I go to RU and im in shock that the line is only -5 against a UNC. RU is coming off an upsetting loss to Fresno St at home..with RU's widely heralded wide receivers this game will be decided by at least 2 td...RU is a lot better then the way they played week 1..
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UNC will play this one close...leaning towards UNC +5 in this one....Comment -
imho i think u guys are in for a surpriseComment -
i would buy that 5 up to a plus 7-or hoping line risesComment -
I Like Rutgers got it at 4.5, going up..Comment -
I can't bet RU, so it's UNC or pass. Just haven;t decided which yet.Comment -
Last year on Thur. Night Games the Dog covered quite a bit. This year its 1-1...But, no opinon on this game yet.Comment -
North Carolina's won like 2 meaningful road games the past 2-3years and didnt win a road game AT ALL last year. They gave up 27 points to McNeese State. I might consider buying a point or two if I could get it to 3 but I think the Scarlet Knights win comfortably. Not to mention the fact that Rutgers was humiliated last week AT HOMEComment -
"Last year Rutgers was the darling in the East and I believe they even went to a bowl game. Senior Mike Teel has yet to throw a TD this season which when paired with 2 INT’s makes you wonder if they are going to rely on the ground game as they did last year with Kordell Young taking the brunt of the carries this year. On paper, Rutgers looks horrendous and they don’t give you alot to get excited about, but when you consider their conference they may see another bowl game this year. The Tar Heels football program (I didn’t know they played anything else but basketball) has never been that good and so when they win it is actually a great acheivement. They don’t have the toughest schedule, but throw in Georgia Tech, Boston College, and VTech and its a safe bet that they don’t aim that high. Sophomore QB T.J. Yates will be leading the Tar Heels this year and already had a decent outing last week against McNeese State with 2 TD’s and 1 INT, but he really doesn’t have much to work with and its not his fault. Despite my contempt for everything from Jersey I gotta take the Scarlet Knights who have enough talent from lst year to get the job done on their home field. Rutgers -4.5 is the play. "Comment -
I despise everything UNC being I go to NC State but to say Yates doesnt have much to work with is crazy. They have one of the best receivers in the country in Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Tate isnt bad either he had about 350 all purpose yards last game.Comment -
For the third consecutive year, ESPN will broadcast a Thursday night primetime game
from Piscataway in 2008. In 2006, No. 15 Rutgers defeated No. 3 Louisville 28-25 in a battle of unbeatens. Last season, the Scarlet Knights stopped No. 2 USF 30-27 on ESPN’s Thursday night
broadcast.
Rutgers officials said 18 NFL scouts are expected to be in attendance Thursday night, as well as three general managers -- Jerry Reese of the Giants, Bill Polian of the Colts and Rick Spielman of the Vikings.
The game features the first time Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano will face his former mentor
in UNC head coach Butch Davis. Schiano served as Davis’ defensive coordinator when
Davis was the head coach at the University of Miami in 1999 and 2000.
Ray Rice rushed for 201 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, and Rutgers withstood a late scare from North Carolina and beat the Tar Heels 21-16 in ‘06, their last meeting.
Rutgers led 21-10 midway through the fourth quarter before the Tar Heels closed to within five points on Joe Dailey's 2-yard touchdown pass to freshman Hakeem Nicks with 5:09 remaining. They went for 2, but Dailey's pass was intercepted by Joe Porter.
North Carolina had one last chance when it forced a punt, got the ball back at its own 27 and advanced to the Rutgers 29. But Dailey's third-down pass was intercepted by Manny Collins, and the Scarlet Knights ran out the final 1:52.
North Carolina (0-1) came in determined to prevent Brian Leonard, the Scarlet Knights' do-it-all fullback, from beating them, and they succeeded, limiting him to 25 yards rushing on six carries and four receptions for 20 yards.
But that focus on Leonard enabled Rice to have one of the best games of his career.
2006 game stats:
……………………….Rutgers…†¦â€¦â€¦North Carolina
First downs ……………22.…………………2 5
3rd Down Efficiency.. 8-for-13-62% …..8-for-13-62%
Total Yards ……………362 ……………….403
Rushes-Net Yards …….41-217.…………. 32-169
Average Per Rush ……..5.3.……………….. 5.3
Passing Comp-Att ……14-20 …………….24-36
Passing Yards …………145 ……………….234
Average Per Pass Play …7.3 ……………….6.5
Penalties-Yards ………..7-41 ……………..8-60
Fumbles-Lost …………..1-1 ………………1-1
Interceptions Thrown ……0 …………………2
In UNC’s 1st ‘08 game, they beat McNeese St 35-27 with each team scoring on a PR. UNC was outgained 391-384. MS was 9-19 on 3rd downs to UNC’s 6-13. MS had a 35:16 TOP to UNC’s 23:45.
