RU football looking to maintain high level of play
15 starters return for Scarlet Knights; opening game on Labor Day
BY DAN NEWMAN Sports Editor

PHOTOS BY DAN NEWMAN Rutgers junior wide receiver Kenny Britt, above, and quarterback Mike Teel, left, are just two of the offensive weapons that the Rutgers University football team has at its disposal this season. The team opens play at home Sept. 1 against Fresno State.

PISCATAWAY — The goal in many Rutgers football observers' opinion is to get back to the level of play that the Scarlet Knights had in 2006, when the team finished with an 11-2 record, a Texas Bowl victory and a national ranking.

Much of that can be attributed to the play of Ray Rice, who left college early to enter the NFL draft and is now with the Baltimore Ravens.

"When you lose a guy like Ray Rice, who did so much for your program, it's hard," Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said at the team's Media Day last week. "It's not coincidental that things really took off during his time here. Now, he certainly had a great supporting cast, and Ray would be the first one to tell you that, but Ray's a phenomenal football player and a great teammate to have, and we're going to miss him."

Among the candidates to replace Rice are redshirt sophomore Kordell Young, who's coming off a knee injury last season, and true sophomore Mason Robinson. Both players believe they have earned the right to get plenty of playing time.

"Even when I was behind Ray last year, I was always of the mind-set that I wanted to play and that I had the ability to do it at this level," Young said. "We're all working hard out here, and everybody's pushing for this. I'm looking forward to the battle."

In the end, though, all involved realize that there will be one determining factor for who gets the nod.

"The difference is going to be coach Schiano. He's the one who's ultimately going to decide who gets the carries," said Robinson, who saw action in 10 games a season ago and also spent time returning kicks. "Competition will make practice a lot more fun and interesting."

Also figuring to be in the mix for playing time in the backfield are redshirt freshmen Jourdan Brooks and Joe Martinek.

While the battle for time behind the quarterback will be hotly contested as the month wears on, there are other storylines as the Sept. 1 opener against Fresno State draws closer — namely, the strength of the defense that returns many starters from a year ago. Leading the way should be four-year starter Courtney Greene. The senior free safety was a second team All-Big East selection the past two seasons and is looking for his entire unit to come through.

"I think this entire team is ready to duplicate what we did for the past few years," Greene said. "Both sides of the ball, I feel like we're strong, and we can definitely come out and do what we have to do."

Helping out in the secondary will be fellow senior Jason McCourty, who recorded 44 tackles last year, and his twin brother, Devin.

"The experts always say that defense wins championships, and so hopefully it can happen this year," Jason McCourty said. "I really feel like we're ready to do big things, and only time will tell if it'll work out."

Back on offense, the unquestioned leader is fifth-year senior Mike Teel. The quarterback, with a good season, could become the school's career leader in yards and touchdowns.

"The individual stuff is nice, but we really have a lot on our plate, especially early on," Teel commented. "We have to break in a lot of new guys, but we should be OK."

When asked about the heated battle at running back, Teel didn't want to tip his hand as to who he thought was the early favorite, but he did say that each of the candidates "brings a different aspect to the offense."

"Mason Robinson can get to the outside real well and catch passes," Teel explained. "With Kordell [Young], he's excellent between the tackles. He's very quick through the middle. Jourdan Brooks is still young, but at his size [6-foot-1, 245 pounds], he can still run a sub-4.5 40-yard dash, and when he hits the defensive line, he can crush them. So really, it's just going to take time during the preseason to figure out who'll be best for us."

One of the main reasons that Teel has become one of the best at his position in the Big East is his offensive line, which averages about 300 pounds per man. The anchor of this year's unit figures to be sophomore Anthony Davis, one of the top collegiate linemen in the nation. A candidate for the Outland Trophy, awarded annually to the top lineman, Davis started the final eight games a season ago at right tackle but figures to move over to his customary left tackle position.

The 6-foot-6, 325-pounder from Piscataway knows it may be tough to replace three starters from a year ago, but he is still ready to face the challenge.

"Day by day, we just need to get better as a unit," Davis said. "If we can do that, then we should be OK as the season goes on. The beginning may be a challenge, especially because our schedule is tough at the start."

Also leading the way on offense are wide receivers Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood, each of whom had over 1,000 yards receiving in 2007.

"Underwood and Britt are the best receiving tandem in the nation," Schiano said.

On defense, senior defensive lineman Jamaal Westerman figures to be a key cog in the defensive wheel.

"He's just gotten better and better each year that he's been here," Schiano said. "I can definitely see him as a guy that gets to double digits in sacks. He's very good at getting to the quarterback."

The team opens with four consecutive nonconference games, three of which are at home, highlighted by the season opener against Fresno State on Labor Day at Rutgers Stadium.

"Whether we're ready or not, the Fresno State game will be here. We need to do everything we can to be ready for all of our games, because we know that every opponent wants a piece of us," Schiano said.