GAMEDAY P A G E G 1N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M

FIGHT NIGHT

ANDREW HOWARD/ PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

BY SAM HELLMANASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

When former Yankee first base-man Wally Pipp went down with aninjury, he never got the chance toreturn because his replacementwas the legendary Lou Gehrig.

Though South Florida quarter-back Matt Grothe will not return tothe team after his torn ACL, hisreplacement, like Gehrig, may bebetter, said Rutgers football headcoach Greg Schiano.

“I forget where I was but some-body said something about Grothegraduating and when he graduates,they’ve got one even better and Isat there and thought, ‘I hope not.’This guy’s really good, very talent-ed,” he said.

The man in question, redshirtfreshman B.J. Daniels, makes hisfirst start against the Scarlet Knightsand sixth start of the season tonightat Rutgers Stadium as the 23rdranked Bulls make their Thursdaynight return to the Banks.

“It’s a great opportunity to play,”Schiano said. “We’re playing agood team and it’s on national tele-vision. These guys are rankednationally so it’s a great opportuni-ty. We’re excited about playing.”

Because of Daniels’ similar play-ing style to Grothe as a dangerous-ly quick quarterback, USF headcoach Jim Leavitt hasn’t had tochange the offense in the least.

“Daniels and Matt Grothe are bothgreat quarterbacks, but they do thesame kind of things,” said junior safe-ty Joe Lefeged. “They’re mobile, soour job is not just to get the quarter-back, it’s to get him on the ground.”

Throughout the week, seniorlinebacker Ryan D’Imperio com-pared the speedster to former WestVirginia star Pat White andSchiano compared him to MichaelVick — one of the greatest scram-bling quarterbacks of all time.

“[He has] incredible change indirection and he’s very fast,”Schiano said. “He reminds me ofMichael Vick when we played himat Miami. He can stop and start ona dime and once he goes he goes.”

Daniels leads South Florida inrushing with his 519 yards and fourtouchdowns, but he can still dodamage with his arm. His 1,096passing yards trail freshman quar-terback Tom Savage by just 245yards and his 10 touchdown passesare two more than Savage.

GETTY IMAGES

Redshirt freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels is South Florida’sleading rusher after taking over for injured senior Matt Grothe.

STARTING LINEUP: DEFENSE

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U MG 2 N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9 G A M E DAY

STARTING LINEUP: OFFENSE

TIMBROWNWide ReceiverSenior5’-8”, 210 lbs

ANTHONYDAVISTackleJunior6’-6”, 325 lbs

ARTFORSTGuardSophomore6’-8”, 310 lbs

RYANBLASZCZYKCenterSenior6’-4”, 295 lbs

HOWARDBARBIERIGuardJunior6’-5”, 300 lbs

KEVINHASLAMTackleSenior6’-7”, 295 lbs

D.C.JEFFERSONTight EndR-Freshman6’-6”, 245 lbs

MOHAMEDSANUWide ReceiverFreshman6’-2”, 215 lbs

TOM SAVAGEQuarterbackFreshman6’-5”, 230 lbs

JACKCORCORANFullbackSenior6’-1”, 230 lbs

JOEMARTINEKRunning BackSophomore6’-0”, 215 lbs

GEORGEJOHNSONRight endSenior6’-4”, 260 lbs

CHARLIENOONANTackleJunior6’-2”, 270 lbs

SCOTTVALLONETackleR-Freshman6’-3”, 270 lbs

ALEXSILVESTROLeft endJunior6’-4”, 260 lbs

DAMASOMUNOZLinebackerSenior6’-0”, 220 lbs

RYAND’IMPERIOLinebackerSenior6’-3”, 245 lbs

ANTONIOLOWERYLinebackerJunior6’-2”, 225 lbs

DAVIDROWECornerbackSophomore6’-0”, 195 lbs

JOELEFEGEDStrong SafetyJunior6’-1”, 205 lbs

ZAIREKITCHENFree SafetySenior6’-2”,215 lbs

DEVINMcCOURTYCornerbackSenior5’-11”, 190 lbs

RUTGERS VS SOUTH FLORIDAKnightsGamedayGAME 9: Rutgers Stadium, 7:30 p.m. TV: ESPN RADIO: 1450 AM FAVORITE: South Florida by 1

Losing Grothe does not slow Bulls

SCARLET KNIGHTS (6-2)

PASSINGT. Savage

RUSHINGJ. MartinekJ. Brooks

RECEIVINGT. BrownM. SanuS. GravesK. Young

DEFENSED. McCourtyR. D’ImperioG. Johnson

INJURIESProbable — Caleb Ruch (leg), DesmondWynn (shoulder)Out — Desmond Stapleton (leg)

YDS1341

YDS601277

YDS811291

7848

AVG.191.6

AVG.5.04.8

AVG.21.9

9.19.86.9

INT110

INT.1

LNG6157

LNG81212826

SCK01

4.5

WoffordW. KentuckyCharleston So.Florida StateSyracuseCincinnatiPittsburghWest VirginiaRutgersLouisvilleMiamiConnecticut

W, 40-7W, 35-13W, 59-0W, 17-7W, 34-20L, 34-17L, 41-14W, 30-197:30 p.m.NoonTBATBA

TD8

TD74

TD5010

TKL474432

CMP56.0%

NO.121

58

NO.3732

87

SCHEDULESept. 5Sept. 12Sept. 19Sept. 26Oct. 3Oct. 15Oct. 24Oct. 30Nov. 12Nov. 21Nov. 28Dec. 5

CincinnatiHowardFIUMarylandTexas SouthernPittsburghArmyConnecticutSouth FloridaSyracuseLouisvilleWest Virginia

L, 47-15W, 45-7W, 23-15W, 34-13W, 42-0L, 24-17W, 27-10W, 28-247:30 p.m.TBATBATBA

SCHEDULESept. 7Sept. 12Sept. 19Sept. 26 Oct. 10Oct. 16Oct. 23Oct. 31Nov. 12Nov. 21Nov. 27Dec. 5