The Tar Heels led the game 14-0 before a 1 hour and 48 minute weather delay halted action in the second quarter. Carolina struggled after the break and trailed the Cowboys, 20-14, late in the third quarter. UNC wide receiver/kick returner Brandon Tate was the star of the game with a school-record 397 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. • Tate became the first wide receiver to rush for 100 yards in a game in UNC history with three carries for 106 yards. He came into the game with 151 rushing yards in his first three seasons at UNC (20 in 2006, 131 in 2007).
McNeese State was 11-1 last year. The Cowboys were knocked out in the first round of the FCS playoffs last season and this year, they are ranked tenth in the FCS preseason poll.
• North Carolina WR Brooks Foster had one
of the best performances of his career against
Rutgers with a career-high 11 receptions for 120
yards.
• Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks made his collegiate
debut against the Scarlet Knights and had
seven receptions for 63 yards.
• North Carolina has lost its last seven games to
members of the Big East Conference. The last
time UNC beat a Big East team was at Syracuse
in 2002. Since that time, Carolina has lost to Big
East members South Florida (2006, 2007), Rutgers
(2006), Louisville (2004, 2005) and Syracuse
(2003).
UNC:
Offensive Starters Returning (9):
Offensive Starters Lost (2): C Scott Lenahan, TB Johnny White*
*Johnny White started eight games in 2007 at tailback, but has moved to cornerback; Shaun
Draughn has moved from safely to tailback.
Defensive Starters Returning (8)
Defensive Starters Lost (3): DT Kentwan Balmer, LB Durell Mapp, DE Hilee Taylor
The Tar Heels used three first-time starters Saturday vs. McNeese State: junior cornerback Jordan Hemby and sophomore defensive end Darrius Massenburg on defense and senior left guard Bryon Bishop on offense.
Tar Heels welcome back
43 lettermen, including 23 defensive letterwinners, 19 on the offensive side of the ball and one special teams letterman.
Carolina has nine returning starters on offense, including all-star candidates Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Tate at wide receiver, Garrett Reynolds at offensive tackle and T.J. Yates at quarterback. Versatile sophomore Greg Little returns at tailback after starting the final two games
in 2007.
Defensively, Carolina returns eight starters, including freshman All-Americas Deunta Williams at safety, Marvin Austin at defensive tackle and Quan Sturdivant at linebacker. Terrence Brown is back at punter.
Sophomore quarterback T.J. Yates saw his first game action since undergoing offseason shoulder surgery and was 15 of 26 for 221 yards and two touchdowns in the opening win vs. McNeese State. Yates, who had surgery following last season’s Duke game to repair the labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder, now has 16 career TD passes in 13 games.
With just 13 games under his belt, Yates is already 12th in career passing yards (2,876) at UNC. He needs just 215 yards to break into the top 10.
Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks and kick returner Brandon Tate have been selected to the 2008 preseason all-conference team in voting by media attending the annual Atlantic Coast Conference Football Kickoff.
Carolina will have not taken the field again for 11 days until the Sept. 11 trip to Rutgers for an ESPN Thursday night contest.
The strength of last year's team and this year's team was in the defensive line, which notched 34 sacks last year (fourth in the league). But Carolina's run defense was inconsistent at best and finished ninth in the league, allowing 142.5 yards per game. The 3.5 yards per carry average was the fourth-highest allowed in the league. The 103 rushing first downs Carolina allowed were the fourth-most in the ACC. Carolina's pass defense was not as good as the numbers would make it seem since opponents tried to run on Carolina more than pass. With the young players being a year more experienced, this unit will be a lot better collectively defending both the run and the pass if they are able to just play.
Plain and simple, the Tar Heels have to stop the run this season. The Tar Heels were plagued by inconsistency in that department last season, allowing 135.6 yards on the ground in the first nine games and slipping to allow 163.3 in the last three games, including a huge rushing day by NC State which had been one of the worst rushing teams in the league.
