Tag: Rutgers Football

Michael Burton returned to Saints because they checked every box

The Saints signed free agent fullback Michael Burton, whose experience with them in 2019 made New Orleans a top destination in 2020.

[jwplayer UohsGWH0-ThvAeFxT]

The New Orleans Saints have always valued the fullback, which is a bit surprising given the position’s endangered species-status around the NFL in recent years. At a time when teams are throwing the ball more than ever and opting for less-crowded backfields in favor of wide-open pass sets, hard-nosed blockers like Michael Burton have generally had to take opportunities whenever they’ve come up.

But as Burton explained it, the Saints (as pass-happy as any team in the league) have a lot to offer to someone in his position. He spent the 2019 training camp competing with Zach Line for the starting gig, but had his hopes derailed by a late-summer injury. Now healthy, with Line retired and an open vacancy on top of the depth chart, Burton’s positive experience made the Saints a logical landing spot.

Burton spoke about his interest in the Saints and what led him back to New Orleans during a conference call with local media, saying, “Any given year, they’re top four in the league in fullback percentage usage and it just interests me too. I like the analytical side of football as well. I think maybe I want to be a coach or something like that.”

He also ran through a list of recent standout fullbacks the Saints have employed, proving he’s done his homework: “You look at Zach, the previous years, John Kuhn a few years ago, Austin Johnson, a few years ago, Jed Collins a few years ago, you have had a great fullback in place. That’s the goal to have the right guy.”

But it goes beyond a strong team culture and a playbook that creates plenty of opportunities for him to get on the field. The Saints coaching staff itself appealed to Burton. He first entered the NFL with the Detroit Lions, playing under then-offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi (now the Saints quarterbacks coach). And even earlier than that, he suited up at Rutgers with familiar faces on the Saints special teams staff like coordinator Darren Rizzi and assistant coach Phil Galiano drawing up his assignments.

Burton did the math, and reached an easy conclusion: the Saints matched up with what he wanted from just about every angle you could consider. Once the team gets to work, he should hit the ground running.

[lawrence-related id=30778]

[vertical-gallery id=30751]

Former Ohio State safety Brendon White transferring to Rutgers

Former Ohio State safety Brendon White has announced his intentions to transfer to Rutgers.

We now know where the last Rose Bowl defensive MVP is heading after entering his name in the transfer portal just a couple of weeks ago.

Ohio State safety Brendon White flashed on the scene at the end of last year to somewhat solidify an Ohio State defense that struggled giving up the big play. He provided some playmaking ability on the back end to come up and provide run support, as well as to act as the center fielder and erase big plays down the field.

It worked so much that he became a starter and gained notoriety for his performance in Ohio State’s win over Washington in the Rose Bowl.

But this year has been different.

The new Buckeye defensive staff switched up schemes a bit, and rather than play two high-safeties, has gone to just one more often than not. That has left more cornerbacks on the field and limited the playing time of White. Because of it, and perhaps other reasons we may never know, White entered his name in the transfer portal at the end of the regular season.

And now, we know that White will be transferring to Rutgers according to an announcement he made on his Twitter account Friday.

Of course it makes sense in some ways because former Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano is now the head man at Rutgers, so he knows White and perhaps the two were able to reconnect and make this happen for the benefit of both.

Either way, we wish nothing but the best for White and hope he finds success in Piscataway.

Big Ten, big ’20s: Rutgers football

Rutgers football in the 2020s

For Rutgers perspective entering the new decade of Big Ten football, I turned to Dustin Schutte of Saturday Tradition. You can find Dustin’s Big Ten writings at Saturday Tradition and elsewhere on the web.

Here is what Dustin Schutte had to say about the big questions and challenges facing Rutgers football in the 2020s:

“The biggest question for Rutgers doesn’t necessarily come on the field, it’s about whether or not the university and its boosters are willing to make the investment required to compete in the Big Ten. Bringing Greg Schiano back was a nice start, but it’s just the first step in Rutgers’ climb of Kukulkan.

The last four years have been so atrocious that it’s easy to understand why donors may be hesitant to gift their money to a program that has been the laughingstock of the Big Ten. Schiano has an incredibly small window to start proving that Rutgers can be competitive in the toughest division in college football. If not, the money may start shriveling up again, and the Rutgers would likely have to reconsider its status as a Big Ten institution.”

