The 2008 Rutgers Scarlet Knights' season began with hope and promise.
Despite the departure of Ray Rice to the NFL in favor for more Baltimore-y pastures, spirits were sky high. Fueled by the return of two 1,000-yard receivers in Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood, the return of the dynamic Mike Teel, and a defense with NFL Draft Round 2 prospect Courtney Greene, expectations were right up there in the recently dominant Big East.
So were the spirits of fans who crammed into Rutgers Stadium on a steamy late August day in Piscataway. The Knights ran onto the field that day to a sellout ovation of over 43,000.
"Requiem" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra blared from the speakers above. Britt and Underwood chest-bumped at the 20. Everything was going the way of Rutgers. The ball sailed into the air…and the 2008 season was under way.
But then, uh…oh no…shoot…they did wha?
24-7. Not the terminology for Rutgers’ dominance that day—moreso the final score, with Rutgers on the tail end of losing to Fresno State (who, mind you, went on to become ranked for a brief while).
Mike Teel appeared as if he hadn’t practiced once over the spring and summer and he wasn’t helped by Britt’s alligator arms.
Mesh that with a porous front seven that hadn’t been living up to expectations, was barely touching the opposing QB, and allowing opposing WRs to dance circles around them, and you’ve got a team that begins 1-5.
One year removed from a No. 10 AP ranking, two years from a No. 7 BCS ranking.
So what exactly went wrong? Let’s take a closer look.
First of all, let’s point out that Rutgers had a rather difficult opening schedule. Their five losses came at the hands of opponents who are currently 34-16, all of whom have been or are currently ranked top 25 at some point this season (with the exception of Navy).
Unlike certain other Big East teams *cough USF cough* who were fighting against such powerhouses as Florida International and UCF, Rutgers had its hands full with the surging Tarheels.
Second, there was CLEARLY some rust that just wasn’t being shaken, and never was this more evident when you looked at the play of QB Mike Teel.
Expected to finally emerge in his senior season, he laid three straight eggs in Rutgers’ 0-3 start, posting a 1-6 TD-INT ratio. His receivers were of no help either, as Britt had his fair share of troubles (dropped a beauty of a TD pass against Fresno State), and Underwood’s 392 receiving yards after 10 games have all but dropped him off of everyone’s draft board.
And of course, the elephant in the room that everyone’s talking about, the vacancy left behind by Ray Rice.
Not only did he leave behind mighty big shoes to fill, he also left head coach Greg Schiano with a mammoth problem. The first-year speed demon Jourdan Brooks? The proven veteran coming off of reconstructive knee surgery Kordell Young? Or one of the plethora of others who may be diamonds in the rough?
At first, Young got the assignment, and though showing bursts of promise here and there, still didn’t appear to be completely over his injury.
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about 1 month ago
Very well thought out article. Nice read. I hope to see more!
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