[ ]SOUTH FLORIDA (6-2)

PASSINGB.J. Daniels

RUSHINGB.J. DanielsM. Plancher

RECEIVINGC. MitchellD. BoganA.J. GriffinS. Griffin

DEFENSEK. WilsonN. AllenG. Selvie

INJURIESQuestionable — LB K. Wilson (thigh)Doubtful — WR C. Mitchell (knee), CB T. Butler (leg)

YDS1,096

YDS519385

YDS542246220190

AVG.137.0

AVG.5.64.8

AVG.18.715.415.721.1

INT130

INT.6

LNG4428

LNG85504573

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TD10

TD44

TD4312

TKL615328

CMP52.5%

NO.9381

NO.291614

9

INSIDEthe

NUMBERS

Key MatchupRutgers LT Anthony Davis vs. USF RE George Selv ie

South Florida’s All-American defensive end has more than 30 career sacks, but none inthree matchups against Rutgers. Last season against Anthony Davis, Selvie made just

two tackles. In his career against the Knights, Selvie has seven tackles, none for a loss.

“He’s a phenomenal quarter-back,” D’Imperio said. “He remindsme of Grothe. It’s tough goingagainst a quarterback like that. Youalways have that extra dimensionwhere you can have perfect cover-age and then the quarterback runsfor 15 yards.”

When facing off against an RUdefense that leads the nation witha +18 turnover differential to goalong with five non-offensivetouchdowns, Daniels may be with-out a key weapon in receiverCarlton Mitchell.

Mitchell, who leads the teamwith 542 yards and four touch-

downs, is doubtful with an injury,and receiver Jessie Hester is not100 percent, Schiano said.

“[Mitchell] is their leadingreceiver, so his numbers speak forthemselves,” he said. “He is a verygood player. You just get the sensehe is a real ‘together-guy’ just fromwhat I have gathered.

“If you look at their team, theyhave a lot of really fine athletes.No one is talking that much about[Hester] because he has beenhurt but Jessie Hester was theirleading guy last year. There are alot of skill players there that canget the job done.”

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M G AMEDAY N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9 G 3

BY SAM HELLMANASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

In his career, South Floridastandout defensive end GeorgeSelvie has 214 tackles, 67 tacklesfor loss and 28.5 sacks.

In three games against theRutgers football team, however,the 6-foot-4, 250-pound man-beastdestined for the first round of theNFL Draft has nine tackles.

That’s it.No tackles for loss and no sacks.“Yeah. I’m going to try to

keep it like that,” said junior lefttackle Anthony Davis on Selvie’ssackless career against theScarlet Knights.

Davis — surrounded by hypeof his own as a First Team All-BigEast offensive lineman and poten-tial high draft pick if he were toleave early — shut down Selvie inTampa last season on the way to a49-16 blowout for RU.

Davis, however, said thattonight’s matchup will be completely dif ferent.

“We’ve both gotten a lot bet-ter from last year. We’re like twodif ferent people,” Davis said.“George can run. Looking at himon film, he can get from sidelineto sideline. He’s a great player, agreat pass rusher. I’m lookingforward to going against him.”

Part of the reason for Davis’success against Selvie last sea-son came because the defensiveend was injured before the gameeven started.

“Selvie had a bad ankle alllast year,” said Rutgers headcoach Greg Schiano. “I don’tthink the nation saw the playerthey saw the previous yearbecause he is a tough guy thatwas playing injured. It doesn’tseem to be hurt anymore. Thosetwo defensive ends are veryhard to contend with.”

After a sophomore seasonworthy of high acclaim in hisfirst year at left tackle, Davis

has had his struggles this sea-son. He started the year on thesecond-team depth chart at lefttackle and he received a par-tial-game suspension againstArmy after arriving late to ateam function.

When senior captain and cen-ter Ryan Blaszczyk looks at thePiscataway native, however, hesees a significantly maturedoffensive lineman.

“AD has been working hisway up the entire season,” hesaid. “At the beginning of theseason, you hope to be at yourbest by the end and we’re allworking at that. AD is right therewith us. AD is just approachingthis week like he approachesevery week. He’s really starting

to mature and he’s really startingto come into his own.”

Though Davis’ struggles mayhave dropped his draft stock, heand Selvie can expect scouts tocome out in full force tonight totake in the matchup of two high-profile NFL prospects.

“That’s cool,” Davis said. “Iwon’t dread it. But that’s not mymain focus. I’m more worriedabout my brother watching. He’sgoing to critique my game.”

In Selvie’s other two careergames against the Knights, for-mer left tackle Pedro Sosa han-dled him with ease. The techni-cally sound Sosa limited Selvie inhis freshman and sophomoreyears to a total of seven tacklesand nothing else when he had atotal of 136 tackles, 46.5 for loss

and 20 sacks against the rest ofthe nation.

“I definitely heard about himall the time in high school,” saidtrue freshman Tom Savage, whomakes his first appearanceagainst Selvie tonight. “I just can’twait. It’s unique and it’s going tobe fun and that’s what we signedup to do — play football againstthe top talent in the country.”

Junior defensive end AlexSilvestro, who made his firstcareer appearance two seasonsago against South Florida, saidSelvie is the kind of defensiveend that makes him stop and‘say wow.’

“He gets out there when hegoes and he’s a good, fast speedrusher and he gets of f theedge,” he said. “The biggestthing I’ve noticed with him isthat he just knows when it’s apass down and goes.

“I remember one play lastyear and it wasn’t even a passplay, it was a run play, and theway he just spilled a block, and atthe same time a guy was cuttinghim, and he just curved aroundand still made the play. That wasprobably the best play I’ve everseen him make.”

With the fans’, reporters’,coaches’ and scouts’ eyes gluedto the men locking horns on theleft side tonight, however, anoth-er crucial trench fight on theright side may go unnoticed.

Jason Paul-Pierre, a juniortransfer and 5-star recruit fromRivals.com, brings athleticism tothe right end position that couldgive RU senior right tackle KevinHaslam fits.