The fact that Rutgers went back to a previous coach is not all that surprising, nor is it as unique as it once was. Bobby Petrino had a second act at Louisville. Heck, remember Johnny Majors winning a national championship at Pittsburgh in 1976 and then coming back to Pitt in the 1990s after he was muscled out of power at Tennessee by Philip Fulmer? It’s not unheard of for a coach to come back to a program. Given Schiano’s success at Rutgers, why wouldn’t the program want a second chance to say, in New Jersey, “SING US A SONG, YOU’RE THE SCHIANO MAN! SING US A SONG TONIGHT! FOR WE’RE ALL IN THE MOOD FOR A BOWL GAME, AND YOU’LL MAKE US FEEL ALL RIGHT!”

The real problem with a second Schiano tenure at Rutgers is that Schiano — for all his successes — wanted a lot of power over Rutgers, more than the university’s finances could withstand. He intimidated administrators and was part of a culture of secrecy in Piscataway at New Jersey’s state school. The football program itself might be fine, but will the administration of Rutgers Athletics and RU’s budgets be more responsible and transparent this time? That in many ways is the biggest concern I have.

Dustin’s observations above are very much on point and deserve thoughtful consideration.

Former Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano to be named Rutgers head coach

According to multiple reports, former Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano has agreed in principle to become Rutgers’ head coach.

Groundhog day has officially struck a couple of months early in Piscataway, New Jersey. That’s because according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and others, former Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano has agreed in principle to become the next head coach at Rutgers — for a second time.

Schiano put the Rutgers program on the map back in the mid 2000’s by using a workmanlike attitude sorely needed in a program that had struggled to string together any type consistent competitiveness. The Scarlet Knights enjoyed their most productive seasons in school history under his watch.

He then used that success to make the leap to the next level with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but never met expectations there and was fired during the 2013 season after just two seasons. He then went back to the high school ranks before being hired as the defensive coordinator by good friend Urban Meyer at Ohio State in 2016.

Schiano though, was not retained by new head coach Ryan Day and had a short stint with the New England Patriots in the offseason before deciding to concentrate of family rather than the rigors of the NFL.

Now, it appears. he is back to familiar surroundings in the state he knows and loves well. The deal is reportedly an 8-year $32 Million deal also according to the same sources that detailed the arrangement to The Athletic.

It remains to be seen whether Schiano can duplicate the success he had in his first stint. It’ll be an uphill climb both ways with all the disadvantages built into the program, but time will tell.

Halftime thoughts: Michigan State sloppy, leads Rutgers

Michigan State’s quest to get back in the win column is going about as well as the rest of the season has gone. The difference today is the team on the other side of the field. Michigan State leads Rutgers 17-0 at the half. Here are some thoughts: …

Michigan State’s quest to get back in the win column is going about as well as the rest of the season has gone. The difference today is the team on the other side of the field.

Michigan State leads Rutgers 17-0 at the half. Here are some thoughts:

  • Cody White has 57 catches in the first half. Don’t look it up. There’s no need. It’s true.
  • It’s really nice to have Speedy Nailor back. He’s so obviously a different level runner than anyone else MSU has on offense. He absolutely cooked his man on a dee shot and might have had a long TD had the Rutgers defender not grabbed him for an obvious PI.
  • It’s pretty easy to see why Rutgers hasn’t won a Big Ten game in more than two years. Woof. The talent just isn’t even near where it needs to be.
  • Matt Coghlin back? It’s not much, but Coghlin has kicked the ball well the last three weeks, going 4/4 in field goals. He easily hit from 46 yards in the first half. In a lost season, it’d be nice for Coghlin to get his confidence back down the stretch.
  • Coghlin hit the upright from 33 yards after MSU returned an INT to the Rutgers 15 and proceeded to do nothing with it.

  • Not great, Bob.
  • Michigan State has been stopped twice on 4th-and-1 well into Rutgers territory.

