The Rutgers football team faces the No. 11-ranked team in the country for the second week in a row, and this time it is the Michigan State Spartans.
It is the second time in program history where Rutgers plays three ranked foes in as many weeks.
Michigan State is 5-0 on the season.
The contest will mark the Scarlet Knights' 87th annual Homecoming game and they are 53-32-1 all-time. The event has been held every season since 1933 besides 1943 and last season. Eric LeGrand (football), Essence Carson (women's basketball), Jonelle Filigno-Hopkins (women's soccer), Alexis Gunzelman (women's gymnastics) and James Ford (men's lacrosse) make up the new Rutgers Hall of Fame Class that will be inducted as well.
With that said, check out some news and notes surrounding the team this week.
SIGN UP AND GET TKR PREMIUM FREE FOR 30 DAYS — CLICK HERE
Injury updates
Starting wide receiver Bo Melton and semi-starter left tackle Raiqwon O'Neal both left the Ohio State game early with injuries. Melton was later seen in street clothes after he reached for his shoulder while falling in the first quarter. O'Neal had a boot on his foot on the sidelines. It is unclear if they will give it a go on Saturday.
“They are both banged up. Hopefully they will be able to go on Saturday. We are going to have to wait and see," Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said Monday. "They are getting treatment and hopefully will be good.”
Who will step up?
Brendan Bordner is a shoe-in candidate to fill in for O'Neal, who has started 13 games "On the Banks". Bordner has already started at both tackle positions in three of four games this season. Rutgers has mixed up the offensive line all year.
At receiver, Shameen Jones, Isaiah Washington, Brandon Sanders, and Aron Cruickshank all likely get bumps in targets if Melton cannot play. Joshua Youngblood, who caught a 12-yard touchdown late in the game this past weekend against Ohio State, could see more action as well. Youngblood, though, has only played 17 snaps over two games on offense and 13 came against the Buckeyes with time winding down in the blowout.
“I would say that we need more production out of the entire offense and the wide receivers are part of that," Schiano said. "I don’t think that they should be highlighted as we need more from them as opposed to the tight ends, the running backs, the quarterback or the offensive line. I think we all have to perform better and that’s coaches included.”
Getting the rust off
Patrice Rene, now a starting cornerback for Rutgers, came over from North Carolina where he was productive, but he also dealt with some injuries. Rene missed almost the entire 2019 season and played in 10 games with six starts in 2020. Rene got off to a rocky start at Rutgers after suffering an injury during training camp and missing the first three games. Rene has played a big part in the secondary, especially with second-year freshman Max Melton out.
“Number one we are blessed that he is with us, a valuable acquisition during the offseason. Unfortunately he got injured as you know in training camp, but he’s come back strong," Schiano said. "I wouldn’t say that he has got all the rust off, but he’s certainly getting better every snap and that will be important getting into the middle and later part of the season. Depth is a big concern when you get to those latter parts.”
Offensive line moves
Coming into the year, Schiano talked about the offensive line being a key -- if not the key -- to how the season will go. The Scarlet Knights have experimented with multiple players at different spots and even different combinations of starters and units within the game.
Hollin Pierce and Troy Rainey appear to have a hold on the right side of the line while Nick Krimin at center and Cedrice Paillant have played a lot at center and left guard, respectively. Bordner, especially with O'Neal is out, can play left tackle.
But behind them, Rutgers continues to search for depth, and second-year freshman Gus Zilinskas has seen action in two games (Delaware and Ohio State) at center and has Pro Football Focus grades of 70.2 and 65.0, respectively including strong numbers in the run blocking department. He is now listed as the backup center on the depth chart.
“Gus is a good, young promising lineman," Schiano said. "He is working at the center position and he has been getting better and better every week as he learns how to play college football.”
Ireland Brown has made the switch from defensive tackle to offensive guard and like Zilinskas, he's played against the Buckeyes and the Blue Hens. It's a small sample size (16 total snaps), but he leads all offensive players with a PFF grade of 82.3 with an 82.4 in run blocking and 77.0 in pass blocking.
“You don’t move guys unless there is a need and certainly there was a need. As we mentioned many times, we keep trying to find a combination that is going to be successful with the schedule that we play," Schiano said. "If it means taking guys from the other side of the ball if they are capable, then we will do that. If it means transfer portal, then we will do that. If it means growing our own, we are hopefully doing that. We need to get to the point where the offensive line is capable of protecting the passer and running the football on a relatively consistent level. That’s not the case yet, but we are getting closer.”
Developing depth
As the season goes along, other, young players could be counted on in games if guys come up with bumps and bruises. The Big Ten season is a grind. Going forward, in order for the rebuild to really take place, the freshmen and such have to develop in order to be ready when their time comes. Players like Rainey and Pierce have done that quicker on the offensive line, but the Scarlet Knights need more of that.
“I do think that we have some really good young players in our program," Schiano said. "They are getting valuable reps in practice. We do a lot of developmental work for them and we are building depth as we speak. Sometimes not quite as quickly as we need to, but overall I’m pleased.”
Switched up Spartans
Michigan State has a handful of new players this season after it hit the transfer portal. One of the main ones is Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker III. Walker III leads the country with 680 total rushing yards.
Rutgers defeated the Spartans, 38-27, in the shortened, Big Ten-only season last fall, but Schiano, who has said on many occasions, it's hard to take anything from that campaign let alone the first game.
"They had some portal guys. You got to remember now that game we all practiced during school and that was a whole different look," Schiano said. "Different programs were affected differently and now this is real.”
Michigan State is 17th in the nation and third in the conference scoring 36.8 points per game. It is also racking up 434.5 total yards, 195.5 rushing yards, 5.2 rushing yards per attempt, and 239 passing yards per game.
“Most people in college football are doing similar things, but everyone has their own twist on it schematically," Schiano said. "They are very productive just as Michigan is. Must be something in the water in that state, they are all running the ball very well.”
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
