The Scarlet Knights of Rutgers will take to the road as they prepare to face the suddenly rejuvenated Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing, MI. Rutgers comes in with a record of 4-5 overall and 1-5 in the Big Ten. Last week, they were blown out by the state of Michigan's other big squad, the Michigan Wolverines, 52-17. Michigan State stands at 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the conference after their upset win over Illinois on the road last week. The opening kick is scheduled for 12:00pm EST.
The NFL, College Football, College Basketball, the NHL, and the NBA…oh my! Check out all my premium picks for a variety of premium events. My Best Bet of the week is available for only $49.99 (normally $100) if you use this link. Don't miss out as this comes with a profit guarantee. Win or get the money back in credit!
Rutgers started off this season on a high note, with a road win at Boston College that featured a ground and pound rushing attack and a relentless pass rush. Since that time, however, the Scarlett Knights have gone just 3-5. On Saturday, Rutgers were in front of the home crowd but were blasted by the #4 Michigan Wolverines, 52-17. Rutgers held a 17-10 lead at halftime and thought of a monumental upset may have danced in their head. Instead, the Wolverines scored the game's final 38 points in a one-sided second half.
“It's hard, when you turn it over three times in a consecutive manner like that, you know, because then all of a sudden you're looking up, and the mountain's pretty steep. I thought our guys really, really committed this week in practice. They knew what this challenge was. I think we painted a really clear path for them how we could do it, but what we had to do to have an opportunity to win the game at the end and that was the whole plan: If we could get it to the fourth in the last six minutes, we thought we had a good opportunity to win the game. But we didn't do that.” Head coach Greg Schiano said after the game in his press conference.
Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt finished the game 14-of-29 for 166 yards and a touchdown. Wimsatt threw three critical interceptions in the game that led to Wolverines' points. Rutgers run game was non-existent with 19 carries for just 42 yards. In total, the Scarlet Knights offense has just five first downs in the game and 180 total yards in the game.
On the defensive side of the ball, Rutgers allowed 433 total yards including 280 yards on the ground. They had four tackles for loss and one sack in the game but did not generate any turnovers.
On the road again ?? pic.twitter.com/VXINDvihga
&mdash ; Rutgers Football (@RFootball) November 9, 2022
After high hopes in the opener this season, the Scarlet Knights have not really been able to recreate that type of production. They have the 128th scoring offense in the country this season. They are just 105th in the country in rushing and 124th in passing. Rutgers has not shined in the red zone either, ranking just 98th in the country. The intangibles have not been kind to Rutgers this season either. They are 116th in penalties per game and 109th in turnover differential. On the defensive side of the ball, Rutgers has the 72nd ranked scoring defense this season. They are 52nd against the rush and 23rd against the pass. The Scarlet Knights have been more effective in the red zone, ranking 48th in the country.
Key Injuries: Tight end Victor Konopka is questionable with an undisclosed injury.