Everything starts up front: The Carolina offensive line is expected to be one of the stronger units on this team. Offensively, Carolina got off to a hot start last season throwing the ball and couldn't manage to get anything going on the ground. This caught up to the Tar Heels in ACC play when teams began to figure out T.J. Yates - passing became more difficult and running seemed impossible. Carolina finished last season tenth in the league in rushing yards with 99.2 a game. The good news is that on the strength of Greg Little, Carolina averaged 126.5 yards in its final two games. The bad news is that Carolina finished 11th in the league in time of possession and even in that final game against Duke, Carolina had trouble sustaining drives and had a 12:46 deficit in time of possession. Also was evident vs. McNeese St in their 1st g TY.
The Tar Heels, who finished with 163 rushing yards overall (but only 69 from their running backs) vs. MS, will need to run more effectively at Rutgers on Sept. 11. That begins with the offensive line, which must create more holes.
Converted Safety, RB Draughn's encouraging performance ( 30 yards and a touchdown on seven carries) behind starter Greg Little (14 carries, 37 yards) means UNC could eventually build the depth at tailback that was so elusive last season.
Davis admitted the coaches were probably too stubborn in sticking with the running game when there were pass options available. In the fourth quarter, for example, quarterback T.J. Yates connected with Hakeem Nicks for a 71-yard pass play.
The Tar Heels will concentrate on fixing a running game that managed only 69 yards besides Tate; a passing game that, outside of Tate, stalled for the first three quarters; and a defensive performance that produced zero sacks.
Little Named To Doak Walker Award List
Heels split kicking duties
North Carolina freshmen Jay Wooten and Casey Barth are trying to replace former place-kicker Connor Barth. Wooten and Casey Barth, the younger brother of Connor, are sharing place-kicking duties for the Tar Heels, and entering Thursday's game at Rutgers
Wooten, a redshirt freshman, is expected to handle kickoffs and long-distance field goals, and Casey Barth, a walk-on freshman, is expected to try short-range field goals and extra-point attempts.
Barth finished 5-for-5 on extra point attempts but missed a 37-yard field-goal try wide left with 12:37 to play in the fourth quarter.
CHAPEL HILL — Reserve cornerback Johnny White, who missed North Carolina's opener against McNeese State with a thigh injury, was not on UNC's latest injury report, which was released Tuesday. That means he should be available to play when the Tar Heels face Rutgers on Thursday in New Jersey.
Here's the full injury report:
Out: DT Darius Massenburg (knee); Questionable: WR Cooter Arnold (ankle), LB Linwan Euwell (knee), FB Bobby Rome (ankle).
Darrius Massenburg, the starting right end and a sophomore, will not play at Rutgers after undergoing exploratory arthroscopic surgery yesterday on one of his knees. No structural damage was found. He will likely be replaced in the starting lineup by Greg Elleby, a sophomore.
Carolina has not won outside the state since its 38-35 victory at Arizona State on Oct. 5, 2002, a span of 20 games.
UNC (1-0) came close on a couple of occasions last season. Under new coach Butch Davis, the Tar Heels were 0-6 on the road, including 0-3 outside the state. But two of those three losses came by seven points or fewer
Davis considers field trips distractions, unless the trip lasts several days. Which is why he tries not to change his team's routine from home games. "We told the team (Sunday) that this is a business trip," Davis said. "We're not going to visit the Statue of Liberty. We're not going to the zoo. We're not going to stay overnight at Broadway and try and catch a play.
Davis thought the long break between games was beneficial for his team, which has 11 seniors and is among the ACC's least-experienced teams. Almost all of the practice time was devoted to working on UNC's shortcomings and weaknesses, with some work late last week designed for Rutgers, which is 0-1 after losing its season opener at home to Fresno State by a 24-7 score.
Rutgers is 4-2 over its last six games vs. non-conference BCS opponents.
Rutgers’ two current running backs, Kordell Young and Mason Robinson, combined for only 106 yards and one touchdown in the Sept. 1 opener against Fresno State.
But Schiano said the program is not searching for the next Ray Rice
“There’s not probably going to be that one guy all the time — although there was Saturday, that’s not our plan,†he said.
Young took 26 of the 32 attempts vs. Fresno, recording 94 of the total yards and scoring the Knights’ sole touchdown of the game.
UNC coach Butch Davis said he doesn’t expect a larger focus on the pass from the program just because Rice has moved on. And Schiano doesn’t expect the running backs to score every touchdown in this year’s game as Rice did in 2006.
Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel completed 20 of his 39 pass attempts with two interceptions and no touchdowns against Fresno State, but Schiano — and Davis — expect more from him against North Carolina.
After all, Teel did manage 263 yards last week, and it was Teel who played alongside Rice in the 2006 game and went 14-20 then.