  • The two-minute drill looks good again and results in a late touchdown. It’s really too bad MSU can’t take some of their two-minute principles and infuse them into the regular offense.
  • Above all else, Michigan State has just been so sloppy today. Beyond even what they’ve done in previous games. In week 11 it just reeks of a team being unprepared and unfocused.
  • The defense has been solid so credit them for that. We must keep in mind the opponent. Rutgers has been very unimpressive on offense.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1362]

Michigan State Football vs. Rutgers: Where to watch, listen, stream

MSU is heading to Rutgers tomorrow and will hopefully get their first win since September. Here is how to follow the action.

[jwplayer 2uGgaAG0-PROpJzTY]

Finally, Michigan State Football will hopefully get their first win since SEPTEMBER when they travel to face Rutgers tomorrow. Rutgers is just absolutely terrible and have yet to win a game against a Big Ten opponent, so if this isn’t a win for the Spartans, I don’t know what to tell you. Here is how to watch, listen, or stream what should be a fun game for Michigan State, finally:

Match-up: Michigan State (4-6) @ Rutgers (2-8)

Game time: 12pm ET, Saturday, Nov. 23

TV: FS1

FS1 broadcasters are scheduled to be John Strong (play-by-play) and Evan Moore (analyst).

On DirecTV, FS1 is channel 219. On Dish, FS1 is channel 150.

Betting Odds: Michigan State -20.5

Online live stream: FOXSports.com/live

Online radio broadcast: TuneIn

Satellite radio: XM channel 387; Sirius channel 976

Complete list of Michigan State radio affiliates.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Michigan State Football opens week as massive favorite over Rutgers

The Michigan State Football season has been going through an epic rough patch the last month and a half or so, so Michigan State is probably due for a win, right? Vegas thinks MSU will be the winner against Rutgers Saturday and has them at 23-point …

[jwplayer XS9Z4UFR-PROpJzTY]

The Michigan State Football season has been going through an epic rough patch the last month and a half or so, so Michigan State is probably due for a win, right? Vegas thinks MSU will be the winner against Rutgers Saturday and has them at 23-point favorites over the Scarlet Knights.

Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated 11/18/2019 at 10:20 a.m. ET.

If Michigan State can’t get past lowly Rutgers, I don’t know what to tell you guys.

“Want to get in on the action? Place your bet now at BetMGM.” 

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Ohio State beats Rutgers: 5 things we learned in victory

Ohio State took care of business against Rutgers on Saturday. Here’s five things we learned.

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t quite the score most people projected, but Ohio State still more than took care of business against a Rutgers team that’s just looking to turn the page into a new era.

Like most games, the Buckeyes raced out to a big lead, then cruised from there. The second and third teamers may have took it on the chin just a wee-bit toward the tail-end of the game, but it was still good experience and something the whole team can grow from.

Next up is the big one against Penn State, but first we take time to reflect with five things we learned from the Ohio State win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Anyone can make the spectacular play at anytime

Yeah, you know about Justin Fields, J.K. Dobbins, and Chase Young, but there’s so much NFL talent on this roster it’s a bit ridiculous. I think we’re going to look back on this year’s team and be absolutely floored by how many kids end up playing ball on Sundays.

Wide-receiver Chris Olave made a draw-dropping catch, cornerback Shaun Wade made a highlight-reel interception, and they aren’t the only ones to get into the spotlight.

Again, maybe it didn’t go as well with after the first-teamers as you would have thought against Rutgers, but this team has a depth of talent maybe nobody else in the country has.

[lawrence-related id=16479]

Next … Justin Fields can indeed sling it

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Watch what Rutgers interim head coach Nunzio Campanile said about Ohio State post game

Rutgers interim head coach Nunzio Campanile met with the media after the game and had some complimentary things to say about Ohio State.

It wasn’t as dominant on the scoreboard as what many would have thought, or what had taken place in other games this year, but Ohio State went to Rutgers and took care of business with an easy 56-21 victory.

The Buckeyes raced out to a dominant, early lead, got the starters out of harm’s way in the second half, then put it on cruise control to put it away and turn the page towards the game against Penn State next week.

We’ve said it before, but we always like to give you the comments of the opposing head coach after the conclusion of each game, and it’s no difference here.

Rutgers interim head coach Nunzio Campanile met with the media in Piscataway after the game and said some very complimentary things about the Buckeyes after the game.

He seemed encouraged that his team kept fighting, but also knows that Ohio State is one whale of a team. Watch his entire comments below courtesy of RVision.