RFootball: I Believe That We Will Win

I

I believe

I believe that

I believe that we

I believe that we will

I believe that we will win

This Saturday night, Urban Meyer and the defending National Champions the Ohio State Buckeyes come to High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway for a nationally televised contest at 8 p.m. on ABC.

What more could you ask for?

Four keys for a Rutgers win against the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes:

1. Laviano must play out of his mind

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Chris Laviano took a lot of heat early in the season when he was throwing bad interceptions, having awful footwork, and fumbling the ball away. However, in the past three games against Kansas, Michigan State, and Indiana, Laviano has thrown for 795 yards, eight touchdowns, and only three interceptions. His strong play must continue against Ohio State if the Scarlet Knights want any chance of upsetting the No. 1 ranked team in the country. Six of those touchdowns have gone to senior wide receiver Leonte Carroo, who is a step-above all other recievers on the roster, and maybe the Big Ten Conference. The connection between Laviano and Carroo, unsung hero Carlton Agudosi, Andre Patton, and Janarion Grant needs to continue. Laviano must stay efficient as he leads the conference in completion percentage at 69.3 percent and not turn the ball over.

2. Running backs must run

Rutgers RB Paul James carries the ball against Norfolk State in the season opener / Juan Martinez, Double G Sports

Much like Laviano has to play well for any shot of an upset, the running back trio of Paul James, Josh Hicks, and Robert Martin, and third-down back Justin Goodwin, must hold on to the football and break out large gains. Rutgers can’t afford to get 2-yards per carry as it will force Laviano and co. into 3rd-and-longs, which Rutgers can’t afford. James, Martin, and Hicks have all had breakout games this season, with Martin the latest to lead the team in rushing (17 carries for 124 yards and three touchdowns) last Saturday versus Indiana. All-in-all, the offensive line must create lanes for the backs and keep Laviano upright.

3. Defense needs to get off the field

The past few games, the Rutgers defense has been shredded, but they’ve gotten their share of stops on 3rd and 4th down. In fact, Rutgers leads the conference with stopping opposing offenses 11-out-of-14 tries on 4th down, causing a turnover on downs. Against Indiana this past week, the Hoosiers converted only 2-of-10 3rd down situations. Against Michigan State, where they almost pulled the upset at home against the then No. 4 team, Michigan State converted 11-of-17, crushing the defense hearts after getting stops on the first two downs. The high-powered, and more talented Ohio State can put up points, so Rutgers needs to get off the field and limit J.T. Barrett and co. opportunities to score.

4. The crowd

HPSS holds 52,424, and the school announced this week that the game is sold out. Last year, the stadium saw 53,774 fans attend the much anticipated game against Penn State. The atmosphere was outstanding, and the same can be said for games against Michigan last year (53,327) and against Michigan State two weeks ago where the Scarlet Knights almost upset the then No. 4 ranked Spartans. The crowd noise can be deafening, and fans need to be loud to disrupt the Ohio State offense and aid Rutgers on defense.

Ohio State has the advantage in recruiting and talent, so it’s up to the lesser players so to speak for Rutgers to play with a chip on their shoulder. The Buckeyes are about 21-point favorites, and nobody expects Rutgers to win. The Scarlet Knights have nothing to lose and they should play loose and just fly around and play football.

Will there be Pandemonium in Piscataway once again? We’ll only have to watch and find out.

Be in your seats early and loud!

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