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He threw short passes, he threw long passes, and yes, Noah Vedral even threw long passes. Quarterback Rutgers has heard so many criticisms of his arm strength while at Piscataway, you half expected him to sign a NIL deal with a spaghetti company.
– Trust me, guys. I know the wet noodles!
But in that breezy 45-13 win over Delaware on Saturday at SHI Stadium, Vedral proved he has plenty of juice in his right arm for passing downstream passes when he has time in his pocket. That last element – time – was lacking in the victories over Temple and Syracuse to start the season.
The Nebraska native had all kinds of times in this one, and as a result, offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson opened the playbook. Vedral finished 57 and 62 yards (both were also frozen ropes), which was the perfect answer to impatient / unrealistic fans who want someone – anyone – to take their place at the starter.
Latest news: This is not the case.
Admittedly, the competition was not great. The adversary look at like Michigan, with the blue and yellow helmets, but it wasn’t a Big Ten defense. Still: It was exactly the kind of confidence-building performance Rutgers needed to see from his pre-conference pass attack.
He completed 21 of 25 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns. Most of those passes were still short throws – that’s the bread and butter of this offense – but he extended the pitch as well. He only had a few bad throws as even the long incomplete passes were within reach for the receiver to play on the ball.
More importantly for head coach Greg Schiano, that Rutgers offense still hasn’t returned the ball in three games.
Vedral is the quarterback. His arm looked very strong. He will travel to Michigan next week with confidence a season after setting the Wolverines on fire for 381 yards in a triple overtime loss.
Here are five observations from Rutgers-Delaware:
1. RUN DEFENSE’S CONCERNS ARE BACK
Michigan ran 48 times for 373 yards and eight affected in a win over northern Illinois. If the Blue Hens could rush into the field with little resistance against this Rutgers defense, what hope do the Scarlet Knights have of stopping the Wolverines?
Rutgers believed he solved his biggest defensive problem with a strong performance against Syracuse last weekend, but it’s clear the problem is not resolved. The Scarlet Knights have depth and talent as a linebacker. They should not be scratched match after match by FCS ball carriers.
Take off the quarterback losses, and Delaware had 18 carries for 144 yards in the first half – that’s an eight-yard clip per carry. The Scarlet Knights not only missed a bunch of tackles, they looked out of position too often. Not good.
2. HOOK. IT WAS INEVITABLE.
A week after Rutgers reminded everyone that he has the best bettor in college football, he demonstrated that he could have the best kick returner as well. Aron Cruickshank could have had a 104-yard first-half kickoff return if it hadn’t been for a life-saving tackle from the kicker.
It didn’t matter. He returned a 62-yard punt for a touchdown minutes later, zigzagging and zigzagging through overwhelmed Delaware defensemen to give Rutgers a 35-10 lead in the third quarter. It was his first career punt return for a score, giving him five return touchdowns in total (he had two in Wisconsin in 2019). It’s somewhat remarkable that teams always throw the ball to him.
Rutgers now faces a huge step forward in the competition, but at least he enters the Big Ten knowing his special teams can change a game against any level of competition.
3. SHARE THE WEALTH
It’s no surprise, given the Scarlet Knights’ success in passing the ball, that many skillful players were involved in the attack. Bo Melton made it to the all-time top 10 in school history with his 127th reception on an 18-yard throw early in the game, but it wasn’t just the Noah and Bo Show.
Brandon Sanders was wide open on a 62-yard touchdown reception. Shameen Jones was a reliable target below. Cruickshank was involved in the short passing game. Even quarterback / shorts specialist Johnny Langan has become a target in the passing game, a significant development given the Scarlet Knights struggled to get consistent production from their tight ends.
This is, of course, what should happen when a Big Ten team faces an FCS opponent – even a good one like Delaware. Rutgers involved as many players as possible.
4. SCHIANO RELEASED THE DOGS
Delaware look at as a Big Ten team along the offensive line, the Blue Hens averaging 6 feet 5 inches and 315 pounds. It doesn’t matter to the Rutgers rushers, who spent most of the game chasing Delaware quarterbacks. Julius Turner was particularly disruptive for the Scarlet Knights, who had five sacks in the first half.
On one play, defensive end Aaron Lewis flattened Delaware right tackle Ben Trent (6-5, 305) as he sacked Nolan Henderson for an 11-yard loss that set up a third and 40. Hard to convert that. Without the pass rush, the outcome could have been much different.
5. TICKETS? WHO NEEDS TICKETS?
Here are some other thoughts around SHI Stadium and the Big Ten:
a. If you haven’t read this Keith Sargeant Football Game Income Report, take a minute to browse the numbers. It’s clear, but not surprisingly, that COVID-19 has ruined any hope of “Schiano Bump” for game day income.
b. From Sarge: “Rutgers had 5,635 season ticket accounts as of September 10. While this represents an increase of 17.4% from last year (4,798), it is a decrease of 12.7% from 2018 (6,454). If that number does not increase in 2022, it will be a sign that rebuilding the program off the pitch could be as difficult as the one there.
vs. Michigan 63, Northern Illinois 10. (Insert eye emoji here).
D. Michigan State 38, # 24 Miami 17. (Idem).
e. On the bright side for Rutgers’ scorecard watchers, Duke beat Northwestern while Maryland beat Illinois, 20-17, in a game in which neither team looked good. Rutgers will face the top two teams on their schedule over the next two weeks.
F. The Scarlet Knights had entered Game 8 in the nation in penalty yards allowed per game, committing just five for 55 yards in the first two games of the season, but they will likely fall from that high perch. It was their most sloppy game of the season, starting with a passer roughness penalty that extended Delaware’s first practice.
g. Korsak had his third punt of the season at 1. If he doesn’t win the Ray Guy Award for the country’s best punter this season, I want an investigation.
h. Cole Snyder was the first quarterback off the bench. I think we can put down Gavin Wimsatt’s hysteria for a few weeks. At least.
I. The horse nearly knocked out a few trumpets from the marching band when the Scarlet Knight made his entrance. Back to the barn, Nellie.
j. Nobody thought of dressing up as carton of milk? What a missed opportunity.
k. Tailgating Observation: I think the Spotted Lanterns are winning this war.
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Steve Politi can be reached at [email protected].
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