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Top 5 things to look for at the Scarlet-White spring game

Tomorrow, the Rutgers football team will play in the program’s annual Scarlet-White spring game. The exhibition game will pit the offense (Scarlet) against the defense (white) and gives the fans an early look at what the team might look like come this upcoming fall.

TheKnightReport decided to take a look at the top five things to be on the look for while watching the game.

Quarterbacks….

The early talk around the fan base is the excitement building behind freshman quarterback and early enrollee Artur Sitkowski out of IMG Academy. He has made some big time strides so far this spring in the competition, and has put himself in the near driver seat for the job. One guy that pushes him heavily for the job is the most experienced quarterback on the roster, Giovanni Rescigno. He’s looked solid all spring and has continued to do well enough to prevent head coach Chris Ash from naming his starter this early in the offseason. Expect Saturday to be the true test to see which way Ash is leaning in this battle.

The Offensive Line…

This offseason the Scarlet Knights have to replace two solid starters at the two guard spots along the offensive line in Dorian Miller and Marcus Applefield. So far, it only looks like one of those spots may be locked in. Redshirt sophomore Nick Krimin has made some real nice strides this offseason and has been manning the right guard spot almost all spring long. While Ash is reluctant to name any starters at the guard spots, Krimin looks to have found his home at right guard. As for the left guard a lot of mixing and matching has taken place this spring as the staff has used Jonah Jackson, Zack Venesky, Mike Lonsdorf and other to try and fill the position with no one stepping up so far. Expect this competition to last deep into fall camp as coach AJ Blazek tries to figure out who will start for his Carnage Crew.

Special Teams…

In yesterday’s War Room, we highlighted 10 players to keep an eye on. One of them was punter Adam Korsak. This season, Korsak, who came over from Australia to be a Scarlet Knight, will handle the punting duties now that NFL hopeful Ryan Anderson has graduated after his one year at Rutgers. Korsak has fared well this spring, displaying a variety of different punts -- including rugby style. The sophomore has had good hang time on his punts and has showed the ability to keep the balls deep and into the corner of the field. As far placekicker, Justin Davidovicz and Gavin Haggerty have duked it out, but Ash said the job as of right now is Davidovicz’s. It’ll be interesting to see how he does in a stadium setting. He has a powerful leg, but isn’t the most accurate when it comes to field goals. Davidovicz will also be the kickoff guy as well.

Younger players/newcomers…

The spring game is a good chance for younger players in the program who are playing or having played yet to get more reps and get a feel for the college game. While the starters/older guys will obviously play, keep an eye on freshmen, sophomores or even transfers who could fill the depth chart and see playing time this season in all phases of the game. Look for LB Malik Dixon, CB Tre Avery, S Naijee Jones, DB Edwin Lopez, DB Tim Barrow, JACK CJ Onyechi, DL Brendan Bordner, DL Jaohne Duggan, DL TiJuan Mason, DL Mike Tverdov, LB Olakunle Fatukasi, LB Tyshon Fogg, LB Brendan Devera, LB Rashawn Battle, OL Raiqwon O’Neal, QB Artur Sitkowski, QB Jalen Chatman, RB Isaih Pacheco, RB Raheem Blackshear, RB Jon Hilliman, TE Travis Vokolek, WR Bo Melton, WR Eddie Lewis, WR Shameen Jones,

An offense that isn’t offensive...

The Rutgers offense has been quite offensive in recent years and Ash and co. are continually building the program. Having yet another coordinator hurts, but John McNulty is as good as it gets. McNulty was here at Rutgers during the glory days about 10 years ago. There is a lot of young talent on the offensive side of the football on the team. Rutgers finished 128th out of 129 FBS teams in 2017 in total offense per game (262.7 yards), 124th in passing yards per game (115.6), 128th in first downs gained (165), and 120th in scoring. There’s only one way to go, and that is up, but it might take another year a or two. And while McNulty won’t be calling plays for the spring game, see if the offense can move the ball and look like an offense.

BONUS

SCARLET-WHITE GAME FORMAT:

The final spring practice session and annual Scarlet-White game will be a scripted scrimmage in four quarters of action with live tackling. The roster has been divided offense vs. defense, with the offense wearing Scarlet jerseys, while the defense will wear White jerseys.

The first quarter will feature red zone offensive and defensive situations. In the second and third quarters, the teams will play a more traditional game with the ball being spotted at various yard markers and the offense attempting to move the ball against the defense. Prior to the start of the second quarter, there will be a field goal kicking competition with one kicker attempting kicks from varying distances for each side.

The fourth quarter will consist of third-down situations and the two-minute drill.

SCORING:

Rutgers football will employ a unique scoring system to its Scarlet-White game. Below is a breakdown of how each team can accumulate points during the scrimmage.

There will be other scenarios throughout the spring game where both the offense and defense can earn additional points, including during the field goal kicking competition to start the second quarter.

Offense earns points:

Touchdown 6 Points

Explosive Play 2 Points (run 10+ yards or pass 15+ yards)

FG 3 points

PAT 1 point

2 Point Conv. 2 points

1st Down 1 Point


Defense earns points:

Defensive Stop 2 points (zero points scored)

3 and Out 3 points

Sack 3 points

TFL 2 points

Takeaway 6 points

TD 10 points

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