The Big Ten Network was at the Rutgers football practice on Wednesday, providing the trio of Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith the chance to see the rebuilding of the program up close.
What the BTN crew saw, was a team on the rise but one with a thin margin for error. The visit was part of the network’s annual training camp tour of all 14 programs in the conference.
Rutgers was 4-8 last year, missing on outright bowl qualification for an eighth straight season. Saying that “a bowl game can be a realistic goal for this team, this year,” Revsine asked the duo of Griffith and Howard what Rutgers needs to do to get to the postseason.
Griffith, a former NFL fullback who starred at Illinois, underscored that the Scarlet Knights have a razor-thin margin this season.
“I think they need the turnover margin needs to be positive, the defense needs to be able to take the football away. Offensively, they need to be able to run,” Griffith said.
“As they talk about throughout the practice, they need to strain. It’ ‘s the little things; they can not afford to beat themselves. If they don’t do that, there is no reason they shouldn’t be able to be in a bowl game.”
DiNardo, a former head coach at Vanderbilt, LSU and Indiana, is usually upbeat and positive about Rutgers during these annual trips to Piscataway. He provided some more sobering analysis this time around.
The path toward bowl eligibility, the pragmatic DiNardo said, lies on the defensive side of the ball.
“You continue to lean on the defense, you possess the ball. You don’t turn it over. Those to me are the big keys to get this team to six. I don’t know how much they can throw the ball,” DiNardo said.
“I think that if they don’t have a really good run game, they don’t get to six. If they try to be balanced, I’m not sure that’s what they can do. Their strength is their defense. I think you play to the defense totally.”
[lawrence-related id=29115]
Griffith ended things in a more upbeat fashion, providing his view from 10,000 feet rather than just in this moment.
“When I watch this team practice, they’re heading in the right direction. When I think about wins and losses, it’s all about the little things,” Griffith said. “The little things are what’s important.”
[lawrence-related id=29112,29110]