“They’re both good players.They’re both really athletic andfast so it should be a good time,”Haslam said. “It’s just good com-petition really. You go out there,hope for a good competitor to goagainst and that’s what we havecoming up this Thursday. I’mlooking forward to it. “

All eyes on trench war between RU’s Davis, USF’s Selvie

“We’ve both gotten alot better from lastyear. We’re like twodifferent people.”

ANTHONY DAVISJunior Left Tackle

ANDREW HOWARD/ PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

KNIGHT NUGGETSBY THE NUMBERS

BIG QUESTION

RUTGERS WINS IF... USF WINS IF ...

THE ADVANTAGE GOES TO ...

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

FINAL VERDICT

True freshman quarterbackTom Savage only threw oneinterception in his first sevengames, but faces the

top-ranked pass defense in the Big East. TheBulls have 10 interceptions on the year.

1South Florida defensive endGeorge Selvie recored 28.5sacks throughout his career,but none came against the

Scarlet Knights. Junior left tackle AnthonyDavis is tasked with blocking the senior.

0Bulls quarterback B.J.Daniels leads the teamwith 64.9 rushing yardsper game since stepping

in for injured Matt Grothe. The redshirt freshman ran for four scores.

64.9A win tonight forRutgers head coachGreg Schiano putshis career record on

the Banks to 53-53, making him .500 for thefirst time since he was 1-1 to start his career.

.500

RUTGERS, 26-23The Savage/Brown combo staysstrong in Big East play as RUmaintains constant vigilance.

ANDREW DEPAOLASENIOR LS

Can the Rutgers defensecontain South Florida

quarterback B.J. Daniels?

BULLS QB B.J. DANIELS

Rutgers always handled injuredBulls quarterback Matt Grothe,but Daniels is an even quicker

threat coming out of the backfieldand leads USF in rushing yards.

“Our crowd makes itmagic. I think there’s

something really specialabout Thursday night

games, and they make ita point to make them

special here.”

OFFENSE DEFENSE

COACHING HISTORY

MOMENTUM X-FACTOR

THE OFFENSIVE

LINE GIVES TOM

SAVAGE ENOUGH

TIME TO THROW.Opposing defenses consistentlyput Savage on the ground andfew present a tougher challengethan USF end George Selvie.

B.J. DANIELS

RUNS WILD OVER

THE KNIGHTS’DEFENSE.

The Bulls’ redshirt freshmanquarterback ran for 104 yards

on 14 carries in their upsetover West Virginia.

Everything goes through B.J.Daniels in an offense that has speedto burn. RU has too many questions.

RU’s +18 turnover margin offsetsthe overrated DE combo of Selvieand Paul-Pierre who have a total of

five sacks this season.

Rutgers has won the past threegames in the series. Remember the

last Thursday night game?

Greg Schiano consistently gets thebetter of Jim Leavitt, even using a bit

of trickery to pull off victories.

Tim Brown is still running after his81-yard, last-minute score in the

Knights’ biggest win of the season.

If B.J. Daniels is not an X-factor, nothing is. The Knights must

contain the speedy quarterback.

In the last matchup between George Selvie, left, and Anthony Davis, right, Davis held the defensiveend to just two tackles. Selvie has more than 200 tackles in his career, but just nine against Rutgers.

CLASH OF THE TITANS

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U MG AMEDAYG 4 N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9

BOUNDSOUTof

WITH TIM BROWN

Targum’s Sports Editor Matthew Stein chatswith the senior wide receiver about Showtime,saving lives in a superhero outfit, love scenes

with Gabrielle Union and holding up crystal ...

THE DAILY TARGUM’S

Matthew Stein: How many tattoos do you have?Tim Brown: I have six. The one on the inside of myarm, Showtime — when I got this I thought of mebeing Showtime. It gets me going out playing like itsshowtime every game.

MS: What about the grillz, where did those come from?TB: It’s a Miami, down south thing. That’s all that’s about. Iwas 17 when I got them. The ladies love it, it’s a cool look.

MS: How did the nickname “Duce” come about?TB: I’ve been number two since I was six years old. Allmy family members call me Duce, so I ran away with it.Everywhere I go, everybody calls me Duce. I like it, I’vealways been number two and I want to keep it.

MS: What do you drive?TB: I’m not driving, just using my feet. I don’t have a caryet; I’ll wait for the car.

MS: OK so hypothetically, you’re rolling down CollegeAve. in a nice car, windows down, music blaring.What’s blasting out to the people that you wanteverybody to hear?TB: I’ll have Lil’ Wayne, pumping the No Ceilingsalbum. Wasted.

MS: Now I heard from a couple of people that you freestyle.TB: Nah man, that’s not me. I don’t freestyle. I can talk alot, I can spit game.

MS: What would “Tim Brown: The Movie” be about?TB: Me being a hero. Me saving somebody’s life, one ofthose Superman, Batman, Incredible Hulk-type movies.That’s just me; I want to be a hero. I can be Batman, Ican be Superman. When I grow up, I’m going to try andget in one of those movies.

MS: Who plays you then?TB: Oh, I’m a Denzel type of guy. Nice cool walk, swag.That’s me.

MS: So what actress would you have a love scene with?TB: Gabrielle Union. Yeah? Yeah.

MS: What’s your least favorite place to play on the road?TB: I have to give it to Army man, those guys up there,wearing all black, it’s dark, you really can’t see a lot, it’salways raining and cold.

MS: Think back over your whole career — high school,college, Pop Warner. What’s the one play that stands outin your mind?TB: In high school, coming out of halftime we weredown against a big, highly thought of team. I take akickoff return back at Pro Player Stadium and dovein the end zone, I heard the crowd booing. With mediving in the end zone, they kept replaying it on thejumbo screen. That was the most exciting day of mylife, coming out to do that and win the game for my team.

