thought coming into the season. Greg Schiano will need to get his squad to clean up their issues before they start thinking about getting to another bowl game. If they are going to get these this season, next week is a much win and is easily the easiest matchup remaining on their schedule. Things are not looking bright for the rest of the season for the Scarlet Knights.

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Watch: Noah Vedral gets the start, runs 21-yards for a touchdown

Noah Vedral leads Rutgers football to a touchdown on the game’s opening drive.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Noah Vedral got his first real extended runs of snaps of the season and led Rutgers football on an impressive opening scoring drive to start the game against Nebraska.

The incumbent starter at quarterback, Vedral started last week at Ohio State but ran the ball just four times before giving way to Evan Simon. Vedral had not seen any action through the season’s first four games due to an undisclosed injury.

To start the game, Vedral completed his lone pass of the drive, a 33-yard effort down the field to super senior wide receiver Shameen Jones. The downfield link-up between Vedral and Jones came on the second play of the drive.

Then on the sixth play of the drive, Vedral followed his downfield blocking well, running 21 yards into the end zone for what would become a 7-0 Rutgers lead.

It was an important opening drive for Rutgers and for Vedral, especially being able to throw and complete his first pass of the season:

 

Simon dressed for Friday night’s game against Nebraska. Gavin Wimsatt, the third quarterback to start for Rutgers this season (Wimsatt started the season opener against Wagner) did not dress for the game.

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The uncertainty of the Rutgers quarterback quandary has Iowa guessing a bit

Rutgers football’s quarterback situation is a big question mark for Iowa too.

Rutgers might have one starting quarterback option for Saturday’s game against Iowa. They might have two.

Who knows, they might even have three options.

The Rutgers quarterback situation has been full of uncertainty this season. Noah Verdal, the starter the last two seasons, has seen him sidelined for the first three games of this season. Gavin Wimsatt, who played extensively at Boston College and started the home opener against Wagner, was hurt in the first half of the Temple game and did not return. His status is uncertain for Saturday.

That leaves Evan Simon as the only scholarship quarterback on the Rutgers roster.

As a result, Iowa (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) is preparing for all situations on Saturday when they will face Rutgers (7:00 P.M. ET, FS1).

In a press conference with reporters on Tuesday, Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz made it clear that he had no idea what was happening under center (or from the shotgun) for Rutgers.

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“I guess there’s good news, we’ve seen all three quarterbacks on film, so we’ve got that ability to at least know what to expect a little bit,” Ferentz told reporters.

“But you just never know, so we’ll just have to try to be ready and adjust as we go.”

While Verdal and Wimsatt will be game-time decisions, Simon was solid against Temple. The sophomore was 9-of-15 for 52 yards – not great numbers but he didn’t turn the ball over.

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So far this season, he is 18-26 for 214 yards and two touchdowns.

Against Temple, Simon did enough to ensure that the Scarlet Knights’ perfect season would continue. 

“You’re just never quite sure what you’re going to get, and it sounds like they’re not sure, either,” Ferentz said, aptly summing up the Rutgers situation.

So far this season, Rutgers has started a different quarterback every week. It remains to be seen if that streak will continue, but head coach Greg Schiano is confident in whoever is under center. Leading up to their first Big Ten matchup of the year, Rutgers is keeping things interesting not just for themselves but for Iowa too.

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Rutgers football: Even injured, Noah Vedral continues to make an impact

Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano says injured Noah Vedral continues to make an impact on the program.

Despite being sidelined for the season opener at Boston College, quarterback Noah Vedral has made his presence felt for Rutgers football. Vedral was scratched from Saturday’s game with an undisclosed injury.

And even with the injury, Vedral’s impact on the program has continued as he mentors the young quarterbacks on the roster. The incumbent starter for Rutgers the past two seasons, Vedral watched on the sidelines as redshirt sophomore Evan Simon and redshirt freshman Gavin Wimsatt led Rutgers to the win.

Vedral, voted a team captain for this season, has repeatedly been praised by head coach Greg Schiano for his leadership during his two years with the program. Vedral, according to Schiano, wants to get into coaching when his playing career is over.

He is showing those traits during this time injured and on the sideline.

“He has been great with the younger guys. He has coached them. Noah wants to go into coaching when he is done playing,” Schiano told reporters on Monday.

“He has done an awesome job. He has helped me. He has helped Sean quite a bit. He is handling it well, but he is like a caged animal. He wants to play. This is very frustrating to him. But we’ll just week-to-week and see how it heals.”

