(24) West Virginia (8-3) at Rutgers (8-3)
Saturday, December 5th, 12:00 p.m. (et)
GAME NOTES: The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have suffered 14 straight losses to the 24th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers and the will try to put an end to that run this weekend when the teams hook up in Big East play in Piscataway.
The series between the two programs has been dominated by WVU, 30-4-2, and the Mountaineers have won the past 14 encounters since Rutgers last picked up a victory in 1994.
To make things worse for Rutgers, the Mountaineers head into the weekend with a ton of confidence after knocking off eighth-ranked Pittsburgh, 19-16, in the "Backyard Brawl" last Friday.
"That was a heck of a football game," said head coach Bill Stewart, whose club used a last second field goal to capture the victory.
It marked the program's first victory over a Top 10 opponent since beating third-ranked Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, and helped WVU completed its first undefeated season at Mountaineer Field since 1993. Now at 8-3 overall and back in the Top 25, the Mountaineers are eyeing up a possible Gator Bowl berth with a win this weekend.
The Knights also have a shot at the Gator Bowl, but their chances took a hit when they were upset at Syracuse (31-13) on November 21st. The team however, rebounded last week with a convincing 34-14 victory at Louisville on Friday.
"I'm really proud of our kids," said head coach Greg Schiano. "They really responded the way I thought they would, but you never know until you go out there and do it. I thought they played hard. And they played with class."
With the outcome, Rutgers guaranteed itself of at least eight wins for the fourth consecutive season and pulled to a level 3-3 within the conference.
Tyler Bitancurt drilled a 43-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Mountaineers to a dramatic 19-16 upset of Pitt last week. The field goal was the fourth of the game by Bitancurt and it capped off a 10-play, 42-yard drive that followed a game-tying touchdown by Pitt with 2:54 remaining.
"I'm real proud of our field goal team," said Stewart. "Most importantly, I'm proud of Tyler Bitancurt," Stewart added. "I personally recruited him and that is special."
Tailback Noel Devine had an 88-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter that kept the Mountaineers ahead of Pitt heading into the final period and he finished the game with 134 yards on 17 carries. The speedy back has a knack for breaking long runs and he has now rushed for 1,232 yards and 11 touchdowns on the campaign.
Quarterback Jarrett Brown is also a factor with his legs, as he has rushed for 387 yards, helping WVU to average 185.5 ypg on the ground for the season. Brown is also an effective passer, completing 64.7 percent of his tosses for 2,013 yards and 11 scores. He, however, didn't have his best game last week, as he threw for just 164 yards and ran for only 21.
Jock Sanders and Alric Arnett are the primary threats in the passing game and they have combined for 105 yards, 1,148 yards and six scores on the season.
Defensively, the Mountaineers held their ground for most of the game against Pitt, but the unit did let up a bit late in the contest. Ahead 16-9, WVU allowed Pitt to go 75 yards on just three plays to tie the game with 2:54 remaining. However, it was the lone blemish for the unit, which limited Pitt to only 325 total yards.
"I'm proud of the way the defense kept us in the game," said Stewart.
The Mountaineers added two interceptions to their performance, although they did surrender 146 yards on the ground. WVU has been exploited on the ground in recent weeks, but is still limiting foes to a decent 123.3 rushing ypg for the season.
Robert Sands notched his team-best fifth interception in the win over Pitt, while Keith Tandy came up with his third pick of the campaign. Julian Miller also did a nice job brining pressure and he has done that all season long, leading the club with 12.5 TFLs and nine sacks.
Mohamed Sanu rushed for a career-high 148 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, as the Knights ran past Louisville last week. The true freshman, who is second on the team with 41 catches and 437 receiving yards, had 22 snaps out of the Wildcat formation, as he got a chance to showcase his athleticism.
"Mohammed is a really special talent," said Schiano. "We keep expanding that little by little. You earn your touches around here, so we feel like Mohammed needs to keep getting the ball in his hands."
Joe Martinek, who leads the team with 847 yards and nine scores on the ground, got involved last week as well, rushing 22 times for 90 yards and a score.
Quarterback Tom Savage added the first rushing touchdown of his career and he also completed 10-of-16 pass attempts for 164 yards and a score in the win. The true freshman certainly has a bright future ahead of him and he has now thrown for 1,764 yards, with 11 touchdowns against four interceptions.
His favorite target is none other than Tim Brown, who has amassed 1,051 receiving yards and eight scores on 50 catches this season. The speedy Brown even had a standout performance against Louisville, reeling in seven balls for 124 yards and a touchdown.
After an off performance against Syracuse, Rutgers' defense returned to form last week and held Louisville to just 302 total yards, including only 48 on the ground.
For the season, the Knights are permitting just 315.3 total ypg and they have been especially good versus the run, surrendering only 104.1 ypg. The unit has forced 30 turnovers and recorded 31 sacks, so obviously this group is capable of making big plays.
Devin McCourty leads the defense with 74 tackles, including seven last week, and George Johnson and Jonathan Freeny have provided the pass rush, combining for 21 TFLs and 14 sacks.
Behind their steady ground attack and stingy defense, look for the Knights to break out of their winless drought versus the Mountaineers, with a win this weekend.