MS: Does last week’s play rank up there?TB: Oh yeah, that’s in my top five. But I did that a coupleof times in high school so I wasn’t really amazed by that.I’m used to doing those type of things when the opportu-nity comes. It was a great catch and a great finish. That’show I used to do it all the time.

MS: You’ve talked about this a lot over your career, butsay Rutgers was to win a National Championship. What’sthe first thing you do when the final whistle blows?TB: Cry. All the hard work we put in. … You see that con-fetti coming down but tears are going to come out of myeyes first before I go get the crystal.

The Rutgers defense simply could not con-tain South Florida’s B.J. Daniels in this week’sNCAA Football 2010 simulation as the fresh-man quarterback put the Bulls on his back in a31-25 overtime win.

Daniels ran for three touchdowns, includingthe game-winner in overtime after a missedfield goal by kicker San San Te, and he threwfor another, totaling 242 combined passing andrushing yards.

The Scarlet Knights never led in the gamebut got strong performances from receiversTim Brown and Mohamed Sanu. Brown caughta 33-yard touchdown pass and finished with six

catches for 122 yards. Sanu hauled in a two-yardscore and had nine catches for 83 yards.

Quarterback Tom Savage completed 22-of-43 passes for 266 yards, but threw two picks.

Tailback Joe Martinek was the only player toreceive more than 10 rushing attempts, and hefinished with 13 total touches for 52 yards.

Safety Joe Lefeged led RU with nine tacklesand an interception and defensive end GeorgeJohnson recorded two sacks.

The Daily Targum’s weekly simulation is 7-1on the season.

— Staff Report

DANIELS WREAKS HAVOC AS KNIGHTS FALL IN OVERTIME

ANDREW HOWARD/ PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Defensive end George Johnson, left, returns an interception from last season’s 49-16 win over theBulls. The Rutgers football team forced six total turnovers in the win.

I gave Rutgers no shot at beat-ing Connecticut nearly twoweeks ago. With 34 seconds

left, Tom Savage and Tim Browntold me to eat it.

It was not the first — and willnot be the only — time I under-estimated this team. As do manyobservers, I find flaws in the playcalling, personnel choices andgeneral performance of a teamthat certainly has the talent levelto compete with the big boys inthe Big East.

But no team is perfect.The Scarlet Knights have

replaced eight players that wentto the NFL this season, includingsix on active rosters, withremarkable fluidity.

Joke about their soft out-of-con-ference schedule if you wish, butthe only two teams RU lost to thisseason are a combined 17-1, unde-feated in the Big East and rankedin the top-10 in the country.

The problem is that in losingto their two toughest foes to openconference play, the Knights arealready mathematically eliminat-ed from the Big East chase.

“You never want to start out 0-2 in the Big East,” said juniordefensive end Alex Silvestro. “Ifyou get two losses in the Big Eastyou most likely aren’t going towin it, so we were a littlebummed out, a little disappointedabout it, but we know we stillhave to finish strong and comeout and play every game.”

MATTHEW STEIN

Mindof Stein

Underestimated Knights won’t lose

RU has been navigating anuphill climb ever since losing toPittsburgh just over one monthago on the same turf they willtry to redeem themselves ontonight, under the lights againstSouth Florida.

The Big East title was a longshot from the moment theKnights headed into the tunnelafter losing to Cincinnati, and theodds were miniscule after fallingto Pittsburgh.

But RU has shown unbeliev-able resilience, and the game-winning drive — if you can call ita drive — against Connecticutwas among the single greatestmoments in head coach GregSchiano’s tenure on the Banks.

“The way we approach thingshere, I don’t think they give it alot of thought,” Schiano said oflooking to the postseason.“Everything is so much on theone game, the one opponent, theone-game season. These kids putin so much effort and time in tothat one week.”

If keeping his players’ headsup as the season progresses

with the title out of reach was achallenge, Schiano can take sol-ace in what is next on the slate.One victory from qualifying for apostseason berth for the fifthseason in a row, everything is inplace for another classicThursday night showdown.

Every remaining game ishuge for RU and South Florida asthey jockey for postseason posi-tion and rankings within the BigEast conference.

It’s that Thursday night magicall over again.

Momentum is on the Knights’side after a bye week and a stunninglast-minute victory the week prior.

There will be a home crowdfor the first time since Pittsburgh— and a clear weather report, sofans might show up this time.

And Erin Andrews will be onthe sidelines.

“It’s a game,” Brown said. “It’sone more Big East game that wehave to go out there and playhard and play as a team and playRutgers football. It’s going to be afun night.

“Nationwide, everybody isgoing to be watching, everyonewants to see what Rutgers foot-ball is all about.”

Time for another bold predic-tion: There is no way RU is losingto South Florida tonight.

— Matthew Stein accepts comments and criticism atsteinma@eden.rutgers.edu

the young, rookie mistakes ratherthan having Grothe as the seniorwith more experience,” juniordefensive end Alex Silvestro said.“But this kid is also a little bitfaster than Grothe. It’s a little bitdifferent, but they pretty muchstill run the same offense.”

The spy itself has one job: watchthe quarterback with asmuch intensity as BigDane stares down hisplate of mozzarella sticksbefore housing them.

Typically shadowingDaniels from a middlezone, whomever theKnights may employ asthe spy is the primaryplayer responsible forstaying with Daniels ashe moves about the

backfield and into the open field. For a quarterback that

accounts for 71 percent of SouthFlorida’s total yardage in BigEast games and personally ran 62percent of the plays over thatspan, the RU spy has one tall taskahead of him.

