If history is any indication at all, Rutgers shouldn’t pose much of a threat to Ohio State on Saturday.
In the first four meetings between the two schools since Rutgers joined the Big Ten in 2015, Ohio State has outscored Rutgers 219 to 24, winning all four games by at least 39 points and shutting out the Scarlet Knights in each of the last two matchups.
Going into this weekend’s second game of the year for both teams, though, Rutgers appears to have a little more momentum on its side than it has over the past few years.
Rutgers’ 35-7 season-opening win against Texas State this past weekend might not be indicative of what the Scarlet Knights can do this upcoming weekend, as the Buckeyes will certainly be much tougher competition than the Bobcats.
That said, former Ohio State assistant coach Chris Ash appears to have the Scarlet Knights making some progress toward being more competitive, and their roster looks to be a bit more talented than it has in years past – starting at the quarterback position, where Artur Sitkowski is a true freshman going into just his second game, but was a highly recruited prospect who received offers from more than two dozen Football Bowl Subdivision schools, including Ohio State.
We start with Sitkowski in our scouting report of the Scarlet Knights as the Buckeyes prepare to host them at Ohio Stadium on Saturday (3:40 p.m., BTN).
Quarterback
8 Artur Sitkowski – 6-5, 224, Freshman
Sitkowski had a solid debut for the Scarlet Knights against Texas State, completing 20 of 30 passing attempts for 205 yards and a touchdown in his first collegiate game ever. A pro-style quarterback who shows quick feet despite being primarily a pocket passer, Sitkowski also demonstrated the ability to zip the ball downfield with accuracy that led to scholarship offers from some of the nation’s top programs.
That said, Sitkowski also made some of the mistakes that you would expect from a true freshman, throwing three interceptions, including a pick-six – and getting away with multiple other near-interceptions – and also fumbling once. He took some chances with the football that he shouldn’t have, and that could be an opportunity for Ohio State’s far more talented defense to take advantage, as Sitkowski plays his first ever collegiate road game in a stadium that holds more than 100,000 people.
Running Back
2 Raheem Blackshear – 5-9, 192, Sophomore
23 Jonathan Hilliman – 6-0, 225, Redshirt Senior
Rutgers’ most explosive offensive playmaker, Blackshear is a triple threat who can make plays as a runner, receiver and kickoff returner. In Saturday’s season opener against Texas State, Blackshear ran the ball 12 times for 62 yards for a touchdown, caught seven passes for 56 yards and another touchdown and returned two kickoffs for 33 yards.
Blackshear’s not a big back who will run anyone over, but he’s fast and shifty, and as he showed last week against the Bobcats, he can even hurdle a defender. That makes him a threat to break a big play – something Ohio State’s defense struggled with in its season opener against Oregon State – any time he touches the ball.
Raheem Blackshear leads a quality stable of running backs for the Scarlet Knights. Noah K. Murray – USA TODAY Sports
Hilliman, a graduate transfer who ran for 2,238 yards and 26 touchdowns over the course of four seasons at Boston College (one in which he received a medical redshirt), gives the Scarlet Knights a strong one-two punch at the position. A bigger, strong between-the-tackles runner, Hilliman had 15 carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns in Rutgers’ season opener.
Isaih Pacheco, a 5-11, 210-pound true freshman who had 11 carries for 75 yards in the season opener, could have the most potential of the entire group and is another candidate to make some plays out of the backfield for the Scarlet Knights on Saturday.
Wide Receiver
18 Bo Melton – 5-11, 192, Sophomore
15 Shameen Jones – 6-1, 185, Redshirt Freshman
7 Hunter Hayek – 5-9, 180, Sophomore
21 Eddie Lewis – 6-0, 182, Freshman
6 Mohamed Jabbie – 5-11, 197, Redshirt Sophomore
14 Everett Wormley – 6-0, 198, Sophomore
Somewhat similarly to Ohio State, Rutgers’ top six wide receivers all see their share of playing time within the offense, and in an offense that will often deploy multiple tight ends at once and/or put another running back on the field with Blackshear lined up as a receiver, none of these players are mainstays. But they offer a variety of skill sets that the Scarlet Knights offense can utilize.
Melton was the most productive receiver in Rutgers’ season opener, catching four passes for 57 yards. Jones and Lewis are freshmen who offer the combination of size and athleticism to emerge as dangerous playmakers. Jabbie is often the lone receiver on the field when the Scarlet Knights go into their three-tight end set, demonstrating their confidence in him as a blocker.
