Behind Enemy Lines
Justin Rowland • EagleAction
Boston College needs to bounce back from a stunning loss to Kansas last Friday, and Rutgers seems to offer the chance for the Eagles to do that.
However, there are some things the Knights do that could present some problems.
Here's are our questions followed by answers from Richie Schnyderite, the resident Rivals.com Rutgers expert and insider.
Eagle Action: Who are some offensive/defensive standouts for Rutgers that BC fans should be aware of?
Richie Schnyderite: The most obvious standouts on offense is the running back duo of Raheem Blackshear and Isaih Pacheco. This season we’ve seen them on the field together quite a bit so far and I expect that to continue against Boston College. Blackshear is a versatile back who can pretty much do it all. He can line up at running back, slot receiver, or wide receiver at times. He’s had now multiple games in his career at Rutgers where he’s put up 100+ receiving yards as well as multiple 100+ rushing yard games. On the flip side, Pacheco is more of a workhorse, traditional running back. He has great vision and hits the hole immediately as it opens. Not to mention he runs like he’s mad at someone. His running style reminds us of a Marshawn Lynch type, a guy who can get hit but still it powering through and breaks off a decent amount of tackles per rush.
On defense, you have to watch out for Rutgers linebacker Tyshon Fogg and cornerback Avery Young. Fogg is a former four-star linebacker recruit who chose the Scarlet Knights over a host of other programs. There was some debate last season that he should’ve played more, but Ash stuck with the veteran guys instead. However this year, his first season starting Fogg has already earned the role of a team captain and has been solid in his play so far. Expect him to come close or lead the team in tackles just about every week.
As for Young, he was thrown into the fire last year when now New York Jets cornerback Bless Austin suffered a knee injury, despite the rough start for the then true freshman he bounced back and turned into a solid cornerback. That solid CB play has so far continued into this season.
EA: What appear to be the Knights' biggest strengths in 2019?
RS: This kind of touches on what I said before, but the running game is the biggest strength. One of the new mottos that running backs coach Kolby Smith tweeted out recently was Run to win and that has been spot on through the first two games.
Game 1 vs. UMass: Rutgers RBs ran 37 times for 214 yards (WIN)
Game 2 vs. Iowa: Rutgers RBs ran 18 times for 79 yards (LOSS)
EA: What have the teams weaknesses been so far?
RS: The offensive line and defensive line play haven’t been their best this season. For the O-Line, they struggled against Iowa to give the quarterback much time at all, thus forcing a good amount of 3 and outs. On the flip side, the DLine struggled to create any pass rush of sorts against the Hawkeyes. Giving Iowa QB Nate Stanley all the time in the world to throw the ball.
EA: What's the health/injury report for the team going into BC/Rutgers?
RS: Rutgers starting quarterback McLane Carter is still in concussion protocol and the team was hoping to get him back on Tuesday. Without him I’m not sure backup Art Sitkowski can lead the offense to a victory after throwing for 4 TDs and 18 INTs last year.
RU is also rail thin at the tight end position and graduate transfer tight end Kyle Penniston has yet to suit up one game for the Scarlet Knights. Coach Ash is a little mysterious when it comes to injuries unless they are long term, so the most we know about this one is that he was in a walking boot most of training camp. Rutgers also lost another TE in camp when Johnathan Lewis suffered an Achilles tear. This now leaves Rutgers with one scholarship tight end remaining on the roster in Matt Alaimo to carry the workload.
EA: Do you have any thoughts on the way these teams match up on paper?
RS: The matchup is an interesting one and I think a lot is going to depend on who is behind center for the Scarlet Knights. If Carter can suit up and stays healthy throughout the game, I think they have a chance to pull it off. However if Sitkowski starts, it is hard to have much of any hope after his performance last year combined with the second half he played against Iowa. If BC is smart, they would use Aj Dillon on just about every single play and I think eventually he would break a couple long runs, which is been the MO of this Rutgers defense under Ash.