— Staff Report

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9 G 5G AMEDAY

TARGUM S PORTS S TAFFNo. 23 South Florida at RUTGERS

No. 25 Stanford

at No. 11 USC

No. 15 Iowa at No. 10 Ohio State

No. 16 Utah

at No. 4 Texas Christian

Delaware at Navy

No. 23 South Florida at RUTGERS

No. 25 Stanford

at No. 11 USC

No. 15 Iowa at No. 10 Ohio State

No. 16 Utah

at No. 4 Texas Christian

Delaware at Navy

RUTGERS

USC

Ohio State

TCU

Delaware

RUTGERS

USC

Ohio State

TCU

Delaware

RUTGERS

Stanford

Ohio State

TCU

Navy

South Florida

USC

Ohio State

TCU

Delaware

MATTHEW STEINSPORTS EDITOROVERALL: 11-9

STEVEN MILLERCORRESPONDENTOVERALL: 11-9

KYLE FRANKOASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR

OVERALL: 10-10

SAM HELLMANFOOTBALL BEAT WRITER

OVERALL: 17-3

WRS U S PORTS S TAFFNo. 23 South Florida at RUTGERS

No. 25 Stanford

at No. 11 USC

No. 15 Iowa at No. 10 Ohio State

No. 16 Utah

at No. 4 Texas Christian

Delaware at Navy

No. 23 South Florida at RUTGERS

No. 25 Stanford

at No. 11 USC

No. 15 Iowa at No. 10 Ohio State

No. 16 Utah

at No. 4 Texas Christian

Delaware at Navy

RUTGERS

USC

Ohio State

TCU

Navy

South Florida

USC

Ohio State

TCU

Navy

RUTGERS

USC

Ohio State

TCU

Navy

RUTGERS

USC

Ohio State

TCU

Navy

DANNY BRESTLAUERGENERAL MANAGEROVERALL: 12-8

ARMANDO MARTINEZWRSU PERSONALITYOVERALL: 14-6

JEFF TILLERYPROGRAM DIRECTOR

OVERALL: 12-8

ADAM HELFGOTTSPORTS DIRECTOR

OVERALL: 12-8

GRID PICKSTHIS WEEK’S FOOTBALL ACTION

F rom the spread to thetriple option to the pro-style set, the Rutgers foot-

ball team has faced every possi-ble type of offense this season.

None carry such a quarter-back threat as South Florida’sB.J. Daniels.

In this week’s edition of DaneTruxell’s Football 101,The Daily Targumbreaks down the purposeof the quarterback spyand just how big of a roleit will play against Danielsand this USF offense.

The Scarlet Knightsstruggled greatly in thepast against such versa-tile quarterbacks. WestVirginia’s Pat White andJarrett Brown eachtorched the Knights and Navy’sKaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada sur-prised RU in the Midshipmen’swin last season.

Junior safety Joe Lefeged playedin the box a lot last year against ex-USF quarterback Matt Grothe, buthis replacement is far more elusive.

“The main difference is thekid is younger, so he can make

Spying Daniels keyto containing speed

JOE LEFEGEDJUNIOR SAFETY

Bullsfor a 30-27 victory,making USFthe highestranked oppo-nent ever beatenby the Knights.

But the bighighlights of theevening came ontwo game-changingtrick plays.

Former kickerJeremy Ito connect-ed with receiverJames Townsendfor 36 yards on afake punt, keepingRU’s drive alive toeventually kick afield goal.

The Bullsweren’t the onlydefense surprisedby the trickery.

“I rememberthat game so much.They were the No. 2team in the nationand we went out thereand it was a reallygood game,” said sen-ior defensive endGeorge Johnson. “Wedidn’t expect some of thethings to happen, like thefake punt. I didn’t expectthat in 100 years — Ithought we were goingto punt it.”

RUTGERS STADIUM THURSDAY

G A MG 6 N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9

BY STEVEN WILLIAMSONSENIOR WRITER

Andrew DePaola knows it. AlexSilvestro feels it, too.

The two have been at Rutgers longenough to understand that tonight’sgame against South Florida is excitingfor more than just the implications ofthe game itself.

The game against the Bulls marksThursday night football at RU, some-thing the Scarlet Knights live for.

“I love playing on Thursday nights.You get most of the students and it’susually packed,” said Silvestro, a juniordefensive end. “Every other nightgame I remember, the people in thecrowd are a little more excited, a littlemore fired up. It’s exciting to playunder the lights.”

For DePaola, having an energizedcrowd rallying behind RU and an extrabuzz in the air makes the games unlikeany other.

“There’s something special aboutthem, especially here. Our crowdmakes it magic and it’s electrifying,”DePaola said. “I think there’s some-thing really special about Thursdaynight games and they make it a point tomake them special here.”

Whatever the reason, the Knightsseem to shine when the spotlight is onthem, knocking off two top-five oppo-nents on Thursday nights in the pastthree seasons.

“The thing that we like about theThursday night games is that you arethe only game out there. That is goodbecause your program gets expo-sure,” said head coach Greg Schiano.“Thursday night football, in the col-lege sense, has become whatMonday Night Football was when Iwas a kid growing up in the prosense. That is good.”

The last time South Florida cameto RU in 2007, the then-unrankedScarlet Knights pulled out all thestops to try and upend the No. 2 Bulls.

Behind a 181-yard day from Ray Riceon the ground, RU held off the surgingDAN BRACAGLIA/ MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

JOHN PENA/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

NCAA PRI

No. 2 South Florida, 2007

Louisville, 2008PASSING: A. DEPAOLA1 game played, 15 yards,

TD pass to Kevin Brock onfake field goal vs. USF in ’07

RUSHING: J. BROOKS2 games played, 18 carries,

166 yards, 1 touchdown, 9.22 yards per carry

DEFENSE: Ryan D’Imperio: 23 tackles

David Rowe: 1 sackZ. Kitchen, B. Bing: 1 INT

RECEIVING: TIM BROWN4 games played, 7 catches,205 yards, 2 touchdowns,25.3 yards per reception

ANDREWDEPAOLA

TIMBROWN

ACTIVE PLAYERS

THURSDAY NRutgers toppled No. 3 Louisville, No. 2 Sout

The 15th rankedScarlet Knights upset the

then-No.3 LouisvilleCardinals in 2006, becoming

one of the most famous daysin University history.