Predicted Outcome: Rutgers 27, West Virginia 20
Saturday, December 5th, 12:00 p.m. (et)
GAME NOTES: The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have suffered 14 straight losses to the 24th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers and the will try to put an end to that run this weekend when the teams hook up in Big East play in Piscataway.
The series between the two programs has been dominated by WVU, 30-4-2, and the Mountaineers have won the past 14 encounters since Rutgers last picked up a victory in 1994.
To make things worse for Rutgers, the Mountaineers head into the weekend with a ton of confidence after knocking off eighth-ranked Pittsburgh, 19-16, in the "Backyard Brawl" last Friday.
"That was a heck of a football game," said head coach Bill Stewart, whose club used a last second field goal to capture the victory.
It marked the program's first victory over a Top 10 opponent since beating third-ranked Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, and helped WVU completed its first undefeated season at Mountaineer Field since 1993. Now at 8-3 overall and back in the Top 25, the Mountaineers are eyeing up a possible Gator Bowl berth with a win this weekend.
The Knights also have a shot at the Gator Bowl, but their chances took a hit when they were upset at Syracuse (31-13) on November 21st. The team however, rebounded last week with a convincing 34-14 victory at Louisville on Friday.
"I'm really proud of our kids," said head coach Greg Schiano. "They really responded the way I thought they would, but you never know until you go out there and do it. I thought they played hard. And they played with class."
With the outcome, Rutgers guaranteed itself of at least eight wins for the fourth consecutive season and pulled to a level 3-3 within the conference.
Tyler Bitancurt drilled a 43-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Mountaineers to a dramatic 19-16 upset of Pitt last week. The field goal was the fourth of the game by Bitancurt and it capped off a 10-play, 42-yard drive that followed a game-tying touchdown by Pitt with 2:54 remaining.
"I'm real proud of our field goal team," said Stewart. "Most importantly, I'm proud of Tyler Bitancurt," Stewart added. "I personally recruited him and that is special."
Tailback Noel Devine had an 88-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter that kept the Mountaineers ahead of Pitt heading into the final period and he finished the game with 134 yards on 17 carries. The speedy back has a knack for breaking long runs and he has now rushed for 1,232 yards and 11 touchdowns on the campaign.
Quarterback Jarrett Brown is also a factor with his legs, as he has rushed for 387 yards, helping WVU to average 185.5 ypg on the ground for the season. Brown is also an effective passer, completing 64.7 percent of his tosses for 2,013 yards and 11 scores. He, however, didn't have his best game last week, as he threw for just 164 yards and ran for only 21.
Jock Sanders and Alric Arnett are the primary threats in the passing game and they have combined for 105 yards, 1,148 yards and six scores on the season.
Defensively, the Mountaineers held their ground for most of the game against Pitt, but the unit did let up a bit late in the contest. Ahead 16-9, WVU allowed Pitt to go 75 yards on just three plays to tie the game with 2:54 remaining. However, it was the lone blemish for the unit, which limited Pitt to only 325 total yards.
"I'm proud of the way the defense kept us in the game," said Stewart.
The Mountaineers added two interceptions to their performance, although they did surrender 146 yards on the ground. WVU has been exploited on the ground in recent weeks, but is still limiting foes to a decent 123.3 rushing ypg for the season.
Robert Sands notched his team-best fifth interception in the win over Pitt, while Keith Tandy came up with his third pick of the campaign. Julian Miller also did a nice job brining pressure and he has done that all season long, leading the club with 12.5 TFLs and nine sacks.
Mohamed Sanu rushed for a career-high 148 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, as the Knights ran past Louisville last week. The true freshman, who is second on the team with 41 catches and 437 receiving yards, had 22 snaps out of the Wildcat formation, as he got a chance to showcase his athleticism.
"Mohammed is a really special talent," said Schiano. "We keep expanding that little by little. You earn your touches around here, so we feel like Mohammed needs to keep getting the ball in his hands."
Joe Martinek, who leads the team with 847 yards and nine scores on the ground, got involved last week as well, rushing 22 times for 90 yards and a score.
Quarterback Tom Savage added the first rushing touchdown of his career and he also completed 10-of-16 pass attempts for 164 yards and a score in the win. The true freshman certainly has a bright future ahead of him and he has now thrown for 1,764 yards, with 11 touchdowns against four interceptions.
His favorite target is none other than Tim Brown, who has amassed 1,051 receiving yards and eight scores on 50 catches this season. The speedy Brown even had a standout performance against Louisville, reeling in seven balls for 124 yards and a touchdown.
After an off performance against Syracuse, Rutgers' defense returned to form last week and held Louisville to just 302 total yards, including only 48 on the ground.
For the season, the Knights are permitting just 315.3 total ypg and they have been especially good versus the run, surrendering only 104.1 ypg. The unit has forced 30 turnovers and recorded 31 sacks, so obviously this group is capable of making big plays.
Devin McCourty leads the defense with 74 tackles, including seven last week, and George Johnson and Jonathan Freeny have provided the pass rush, combining for 21 TFLs and 14 sacks.
Behind their steady ground attack and stingy defense, look for the Knights to break out of their winless drought versus the Mountaineers, with a win this weekend.
Predicted Outcome: Rutgers 27, West Virginia 20
