Teams live by the blitz, Teams die by the blitz. Today, however, Rutgers thrived by the blitz. A culmination of an electric passing game, great pressure on blitzes, and solid secondary work in one on one situations propelled Rutgers to a 26-19 win over Minnesota. The Scarlet Knights, who came into the game on a four game losing streak, have breathed life back into a season that seemed like it had gotten completely out of hand. All Rutgers has to do is win one of their next three games and they will be bowl eligible for the second season in a row.
What Went Well For Rutgers
A lot of what went well for Rutgers can be attributed to them having a bye week the week before this matchup. Rutgers came into the bye week with a lot of injuries, and while the team is still pretty beat up, the bye week provided some Knights the opportunity to get back to 100%
The next is the improvements made to the defense over the bye week.
“Coach Harasymiak literally stripped it (the defense) down to the studs and rebuilt it in two weeks, which, I don’t think he slept. He and I talked a lot and I’m just so proud of hi.” -Rutgers Head Coach Greg Schiano During His Post-Game press conference
Rutger’s defense came into this game looking rough, having surrendered at least 35 points in their last three games. They finished the game with four sacks, eight tackles for loss, eight passes defended, and only 19 points surrendered. This was a huge turnaround for the Knights, who have struggled to put pressure on the quarterback recently. Most of Rutger’s sacks on the day came from linebacker blitzes and stunts, showing the Knights adjusted their defensive scheme to apply more pressure.
The next thing that went well for the Knights was their passing game.
Today Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis hit on 17/33 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns. He delivered in key situations, several of which were down by the goalline in short yardage. Unfortunately for Kaliakmanis, Rutgers wide receivers had some key drops that would have inflated his numbers even more.
Where Do Both Teams Go From Here
Minnesota has already clenched their bowl eligibility. They have too many losses to make a run for the College Football Playoff or the Big Ten Title game. So from here on out its all about getting a better bowl for the Gophers. They have Penn State and Wisconsin left on their schedule.
Rutgers on the other hand still needs to punch their ticket to a bowl game. They have Maryland, Illinois, and Michigan State left on their schedule. The Knights will be getting Kyle Monangai back sometime this season, giving them another leg up against a schedule that isn’t exactly the toughest in the country.
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