When the Cardinals returnedto Piscataway for the first time

last season since the 2006 upset,they barely got of f the bus before RUripped their defense to shreds. TheKnights scored 49 points in the firsthalf alone, en route to a 63-14 mas-sacre that saw quar terback MikeTeel throw for an astonishing 447yards and seven touchdowns whilewideout Tim Brown hauled in twoscores and 173 yards.

It would seem that when the lightsshine on Thursday nights, Schiano’steam is ready to play.

Most of the time, anyway.With positive memories of recent

Thursday victories, last season’s deba-cle against North Carolina easily fallsthrough the cracks.

The Tar Heels rolled intoPiscataway Sept. 11, 2008 and pro-ceeded to make RU look unprepared.North Carolina dropped 44 points onthe Scarlet Knights behind thereceiving tandem of Hakeem Nicksand Brandon Tate, who combined for201 yards and three touchdowns.

The Scarlet Knights could notmuster any offense, scoring 12 pointson four field goals. UNC picked off Teelthree times, with backup Jabu Lovelaceadding an interception of his own.

But tonight, RU has only USF on itsminds as it tries and dispatch the No.23 Bulls for the fourth straight year.

“Just going out there and playingthem on national TV, we knowthey’re going to come in here andsay, ‘OK, we haven’t beaten them in along time, so we really have some-thing to prove,’” Johnson said. “Wejust feel like we have to go out thereand play.”

— Sam Hellman, Steven Miller andMatthew Stein contributed to this story

T h em a r q u e e

gimmick of theevening came in the

third quarter, whenplaceholder and backupquarterback DePaolaconnected with tightend Kevin Brock in theend zone on a fake fieldgoal. The pass markedDePaola’s only careerthrow for a touchdown.

While it may havebeen a highlight of hispast, the senior is nowonly focused on theKnights’ task againstthe Bulls tonight.

“That play wastwo years ago and ithelped us get a win

against them then.It was a greatmemor y, but[all] it is rightnow is a mem-ory,” DePaolasaid. “I havea dif ferentrole as asnapper, soI just haveto worr yabout that.”

USF isnot the

only team to fall to

RU on a Thursday night.

AY NIGHT LEADERS SINCE 2006

E DAY N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9 G 7

THE DAILY TARGUM

JOHN PENA/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

IME TIMENo. 3 Louisville, 2006

North Carolina, 2008

PASSING: MIKE TEEL4 games played, 1,058 yards,

11 touchdowns, 4 INTs, 56% completion percentage

RUSHING: RAY RICE2 games played, 61 carries,312 yards, 2 touchdowns,

5.11 yards per carry

DEFENSE:Kevin Malast: 28 total tacklesJamaal Westerman: 2 sacks

Devraun Thompson: 32-yard INT

RECEIVING: T. UNDERWOOD4 games played, 16 catches,

272 yards, 5 touchdowns, 17 yards per reception

MIKETEEL

TIQUAN UNDERWOOD

PAST STANDOUTS

NIGHT MAGICth Florida at home under national spotlight

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U MG A M E DAYG 8 N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9

BY STEVEN MILLERCORRESPONDENT

The trend is cause for concern,but the history is reason for hope.

Eight games into the Rutgersfootball team’s season, there aretimes when the rushing attacklooks dominant, breaking for 100yards in the final quarter alone.

But against Big East oppo-nents, the run game is as effectiveas the New BrunsQuick Shuttle —neither really goes anywhere.

The Scarlet Knights have yetto break the century mark as ateam in conference play.Tonight’s matchup with No. 23South Florida presents an oppor-tunity to change that.

In the past three victories overthe Bulls, the Knights averaged186.3 rushing yards per game.Last season’s clash was the break-out performance for sophomoreJoe Martinek, who rushed for 98yards and two scores.

“It was just Joe being Joe —there was no magic,” said headcoach Greg Schiano. “We got upbig and were able to turn them into

a one-dimensional team and turnus into a team that could run it. Ifyou run it over and over and overagain you start to tire them out.”

In games where RU success-fully ran the ball — gamesagainst opponents that combinefor a 13-31 record — it was thesame story.

The Knights pounded the balluntil they broke out late and putgames away. In the five non-con-ference games, RU has run for1,086 yards, but 472 of them camein the final quarter — good for 43percent of the rushing output.

“It’s very important,” saidsenior center Ryan Blaszczyk.“We pride ourselves on runningthe ball and working hard allgame, and then in the fourthquarter being able to reallypound the ball because we’re awell-conditioned team.”

In losses to No. 5 Cincinnatiand No. 8 Pittsburgh, unsuccess-ful run games were not alarming.The Knights trailed Cincinnativirtually the entire game, and theplan for Pitt was to attack throughthe air.

But a futile rushing effortagainst Connecticut nearly costRU the game.

Ahead by 14 points enteringthe final quarter, the Knights ranthe ball six times for 21 yards,going three-and-out all but onceuntil the game-winning play.

It was not abandoned and itwas not planned. It was simply ineffective.

“When you play good teams,some things go certain ways,”said senior right tackle KevinHaslam. “We’re playing at a highlevel of football, so it’s good teamswe’re going against. I don’t see usas a bad running team, I just seeus as a team that needs to executebetter. Just like we’ve been say-

ing, it’s the little things that aregetting us.”

For Schiano, the term for thoselittle things is “one block away.”

The Knights are just oneblock away from breaking bigruns, he said, but they consis-tently miss those blocks againstthe tougher opponents.

So South Florida presents abarometer for the RU ground game.

The Bulls, who average 130.6yards per game against the run,experience mixed results defend-ing the rush attack.

Last week, they held the con-ference’s second best rusher,West Virginia tailback NoelDevine, to 42 yards. The weekbefore, they allowed the Pitt duoof Dion Lewis and Ray Grahamto go for 199 yards on 5.85 yardsper carry.

But Martinek can draw on lastyear’s success.

“Getting a majority of the repsand gaining yards on every playbut not losing any was a hugestep,” Martinek said of theKnights’ 49-16 win. “It’s a new

year with different players, butthere are certain things you canwatch from the film from lastyear. I just remember they were ahard-hitting, physical team.”