That said, none of Rutgers’ wide receivers have more than one season of playing experience under their belts, and none of them caught more than eight passes last season (Hayek), so they all remain unproven at this point.
Tight End
88 Jerome Washington – 6-4, 256, Senior
89 Travis Vokolek – 6-6, 250, Sophomore
85 Daevon Robinson – 6-3, 220, Freshman
44 Max Anthony – 6-0, 240, Redshirt Junior (Fullback)
Because the Scarlet Knights opened their season opener in a three-tight end set on offense, Washington, Vokolek and Robinson were all credited with starts for that game. Because the Scarlet Knights use multiple tight ends frequently in their offense, all three of them see regular playing time.
Washington is the Scarlet Knights’ star at the position and one of the best players on the entire team. A gifted downfield pass-catcher who offers good athleticism to go along with great size, Washington led Rutgers with 28 receptions for 282 yards in 2017, and is a player Ohio State will have to be prepared for on pass defense.
Vokolek and Robinson are less proven players, but both of them have the talent to emerge as breakout players this season, too. Robinson, one of the top prospects in Rutgers’ 2018 recruiting class, caught two passses for 24 yards in his debut game.
The Scarlet Knights also use sometimes a fullback in their offense, too, and Anthony – who has only two career catches (both last season at Ohio State) but is a good blocker out of the backfield – is Rutgers’ top player at that position.
Offensive Line
65 Tariq Cole – 6-6, 317, Redshirt Senior
61 Mike Lonsdorf – 6-6, 302, Redshirt Sophomore OR 66 Nick Krimin – 6-5, 308, Redshirt Sophomore
55 Michael Maietti – 6-1, 292, Redshirt Sophomore
73 Jonah Jackson – 6-4, 305, Redshirt Junior
54 Kamaal Seymour – 6-6, 309, Redshirt Junior
The star of Rutgers’ offensive line is Cole, an NFL prospect at left tackle and two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention who is both a strong pass protector and run blocker. He battled a knee injury coming into the season, however, and could be seen limping during Saturday’s game, so it’s unclear whether he’ll be 100 percent for this Saturday’s game.
Seymour, Maietti and Jackson also all started games in 2017, giving the Scarlet Knights four starting offensive linemen with starting experience. Lonsdorf was listed as the starting left guard on last week’s depth chart, but missed the game due to injury, and Krimin made his first career in his place.
As a whole, though, Rutgers’ offensive line struggled to keep pressure off Sitkowski in the season opener – and that came against Texas State. So this unit could very well prove to be overmatched in pass protection against Ohio State’s star-studded defensive line on Saturday.
Defensive End
7 Elorm Lumor – 6-3, 246, Redshirt Sophomore
99 Kevin Wilkins – 6-2, 304, Redshirt Senior
The most explosive player on Rutgers’ defensive front, Lumor is an athletic edge defender – playing the “Jack” position as a hybrid defensive end/linebacker – with a quick burst off the line and the speed to win around the edge. He can create disruption in the backfield as both a pass-rusher and a run defender, and was dominant in the season opener, recording four tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, a fumble recovery and a blocked field goal.
Elorm Lumor was Rutgers' top defensive playmaker in its season opener, even getting an opportunity to run with the ball after recovering a fumble. Noah K. Murray – USA TODAY Sports
Wilkins, meanwhile, is a much bigger defensive end who began his career as a nose tackle before moving to the outside of the line. He’s not nearly as explosive or agile as Lumor, but he still has good quickness for his size, while he uses his mass and strength well as a run-stopper on the edge.
The Scarlet Knights don’t have much depth at defensive end, especially after second-stringer Tijaun Mason suffered a fracture in his leg against Texas State. 6-foot-4, 255-pound redshirt freshman defensive end Mike Tverdov, though, had a strong debut in the rotation in the season opener, showing his ability to be disruptive off the edge as he recorded 1.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup.
Defensive Tackle
95 Jon Bateky – 6-3, 298, Senior
50 Julius Turner – 6-0, 282, Redshirt Sophomore
Bateky, a returning starter who has played in 33 games in his Rutgers career, is the Scarlet Knights’ leader on their interior defensive line. After recording 33 total tackles, including three tackles for loss, in 2017, Bateky recorded a pair of tackles in the season opener.
Turner is somewhat undersized for the nose tackle position he plays, but he showcased his ability to be disruptive from the Scarlet Knights’ interior defensive line in the season opener too, recording two tackles for loss and a pass breakup.
Like at defensive end, the Scarlet Knights don’t have much depth at defensive tackle, but their top backup is 6-foot-5, 295-pound redshirt junior Willington Previlon, who recorded 13 total tackles in 2017.