Mike Teel completed passes to seven different receivers in the Fresno State game. Teel completed passes to three wide receivers, one tight end, two running backs and a fullback.
The WR tandem of Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood combined for 12 receptions and 162 yards vs. the Bulldogs to lead the Scarlet Knight offense.
Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood return as the nation’s second leading wide receiver tandem in 2008. Last season, the two players both went over the 1,000-yard mark in receiving.
The Scarlet Knights return two starters on the offensive line. Sophomore Anthony Davis moves from right guard to left tackle and junior center Ryan Blaszczyk returns to man the middle of the Scarlet Knight offensive line.
Once again in 2008, several members of the Rutgers Football team are among the nation’s elite at their respective position.
Bednarik Award Watch List
Courtney Greene, DB
Jamaal Westerman, DE
Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List
Courtney Greene, DB
Davey O’Brien Award Watch List
Mike Teel, QB
Jim Thorpe Award Watch List
Courtney Greene, DB
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Watch List
Mike Teel, QB
Maxwell Award Watch List
Kenny Britt, WR
Tiquan Underwood, WR
Outland Trophy Watch List
Anthony Davis, OT
Rimington Trophy Watch List
Ryan Blaszczyk, C
Ted Hendricks Award Watch List
Jamaal Westerman, DE
Greg Schiano
On UNC’s defense:
“They have an NFL size defensive line. Three-hundred pounders across, the linebackers run very well, the inside guys run very well, and the cornerbacks have some experience. It’s going to be a challenge, no doubt, but it’s exciting to do it on a national stage here at Rutgers Stadium against great competition, and it should be a great challenge for us.â€
On watching Butch Davis and North Carolina:
“When I watch North Carolina games, I see similar philosophies more than specific plays, because he has coordinators calling the plays, and I’m sure he has input and makes changes or overrules, but he’s not calling every play. What I do see is what he believes in, and I’m sure when he looks at our plays he sees the same thing, because we have similar beliefs.â€
The Scarlet Knights could really use a win here to right the ship. After this week, it’s four out of the next six on the road against stiff competition (Navy, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh).
On the whole, head coach Greg Schiano thought the performance of his defense in the season opener against Fresno State was fairly good. Except for three plays, each leading to a touchdown for the Bulldogs. Schiano attributed the mistakes to communication breakdowns.
The first was a 77-yard pass from quarterback Tom Brandstater to wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu midway through the third quarter. Fresno's next play was a 4-yard touchdown run by Ryan Mathews. Then in the beginning of the fourth quarter, Brandstater and Ajirotutu hooked up again on a 31-yard conversion on third-and-23. One play later, Mathews pounded it in again from 1 yard out.
The secondary - comprised of three veteran starters - were at fault. And they know it.
The Rutgers secondary is second to none in the Big East Conference, thus one of the best starting units in the country.
There is no doubting their credentials. Junior corner Devin McCourty led the secondary in interceptions last season and has now played in 27 consecutive games. His brother Jason has started at the other corner for three years. Free safety Courtney Greene is a preseason All-America and rated the No. 3 free safety in the country by one publication. The other starting safety, sophomore Joe Lefeged, was an honorable mention Freshman All-America by "The Sporting News."
One week after facing the nation’s leading statistical kick returner in Fresno State’s A.J. Jefferson, Rutgers’ kick coverage unit will be targeting the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-time leading kick returner. With 2,439 yards on 99 career kick returns, Tate is only 483 yards shy of the NCAA record for kickoff return yards.
Seeing Tate’s Carolina blue No. 87 jersey won’t be a welcome sight for Rutgers’ coverage teams, but if there’s a silver lining it’s the fact that Jefferson was limited to 40 yards on two kickoffs in the 24-7 setback to Fresno.
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WOW! great write up.Comment -
i agree excellent stuff...i was gonna mention all that just didnt wanna take the time to write it up
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great write up.... i agree thx for putting in the time but still didnt help me too much.
@ first i was going to with Rutgers simply cuz their better than what they showed against a good fresno st team (which i had bet on) but i dunno.....seems like it could be a really really close game after reading those stats. I still think rutgers is do for a big game - and when their on point they can score as fast as anyone with their wide outs.
i may wait and see how the line moves b4 the game because usually when the big money comes in.Comment -
kenny britt is projected to be a 2nd round pick next year...400lb bench press, fast as fuk...hes a beast...i should show u some of his gym pictures he has up on facebook...MUCH better then tiquan...and hes only a junior...Comment