While USF is as inconsistent atdefending the run as RU is at run-ning it, they are steady againstthe pass. The Bulls rank first inthe conference in pass defense.

Lost in the bulletin boardmaterial provided by USF line-backer Kion Wilson about the RUoffensive line is what the seniorsaid about Martinek.

“I wouldn’t consider him a bigthreat, but we have to tackle,”Wilson said to local reporters ear-lier in the week.

Given RU’s ground numbersagainst the Big East, there is noreason to think Wilson is wrong.It is the history that gives hope.

“Joe had success against themlast year as a [redshirt] freshmanand this year he’s only stronger,faster and has another year in thesystem,” Young said. “He’s hadsome success early in the seasonand if he comes out and performshis best we’ll be fine.”

ANDREW HOWARD/ PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

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“I wouldn’t considerhim a big threat, butwe have to tackle.”

KION WILSONUSF Linebacker

RUN GAME STALLS IN BIG EASTSophomore tailback Joe Martinek ran for 98 yards and two touchdowns against South Florida last season, but has yet to experience success this year against the Big East.

3. No. 16 Utah at No. 4 TCU— The bottom line is that thewinner of this game becomes aninstant favorite as a BCS busterand winner of the MountainWest Conference.

1. Georgia Tech head coachPaul Johnson — The mastermindof the triple option brought theYellow Jackets from wishing thatCalvin Johnson had 43 moreyears of eligibility to ACC power-house in just two years.

2. Zach Collaros — TheCincinnati backup quarterbacktotaled 480 yards last week andearned the start this week overTony Pike — the guy that torchedRutgers in week one and was adark horse for the HeismanTrophy before his injury.

3. Navy — The ScarletKnights picked a good year to nothave the Midshipmen on theirschedule. Navy, despite anembarrassing loss to Temple, hastwo other losses on the year andboth, Ohio State and Pittsburgh,come in the form of top-15 teams.

The Middies just officially putCharlie Weis on the hot seat atNotre Dame.

1. Rich Rodriguez — BillStewart isn’t much better.Maybe the Mountaineers willtake you back.

2. Charlie Weis — JimmyClausen is too good of a quarter-back to not win with. If Weisdoesn’t get things going quickly,he’s done.

3. Iowa — As entertaining asthe Hawkeyes are this season —mercifully beating an undefeatedPenn State team that thought itwas a juggernaut — the loss ofRicky Stanzi at quarterback allbut dooms Iowa.

1. New heavyweight champion— It seems like the ACC, Big 10and Pac 10 will all see a newchampion emerge this season.Though Ohio State still has agreat shot if it beats Iowa in theBig 10, gone are the days of USCrolling through the Pac 10 orMaryland, Miami and VirginiaTech taking care of business inthe ACC.

2. Devil with a blue dress —With a team usually only deservingof the Toilet Bowl in Flushing, N.Y.,the Duke Blue Devils have some-how returned to football relevancy.The Dukies are one win away frombowl eligibility behind quarterbackThaddeus Lewis and won threeconsecutive conference games forthe first time this decade.

3. Blount returns — After acheap-shot punch at Boise State inweek one, Oregon running backLeGarrette Blount returns to thesidelines this week after the Ducksreinstated the troubled tailback.

1. No. 15 Iowa at No. 10 OhioState — As boring and irrelevantas the Big 10 has become withthe downfall of Michigan and theinability to establish dominanceeven within its own borders, thisgame shapes up to be one of thebest of the year.

Though Iowa is without quar-terback Ricky Stanzi, who wentdown in the team’s first loss ofthe season to Northwestern lastweek, the Hawkeyes have keywins over Penn State andMichigan State that make themall but a lock for the Big 10 title ifthey win.

Ohio State has only anembarrassing loss to Purdue onits conscience.

The bottom line is the win-ner of this game wins the Big10 and gets an automatic BCS bid.

2. No. 25 Stanford at No. 11USC — Isn’t it crazy when No.11 in the country is having adown year?

The Trojans, with true fresh-man quarterback Matt Barkley,who toes the line betweenacceptable and unacceptableplay for a USC quarterback,have two losses on the year —Washington and Oregon.

Stanford beat both teams sig-nificantly the following week.

A win for the Cardinalboosts it over the Trojans intosole possession of third placein the Pac 10 behind Oregonand Arizona.

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9 G 9G AMEDAY

1. Florida2. Alabama3. Texas4. Cincinnati5. TCU6. Boise State7. Georgia Tech8. Pittsburgh9. LSU10. USC11. Ohio State12. Miami13. Oregon14. Houston15. Iowa16. Utah17. Arizona18. Oklahoma StateT-18. Penn State20. StanfordT-20. Virginia Tech22. South Florida23. Wisconsin24. Clemson25. BYU

12312111711010597948887816766636160564140402020171697

NATIONAL POWER POLL

9-09-09-09-09-09-09-18-17-27-28-27-27-28-19-18-16-27-28-26-36-36-27-26-37-2

1235467

1289

111413151016171918NR212420NR22

TEAM RECORD BCS RANK POINTS

* 25 points awarded for first place, 24 for second place, etc. * Five members of the Targum sports desk submitted ballots

Football

* Others receiving votes: Oregon State (6), West Virginia (3), Navy (2), Duke (1), Rutgers (1), Temple (1)

SAM HELLMAN’SNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

KEY GAMES

STOCK RISING

STOCK FALLING

STORYLINE CENTRAL

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U MG AMEDAYG 1 0 N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9

GAME OF THE WEEK

1. No. 5 Cincinnati2. No. 8 Pittsburgh3. South Florida4. RUTGERS5. West Virginia6. Connecticut7. Louisville8. Syracuse

484234312618126

BIG EAST POWER POLL

9-08-16-26-27-24-53-63-6

5-05-02-21-23-11-40-40-4

TEAM RECORD BIG EAST POINTS

* Eight points awarded for first place, seven for second place, etc. * Six members of the Targum sports desk submitted ballots

Football

DAN BRACAGLIA/ MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Cincinnati wideout Mardy Gilyard leads the Big East with 65catches this season for 908 yards and eight touchdowns.