Linebacker
5 Trevor Morris – 6-1, 228, Senior
6 Deonte Roberts – 6-1, 235, Senior
44 Tyreek Maddox-Williams – 6-0, 220, Redshirt Sophomore
Morris has led Rutgers in total tackles for each of the past two seasons, with 102 in 2016 and 118 in 2017, and Roberts has been right behind him, with 95 in 2016 and 104 last season. Neither linebacker makes a ton of big plays, but they’re both good athletes who find their way to the ball and can make tackles all over the field, and they’re certainly both among the leaders of the Scarlet Knights’ defense this year.
Maddox-Williams missed the entire 2017 season due to a torn ACL, but started six games as a true freshman in 2016 and is another linebacker who shows the athleticism and nose for the ball to be one of Rutgers’ most productive defenders.
6-foot-1, 232-pound redshirt sophomore Rashawn Battle saw the most playing time among linebackers off the bench in the season opener, recording three tackles. 6-foot-1, 228-pound sophomore Olakunle Fatukasi also made a splash off the bench in the season opener by recovering a fumble in the end zone for a defensive touchdown.
Cornerback
1 Blessuan Austin – 6-1, 195, Senior
11 Isaiah Wharton – 6-1, 203, Redshirt Senior
This is the strongest position on Rutgers’ entire roster, and Austin is arguably the Scarlet Knights’ best player. After missing Rutgers’ final eight games of 2017 with a knee injury, Austin got off to a spectacular start against Texas State – recording two tackles for loss and an interception – before leaving the game early after suffering an injury on the interception. His absence from the rest of the game was considered to be precautionary, though, and he’s expected to play this week.
Austin is both a very good tackling cornerback and skilled in coverage, and Wharton – who, like Austin, offers great size for the position – is also solid against both the pass and the run. He recorded six tackles in the season opener.
Blessuan Austin is the star of a Rutgers secondary that is the strength of the Scarlet Knights' roster. Noah K. Murray – USA TODAY Sports
True freshman Avery Young filled in for Austin after he left the season opener, and he performed well in relief, recording two tackles and a pass breakup while providing solid coverage. And another talented candidate for playing time at the position is Tre Avery, a former Ohio State recruit previously known as Kareem Felder, who did not play against Texas State due to injury but is expected to be available this week.
Safety
9 Saquan Hampton – 6-1, 209, Redshirt Senior
22 Damon Hayes – 6-1, 202, Junior
23 Kiy Hester – 6-0, 208, Redshirt Senior
The secondary is the strength of Rutgers’ roster not only because of its cornerbacks, but also because of its talent at safety, where the Scarlet Knights have a strong trio of veterans leading the way.
Hampton, who is entering his third season as a starter, provides excellent experience on the back end. Hayes, who made the move to safety this season after filling in at cornerback for Austin last season, is a solid run defender and skilled in coverage, and looked comfortable in his first game in his new position.
Hester, who considered leaving the program this offseason as a graduate transfer but has been one of Rutgers’ top defensive playmakers dating back to 2015, also sees regular playing time as the Scarlet Knights’ third safety, though it’s unclear whether he will be fully healthy this week after suffering an ankle injury in the season opener.
Overall Outlook
There is still a big gap in talent between Ohio State and Rutgers, so the Buckeyes shouldn’t be in any real danger of losing on Saturday. If the Buckeyes end up blowing out the Scarlet Knights again, it won’t come as a surprise to many.
Rutgers’ lineup does appear to be stronger than its lineup of the past few seasons, though, and also stronger than the lineup Oregon State brought to Columbus this past weekend.
Offensively, Sitkowski brings a level of passing ability that the Scarlet Knights haven’t had in recent seasons, while Blackshear and Hilliman give them a quality tandem of running backs. Sitkowski’s inexperience is a concern, their receivers aren’t spectacular and questions remain about the offensive line, but they have enough offensive talent now that they should be able to score against the Buckeyes for the first time in three years.
Defensively, Rutgers has quality players at all three levels, with Lumor leading the way up front, Morris and Roberts bringing proven productivity to the linebacker corps and Austin and Hampton leading an experienced and talented secondary. The Scarlet Knights will still be at a disadvantage against an Ohio State offense that scored 10 touchdowns in its season opener, but their defense is significantly better than Oregon State’s.
Don’t expect the Scarlet Knights to win on Saturday, but if they play up to their ability, they have enough talent to at least give the Buckeyes a somewhat competitive game, which they haven't been able to do in years past.