Rutgers faces Wagner on Saturday at 4 P.M. in their home opener. In the weeks leading up to the opener at Boston College, Schiano, didn’t tip his hand about Vedral’s injury or the plan to heavily rotate the quarterbacks.

On Monday, he kept the plan for the Wagner game under wraps.

When asked if the quarterback shuffle is an option for this week, Schiano kept the answer similar to the weeks past.

“Anything is. We don’t have to answer this too many more times going forward,” Schiano said.

“This will be a blanket statement for the whole year. Whatever gives us the best chance to win is a possibility, so then basically, anything is a possibility if it gives us a chance to win.”

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Rutgers football: Noah Vedral is out for the season opener at Boston College

Noah Vedral is out for Saturday’s season opener against Boston College.

Incumbent starter Noah Vedral is out for Rutgers football, sidelining the program’s most experienced quarterback ahead of their noon opener at Boston College.

Earlier on Saturday, the USA TODAY Network – New Jersey’s Chris Iseman reported that Vedral will be missing the season opener. The injury to Vedral likely means that redshirt sophomore Evan Simon or redshirt freshman Gavin Wimsatt will start on Saturday.

Neither quarterback has made a start during their collegiate careers. In all likelihood, both Simon and Wimsatt will see snaps on Saturday.

Last season, his second as the starter at Rutgers, Vedral was 180-for-303 yards for 1,823 passing yards. He had seven touchdown passes and six interceptions. Vedral was a transfer from Nebraska where he played in seven games with two starts.

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A team source tells RutgersWire that:

Quarterback Noah Vedral is out for today’s game (undisclosed injury), status is week-to-week. The starter for today is a game-time decision.

On Friday, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano told WFAN that he was uncertain who will be starting at Boston College on Saturday. In the interview, Schiano said that it wasn’t a matter of not wanting to name a starter, it was a decision that simply had not been made at that point.

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Rutgers vs. Boston College: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Saturday

Rutgers takes on Boston College in their season opener. Here’s how to watch, the injury report, and key players for Saturday’s game

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights play the Boston College Eagles on Saturday in the season opener, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

This is a northeast battle between former Big East conference mates. Historically, the Eagles have owned The Scarlet Knights. However, Rutgers is 9-4 in season openers under head coach Greg Schiano, including victories the past two years over Michigan State and Temple. The team is 79-64-9 all-time in openers.

Rutgers is going to have a much tougher time getting off to a hot start this season, however, as Boston College is not a cookie-cutter opener you might see to get a team rolling. This is a Power Five school that finished with a record of 6-6 and earned their way into a bowl game outright last season. Despite being in the midst of a rebuild, Rutgers did lose some key players from last season where they finished 5-8. With uncertainty at the quarterback position and a rotation in the back field, Rutgers will look to find some consistency in this one while trying to improve Schiano’s record in Week 1.

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Two teams still rebuilding in tough conferences should lead to a lot of trying new things and figuring out what works. But with both teams having strong conference schedules, it will be a fight to see who gets the very important first victory.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: Saturday,
  • Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: ACC Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

Rutgers at Boston College injury report:

Rutgers:

  • RB Aaron Young – Questionable (Undisclosed), DL Mohamed Toure – Out for season (knee), LB Moses Walker – Out for season (knee)

Boston College:

  • TE Joey Luchetti – Out for season (Undisclosed), OL Christian Mahongany – Out for season (knee)

Players to watch:

Gavin Wimsatt (Rutgers – QB): One of the top rated recruits in program history, Wimsatt is undoubtedly the future at the position for the Knights. However, incumbent Noah Vedral is a veteran who was named as a team captain for the second straight season. Schiano has been non-committal to a starter. Expect to see both during the game, but also expect Wimsatt to outshine the competition.

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Pat Garwo III (Boston College – RB): Garwo was a 1,000 yard rusher as a sophomore last season, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Knowing that he will has the lion’s share of the carries again this season and after a full offseason of training, Garwo will look to make a lot of noise. And the opportunity may present itself against a young, smaller Rutgers defensive line. This matchup may be the difference maker in the game.

Friday update: Greg Schiano says there is no decision on who starts at quarterback for Rutgers against Boston College

Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano gives an update on the quarterback situation.

For a month now, Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano said that he was uncertain where things stood with naming a starting quarterback. He didn’t have an answer after training. No answer after the first or second scrimmage the past two weeks.

Not even an answer when the media jokingly asked him on Wednesday. And now ahead of Saturday’s season opener at Boston College, Schiano not only won’t say who the starter is, he says he doesn’t know himself.