WEST VIRGINIA

AT

No. 5 CINCINNATI

All eyes are on Cincinnatiquarterback Zach Collaros

after head coach Brian Kelly opted for the scrambling threat over a

nearly-healthy Tony Pike. A win for Cincinnati all butguarantees an undefeated

Big East faceoff againstPittsburgh to close the

season while West Virginiafights to keep with the twoin the conference title race.

Key MatchupWVU’s Bill Stewart vs. Cincinnati’s Bob DiacoIn Jarrett Brown and Noel Devine, head coach Bill Stewart has the

offensive personnel to do damage, but can he call the right plays to put Bearcats defensive coordinator Bob Diaco in checkmate?

BIGEAST

PREDICTIONNo. 5 CINCINNATI, 37-17

WVUs meltdown begins as Cincykeeps cruising to the title game.

NOTRE DAME atNo. 8 PITTSBURGH

If you thought Navy’s running game got the betterof the Fighting Irish, just wait to see what DionLewis and Ray Graham have in store for CharlieWeis as Pitt sticks in the top-10 for another week.

PREDICTION: NO. 8 Pittsburgh, 42-27

SYRACUSE atLOUISVILLE

In a contest of pure ineptitude, Will Stein leadsthe Cardinals past the Syracuse defense with justminutes to go for the winning field goal, erasing

memories of his Dan Orlovsky-style safety.PREDICTION: Louisville, 3-2

RU’s best good enough to run Bulls out of town

H ead coach Greg Schianohas used the linebefore. He used it

before Fresno State last seasonand used it before Cincinnatithis season, and he used it againbefore tonight’s game againstSouth Florida.

“I don’t know if our best isgood enough,” he said.

The Rutgers faithful shouldnot want to hear “our best justwasn’t good enough.” Fans wantto have confidence in theirteam, and more importantly intheir coach.

But using this phrase allowsSchiano to say things like “we’restill a work in progress” afterevery tough loss. The work inprogress excuse was used thisyear after the opening day deba-cle against the Bearcats and afterwins over mediocre teams inwhich the Scarlet Knights lookedless than stellar.

It’s a phrase that masks thedoubts of the head footballcoach. It allows him a scapegoatif this program loses key games.In the beginning of his tenurethe work in progress line wastrue, but not anymore.

Is RU’s best good enough tobeat the Bulls? Yes. The Knightshave not lost a game to SouthFlorida since 2005, and theyshouldn’t start tonight.

The Knights need to go intotheir home finale against WestVirginia 9-2, no excuses. But RUneeded to win its opener against

ADAM HELFGOTT

ScarletPulse

DAN BRACAGLIA/ MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, above, has outdueled Jim Leavitt in his last three tries,including a 30-27 win over No. 2 USF two years ago at Rutgers Stadium.

Cincinnati, and it didn’t. And itneeded to win against Pitt, but itdidn’t. It’s before those key gameswe heard “if our best” and thenafter we heard “work in progress.”

No more coach speak; nomore phrases that make fansquestion if this program is readyfor the next step. The programhas been ready since 2007, butevery time the team falteredthere was an excuse.

I’m not undermining Schiano.I am simply disappointed that the

coach who was so young and soenthusiastic to talk about champi-onships has turned into this sternguy who seems all about businessthese days. It’s all about sayingthe right things and not gettingtoo excited. But sometimes thecoach needs to speak up andinject some life into the fanbase.

When Schiano came toPiscataway, fans got excitedbecause of his vision. But thatimage of a young and eagercoach is slowly dying year after

year when this school doesn’twin a conference title. This yearagain there will be no crown towear. But the pain of that realitycan easily be shoved to the sidestarting tonight with a win overUSF. If the Knights can wintonight, the reality is comingback home 9-2 against theMountaineers will create a gameday atmosphere to remember.

RU fans tend to accept medi-ocrity, and for a while itappeared Greg Schiano would

not let that happen. He talkedabout constantly improving andmaking the way up to the top.But ever since 2006, theKnights have been mediocre —there’s no denying that. Withthe team’s struggles it seemsSchiano has talked less aboutchampionships and more aboutslowly improving.

Once again there is talent inplace. There was talent in 2007and 2008, and there is talent onceagain this year. There may not beas much as in years past, butthere is enough to beat the Bullstonight and undoubtedly enoughto beat Syracuse and Louisvillecoming up.

Mike Teel never had afourth quarter comeback; TomSavage already has one in hisfreshman season. Savage’sgame-winning touchdown passtwo Saturday’s ago at UConncould define this 2009 season.It showed what’s to come inthe future but also what canhappen before the season is finished.

The talent is there, andSchiano better start believinghis team’s best is good enoughto beat the best. If he doesbelieve his team can be thebest, then say it. His team wasthe best in 2006 against No. 3Louisville on a Thursday nightand again in 2007 against No. 2South Florida.

No more mulligans, no morefree passes. It’s anotherThursday night primetime oppor-tunity, which this programthrives on. Its best has to be goodenough tonight.

— Adam Helfgott hosts theScarlet Pulse on WRSU-FM andworks for Rutgers Athletics as astudent broadcaster onKnightVision

GAMEDAY P A G E G 1 2N O V E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 0 9

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M

RUN-DOWNJoe Martinek and theRutgers rushing attackhave yet to get thingsgoing against a Big Eastopponent. pg. G8

The last time South Florida visited Piscataway in 2007, Rutgers upset the second-ranked Bulls behind 181 yards

from Ray Rice. USF returns tonight as the No. 23 ranked team in the country.

Round 2

BEAST WARSRutgers left tackle Anthony Davis faces offagainst USF right end George Selvie in a matchup of potential first round NFL draft picks. pg. G3

DAN BRACAGLIA/ MULTIMEDIA EDITOR