Julius Turner might have led the defensive line with 45 tackles last season, but the senior might have had his best game in his career at Rutgers in Saturday's 38-27 win over Michigan State in East Lansing.
Channeling his inner Ramel Meekens and Eric Foster from his tilted nose tackle position, Turner (6-0, 265-pounds) who lost weight when comparing the 2019 roster, had three tackles including one for loss against the Spartans.
But it was more than just the stats.
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Turner flat out dominated, pushing his way through two defenders almost every play and making his way into the backfield.
"It is something in our system that we utilize. We have had some success with some guys that maybe wouldn't have fit into other systems, per se. Some guys we had play here in the past you wouldn't say were the prototype of a nose guard," Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said. "You're talking guys that are at that 6-foot, 6-foot-1 range, that have a unique skill set. They have quick and heavy hands, and are very explosive and Julius certainly has those skill sets."
Turner, who was listed as the backup to Robin Jutwreten, was a apart of a defense that caused seven turners (five fumbles, two interceptions) and 12 tackles-for-loss. Rutgers stopped Michigan State on two fourth-down attempts. The Scarlet Knights also allowed just 60 yards rushing after giving up 201 yards-per-game on the ground in 2019.
BTN analyst Matt Millen raved about Turner all game long.
"Again, I didn't see a ton but when you talk to the coaches, he was causing havoc in the backfield at times," Schiano said. "I saw early in the game we drew a holding penalty, so those to me are things that are a good part of our defense to me. Julius fits it perfectly. Him and some others caused some problems in there which is good stuff. As you know, we are going to play a lot of defensive lineman. It's going to be a rolling show for the d-line. That is just our philosophy."
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisWasky.
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