Blue White Illustrated

2 0 1 8 S E A S O N P R E V I E W 2017 RECORD 4-8, 3-6 Big Ten COACH Chris Ash (6-18 in two seasons at Rutgers; career record: same) SERIES RECORD The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series, 26-2. MOST RECENT MEETING Rutgers held Saquon Barkley to 35 yards rushing, but Trace McSorley threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns, and the Scarlet Knights managed only 43 yards through the air in a 35-6 loss to the Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 11, 2017. EXPECTED STRENGTHS If they can get their quarterback questions resolved, the Scarlet Knights should have some people who can catch the ball, despite the gradu- ation of Janarion Grant. Sophomore Bo Melton had a strong spring, which he capped by catching =ve passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns in the Scar- let-White Game. The Knights also have some playmakers on defense, as evi- denced by their 12 interceptions last sea- son. The secondary should be solid, with four veteran starters returning. The one question mark here is the status of cor- nerback Blessuan Austin, who missed the team's last eight games in 2017 with a torn ACL. He reportedly will be fully healthy when preseason practice begins. The line- backer group also looks strong with Trevor Morris (118 tackles last season) and Deonte Roberts (104 tackles) both back. POTENTIAL CONCERNS AAer ranking 13th in the Big Ten in scoring o?ense last season at 18.0 points per game, the Scar- let Knights need to make some changes. The biggest change this spring was at quarterback, where Artur Sitkowski po- sitioned himself to be the opening-day starter. Sitkowski is an early enrollee and New Jersey native who played at IMG Academy in Florida last season. A three- star prospect according to Rivals.com, the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Sitkowski had been committed to Miami (Fla.) before >ipping to Rutgers in November. He be- came one of Ash's biggest recruiting successes, and there's going to be a lot riding on his adaptation to the college game, assuming he holds onto the start- ing spot in preseason camp. SCHEDULE Except for a visit to Ohio State in week two, every game in the =rst half of Rutgers' schedule looks winnable. And if the Scarlet Knights are going to continue their upswing under Ash, they RUGTERS SCARLET KNIGHTS TOP RETURNEES PASSING Giovanni Rescigno 47 of 100 | 517 yds. | 2 TD | 1 int. RUSHING Raheem Blackshear 39 att. | 238 yds. | 3 TD RECEIVING Jerome Washington 28 rec. | 282 yds. | 1 TD TACKLING Trevor Morris 37 solo | 81 asst. | 118 total INTERCEPTIONS Jawuan Harris 3 int. | 29 yds. W E E K 1 1 | N O V E M B E R 1 7 | H I G H P O I N T S O L U T I O N S S T A D I U M interceptions. The Badgers also have an outstanding kicker in Rafael Gaglianone, who hit 16 of 18 =eld goals last year, with a long kick of 52 yards. POTENTIAL CONCERNS Wisconsin has lost seven starters from a defense that last season allowed the second-fewest yards in the Football Bowl Subdivision (262.1 per game). The departures include both starting defensive ends and three mem- bers of a secondary that gave up only 163.6 passing yards per game a year ago to rank =Ah in the country. Dontye Carriere- Williams had an up-and-down freshman season and will have to show more con- sistency this fall. Even if he claims one of the two vacancies at cornerback, it's pos- sible that the Badgers will have to rely on a freshman or two in the secondary. SCHEDULE Considering how successful Wisconsin has been over the years, the nonconference schedule is a little under- whelming. It features Western Kentucky, New Mexico and BYU, all at Camp Ran- dall. Wisconsin won't face a Power Five opponent until its Big Ten opener on Sept. 22, but that's the start of a tough three-game stretch, with visits to Iowa and Michigan bookending a home game against Nebraska. If they make it out of that gauntlet unscathed, the Badgers will have a realistic shot at running the table for the second year in a row. The tough- est game in the second half of the season is a Nov. 10 visit to Penn State. Wiscon- sin should be favored in the other =ve (Illinois, at Northwestern, Rutgers, at Purdue, Minnesota). GAME OF THE YEAR That trip to Beaver Stadium could be very consequential for the Badgers if, as expected, they go into the homestretch with a shot at the West Division title. But the most intriguing game on this slate might just be the Big Ten home opener vs. Nebraska. The Cornhuskers, who have lost =ve in a row to Wisconsin, are looking to re-establish themselves as a championship-level program. Nothing would give them a bigger credibility infusion than a victory at Camp Randall, where they haven't won since 1966. OUTLOOK People like to talk about the disparity between the Big Ten's two divi- sions, but at the very top, at least, things look pretty equitable. Wisconsin gave Ohio State all it could handle in last year's championship game, then it turned in one of the conference's best postseason performances, thumping Miami, 34-24, in the Orange Bowl. Tay- lor rushed for 130 yards against a Hurri- canes team that had been in contention for the College Football Playo? until the =nal day of the regular season. But as far as Wisconsin was concerned, the most encouraging aspect of the bowl game was probably Hornibrook's performance. He hit 23 of 34 passes for 258 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions. If he keeps that up, it's going to be tough to keep the Badgers from returning to Indi- anapolis for the sixth time in the eight- year history of the Big Ten Championship Game. –M.H.

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