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Rutgers' Mike Tverdov itching to see fans again in the stands come Thursday

Mike Tverdov has gone to the Scarlet Walk before every Rutgers football team’s home games since he was kid when his older brother, Pete, played for the Scarlet Knights.

Since he became a Scarlet Knight himself in 2017, Tverdov has participated in the pre-game festivity, but he missed it last year with no fans in the stands due to COVID.

Later this week, the Union, N.J. native is pumped up to see his family, friends, and the rest of Rutgers nation as his team faces Temple on Thursday, Sept. 2, at 6:30 p.m. at SHI Stadium in Piscataway.

“Definitely seeing and hugging my mom at the Scarlet Walk,” Tverdov said on what he’s looking forward to most. “I'm really excited to see the fans. I can't wait, man. It's gonna be a great atmosphere. The best is yet to come for us.”

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Weather might play a factor in terms of overall attendance in the first game, but the crowd should amp up once Big Ten competition arrives. Coach Greg Schiano being back as well as fans excited. They weren’t able to witness Schiano 2.0 in 2020.

“A goal of mine since I got here has been to play in front of a sold out crowd. I know how special this place is when the lights come on and it's a sold out crowd,” Tverdov said. “I'm just really excited to have the opportunity this week and I'm going to take advantage of it. But, you know, everybody knows how crazy Jersey can get. We're gonna need that momentum on our side, and we're looking forward to it all season long.”

Rutgers made tons of strides last season on both sides of the ball. Rutgers generated seven takeaways in the first game last year against Michigan State. Almost every starter is back from a year ago as well, and Tverdov said the defense improved and got more comfortable in the scheme.

“I think the defense has made a lot of strides in all aspects,” Tverdov said. “Our secondary, defensive line, linebackers, everybody's done a really good job of developing each and every day, from the starters to the younger guys. I think we've all really bought into the concept of developing every single day in everything we do. That's something that really coach Schiano has embedded into our brains. We're a developmental program. Everybody's going to develop in all areas. And I think that it's really polished up our defense and we're excited for the season.”

The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder got into the backfield quite a bit during training camp, and he feels a good year awaits. Tverdov led the defensive line with 40 tackles and 10.5 tackles-for-loss, and was second in sacks with 4.0.

“I think I had a really good camp. Thank God I'm healthy first and foremost,” Tverdov said. “I feel strong. I feel really comfortable in our defense. And like I said, I'm just really comfortable with how we're all developing and we make each other better every single day. It's really helping us prepare for not only these games coming up but Big Ten competition down the road. I'm just taking it one day at a time. Tried to focus on one thing I did wrong everyday and one thing I did really well and just take it day by day. I really think that's helped me prepare for the season.”

Tverdov is set to start once again at defensive end on Thursday alongside Mayan Ahanotu, Julius Turner, and CJ Onyechi. Backing them up respectively are Aaron Lewis, Ifeanyi Maijeh, Ireland Brown/Jamree Kromah, and Mohamed Toure.

“The D-line has done a great job this camp. Coach (Jim) Pangos, coach (Charlie) Noonan, ...they've all really been on our tails all camp long pushing us in every single thing we do whether it's team, pass rush, individual period, they're on us from start to finish,” Tverdov said. “I think that's really helping us play with a lot of energy, a lot of motor, and that's something you need in this league. You have to be able to go from start to finish plus possibly overtime and I'm really excited to work with the guys on our D-line. We have a lot of talent, a lot of guys that are really making a lot of improvement in all areas, and I think the sky's the limit for the D-line.”

Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.

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