The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 131 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Rutgers showed improvement right away in the first year of Greg Schiano's second stint as the Scarlet Knights' head coach. He was previ- ously at the helm in Piscataway from 2001-11, before returning ahead of the 2020 campaign. In week one, the team won its first Big Ten game since the 2017 season, beating Michigan State in East Lan- sing. Rutgers then lost four straight, including a 48-42 triple-overtime thriller to Michigan, before rebound- ing to beat Purdue and Maryland late in the year to go 3-6. Becoming competent and com- petitive was step one. Schiano has injected life into the program, bring- ing in key transfers and recruiting at a high level — the Scarlet Knights' 2021 haul ranked 38th in the country and was its best since 2012. Now, Schiano is hoping to take more steps toward having some real success in the Big Ten East, one of college football's toughest divisions. The offense has nowhere to go but up. It ranked 106th in the country in total offense (335.3 yards per game) and 78th in scoring (26.7 points per contest). All 11 starters are set to return, meaning the continuity will be there and improvement should follow. While the Scarlet Knights mustered just 195 yards per game through the air last season (99th nationally), the passing game should be more efficient in 2021, with red- shirt sophomore quarterback Noah Vedral, a transfer from Nebraska who is now in his second year with the program. It will take quite a bit for another signal-caller to unseat him as the starter, considering he passed for 1,253 yards and nine touchdowns last sea- son, completing 61.5 percent of his attempts (but he also threw eight interceptions). In addition to having an experienced of- fensive line that includes junior left tackle Raiqwon O'Neal, who was an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection in 2020, the Scarlet Knights have proven contributors at the skill positions. Serving as a dynamic weapon on the out- side will be fifth-year senior wideout Bo Melton, an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick last season that led the club in receiv- ing with 47 catches for 638 yards and six scores. Junior running back Isaih Pacheco, the team's leading rusher, carried 116 times for 515 yards and three touchdowns last season. Rutgers ranked an underwhelming 82nd in scoring defense (32.1 points per game allowed) and 104th in total defense (449.1 yards per game allowed), but there are some stars to build around. They did force 19 turnovers on the year, which was the 18th most in the nation. The Scarlet Knights bring back eight starters on the defensive side of the ball and have a strong linebacking corps. They will be led by fifth-year senior linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi, a first-team All-Big Ten standout last season who led the league in tackles (101) and was second in stops for loss (11.0). Fellow senior linebacker Tyshon Fogg was second on the team in tackles with 70, while also making 4.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage. Rutgers has a solid starter at cor- ner in senior Tre Avery, a third-team All-Big Ten performer in 2020, who broke up eight passes and made one interception, while sixth-year senior Patrice Rene, a transfer from North Carolina, has started 26 career games and can make an immediate impact. Both safety spots are solidified, with ju- nior Christian Izien, an All-Big Ten honor- able mention who registered four intercep- tions, four passes broken up, three forced fumbles and 66 tackles last season, leading the way. Junior Avery Young is disruptive, having notched 58 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three passes broken up and three forced fumbles a year ago. Notes Rutgers led the Big Ten in tackles for loss last season with 71, which was 12 more than any other team in the league … De- spite throwing for the eighth-most yards in the Big Ten last season, redshirt sophomore quarterback Noah Vedral averaged just 5.5 yards per completion, which was the lowest figure out of any QB in the conference who attempted 15 or more passes per game. ❏ Junior running back Isaih Pacheco's 515 rushing yards ranked eighth in the Big Ten last season. PHOTO COURTESY RUTGERS ATHLETICS Greg Schiano Has The Scarlet Knights Moving In The Right Direction 2021 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2020 Result Sept. 2 Temple — Sept. 11 at Syracuse — Sept. 18 Delaware — Sept. 25 at Michigan L, 48-42 Oct. 2 Ohio State L, 49-27 Oct. 9 Michigan State W, 38-27 Oct. 16 at Northwestern — Oct. 30 at Illinois L, 23-20 Nov. 6 Wisconsin — Nov. 13 at Indiana L, 37-21 Nov. 20 at Penn State L, 23-7 Nov. 27 Maryland W, 27-24 PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Bo Melton, Sr., WR The 5-11, 195-pounder landed on the watch list for the 2020 Biletnikoff Award, handed out annually to the nation's top wide receiver … His average of 13.6 yards per catch ranked 17th in the Big Ten last year. Defense: — Olakunle Fatukasi, 5th-Sr., LB The 6-2, 240-pounder was 13th nationally in total tackles with 101, just 12 behind the nation's leader … He was a semi- finalist for the Butkus Award, which recognizes the country's best linebacker. GAME 4 • RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS • SEPT. 25 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Michigan leads 6-1 First Meeting: Rutgers 26, U-M 24 (Oct. 4, 2014 at Piscataway, N.J.) Last Meeting: U-M 48, Rutgers 42 in 3OT (Nov. 21, 2020 at Piscataway, N.J.) Head Coach: Greg Schiano, 3-6 at Rutgers (2nd year) and 71-73 overall (13th year) 2020 In Review: 3-6 overall, 3-6 Big Ten (5th East) Final 2020 Ranking: Unranked Returning Starters: 21 (11 offense, 8 defense, 2 specialist) Last Bowl Appearance: 2014 (Quick Lane Bowl vs. North Carolina, W 40-21) Returning Leaders Passing: Noah Vedral (1,253 yards, 9 TD) Rushing: Isaih Pacheco (515 yards, 3 TD) Receiving: Bo Melton (638 yards, 6 TD) Tackles: Olakunle Fatukasi (101) Sacks: Mohamed Toure (4.5) Interceptions: Christian Izien (4)