Justin Rowland • EagleAction
Boston College needs to bounce back from a stunning loss to Kansas last Friday, and Rutgers seems to offer the chance for the Eagles to do that.
However, there are some things the Knights do that could present some problems.
Here's are our questions followed by answers from Richie Schnyderite, the resident Rivals.com Rutgers expert and insider.
Eagle Action: Who are some offensive/defensive standouts for Rutgers that BC fans should be aware of?
Richie Schnyderite: The most obvious standouts on offense is the running back duo of Raheem Blackshear and Isaih Pacheco. This season we’ve seen them on the field together quite a bit so far and I expect that to continue against Boston College. Blackshear is a versatile back who can pretty much do it all. He can line up at running back, slot receiver, or wide receiver at times. He’s had now multiple games in his career at Rutgers where he’s put up 100+ receiving yards as well as multiple 100+ rushing yard games. On the flip side, Pacheco is more of a workhorse, traditional running back. He has great vision and hits the hole immediately as it opens. Not to mention he runs like he’s mad at someone. His running style reminds us of a Marshawn Lynch type, a guy who can get hit but still it powering through and breaks off a decent amount of tackles per rush.
On defense, you have to watch out for Rutgers linebacker Tyshon Fogg and cornerback Avery Young. Fogg is a former four-star linebacker recruit who chose the Scarlet Knights over a host of other programs. There was some debate last season that he should’ve played more, but Ash stuck with the veteran guys instead. However this year, his first season starting Fogg has already earned the role of a team captain and has been solid in his play so far. Expect him to come close or lead the team in tackles just about every week.
As for Young, he was thrown into the fire last year when now New York Jets cornerback Bless Austin suffered a knee injury, despite the rough start for the then true freshman he bounced back and turned into a solid cornerback. That solid CB play has so far continued into this season.
EA: What appear to be the Knights' biggest strengths in 2019?
RS: This kind of touches on what I said before, but the running game is the biggest strength. One of the new mottos that running backs coach Kolby Smith tweeted out recently was Run to win and that has been spot on through the first two games.
Game 1 vs. UMass: Rutgers RBs ran 37 times for 214 yards (WIN)
Game 2 vs. Iowa: Rutgers RBs ran 18 times for 79 yards (LOSS)
EA: What have the teams weaknesses been so far?
RS: The offensive line and defensive line play haven’t been their best this season. For the O-Line, they struggled against Iowa to give the quarterback much time at all, thus forcing a good amount of 3 and outs. On the flip side, the DLine struggled to create any pass rush of sorts against the Hawkeyes. Giving Iowa QB Nate Stanley all the time in the world to throw the ball.
EA: What's the health/injury report for the team going into BC/Rutgers?
RS: Rutgers starting quarterback McLane Carter is still in concussion protocol and the team was hoping to get him back on Tuesday. Without him I’m not sure backup Art Sitkowski can lead the offense to a victory after throwing for 4 TDs and 18 INTs last year.
RU is also rail thin at the tight end position and graduate transfer tight end Kyle Penniston has yet to suit up one game for the Scarlet Knights. Coach Ash is a little mysterious when it comes to injuries unless they are long term, so the most we know about this one is that he was in a walking boot most of training camp. Rutgers also lost another TE in camp when Johnathan Lewis suffered an Achilles tear. This now leaves Rutgers with one scholarship tight end remaining on the roster in Matt Alaimo to carry the workload.
EA: Do you have any thoughts on the way these teams match up on paper?
RS: The matchup is an interesting one and I think a lot is going to depend on who is behind center for the Scarlet Knights. If Carter can suit up and stays healthy throughout the game, I think they have a chance to pull it off. However if Sitkowski starts, it is hard to have much of any hope after his performance last year combined with the second half he played against Iowa. If BC is smart, they would use Aj Dillon on just about every single play and I think eventually he would break a couple long runs, which is been the MO of this Rutgers defense under Ash.