In an appearance on WFAN on Friday morning, Schiano was asked about the status of naming a starting quarterback. The Rutgers football head coach worked through the permutations of the answer before giving his answer.

One day out from the season starting and Schiano doesn’t have a starter named.

“You know I don’t know if this is good or bad, but it’s good because I can tell you the truth. Sometimes coaches tell you I haven’t and they really have. Or they’ll tell you ‘No, I haven’t.’ I’m not telling you. I can literally tell you: I’m still bouncing around in my head because I feel good with all and I think the more important thing is our team does,” Schiano said on WFAN on Friday morning.

“I don’t think our guys are going to be fazed at all if one guy’s in there and then another series another guy’s in there so we’re gonna play them. I think everyone’s gonna get a chance to play. We’ll figure this thing out as we go. We’re a young team and this is the beginning of something.”

Throughout the spring and then in August during training camp, Rutgers has had a quarterback competition between super senior Noah Vedral, Gavin Wimsatt (a redshirt freshman) and Evan Simon (a redshirt sophomore).

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This week, Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley said he was uncertain what direction Schiano and the Rutgers coaching staff would be going in terms of naming a starter. Hafley did, however, rave about the potential of Wimsatt, a former four-star recruit who joined the Rutgers program last September.

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Rutgers football named team captains for 2022 season

Rutgers football announced the captains for the 2022 season

Rutgers football is relying on a veteran core to provide a lift both on the field for what is still a young and rebuilding team. After a team vote Wednesday, six players will be leading the Scarlet Knights as captains for the 2022 season.

The choices shouldn’t and weren’t a surprise to anyone following this program over the previous two seasons. Each selection has been with Rutgers for at least one season and the group of captains features multiple super seniors.

Quarterback Noah Vedral, tight end Johnny Langan, wide receiver Shameen Jones, defensive lineman Mayan Ahanotu, defensive back Avery Young, and punter Adam Korsak were voted by their teammates to lead the Scarlet Knights into Saturday’s season opener.

Both Korsak and Vedral are used to this honor as both were voted captain last season. The Australia-born punter is now a captain for the third time during his career – the second three-time captain in program history.

That means there are four players who are brand new captains.

Ahanotu is entering his third season with the Scarlet Knights. He has played in 22 games, starting in 10, over the last two seasons and was recently named to the Shrine Bowl 1000.

Jones is now in his sixth season with the program, accumulating 26 starts at receiver in 44 games. He has 86 career receptions for 882 yards.

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Langan has been a jack-of-all-trades for the Scarlet Knights – seeing snaps at running back, receiver/tight end, and even some snaps at quarterback. He was named Rutgers’ MVP for the Gator Bowl last season after hauling in 57 receiving yards, rushing for another 20, and dropping in two completions for 21 yards.

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Young has provided versatility for the defense, moving from cornerback to safety last season. The move paid off as he finished second on the team with 81 tackles. He has been on the field for over 3000 snaps.

Last year’s captains:

  • LB Olakunle Fatukasi
  • P Adam Korsak
  • WR Bo Melton
  • RB Isiah Pacheco
  • DL Julius Turner
  • QB Noah Vedral

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Greg Schiano in no rush to announce a starting quarterback

Greg Schiano isn’t prepared to name a starting quarterback quite yet.

Rutgers football has competition this season at the quarterback position. For head coach Greg Schiano, however, there is no rush or advantage to naming a starting at this point.

Schiano has not tipped his hand much when it comes to who will start next week in the season opener at Boston College. Incumbent quarterback Noah Vedral comes in with an edge, having been the de facto starter the past two years.

And after showing flashes last season, redshirt sophomore Evan Simon and redshirt freshman Gavin Wimsatt are certainly creating some buzz ahead of the season. Wimsatt in particular, due to being a former four-star recruit, is the choice of many fans given his upside and high ceiling.

When asked this week his thoughts on naming a starting, Schiano was predictably coy.

“I don’t think with our team, I don’t think that matters, I think maybe with some teams and the way our training camp has gone I don’t think it matters because they’ve all played well,” Schiano told reporters this week. “I think our guys have confidence in all three of the quarterbacks so I’m not, I’m not concerned.”

Despite injuries, Vedral started every game last season for Rutgers, including the Gator Bow. Simon spelled him a bit in the first half of the bowl game with Wimsatt getting the overwhelming run of snaps in the second half of the loss to Wake Forest.

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Wimsatt was 7-of-16 for 30 yards with an interception and four rushes for 39 yards in the Gator Bowl.