Rutgers Football Preview: Scarlet Knights Have Options At Wide Receiver

As Jeremy Deering goes through the motions of moving from the Rutgers Scarlet Knights’ special teams unit to a full-time receiver, the junior still brings one similarity from his 2011 play; he’s fast.

Deering, who finished last season as the Big East’s leading kick returner, recorded 17 returns for 530 yards, including a 98-yard dash that helped lead the Scarlet Knights to a 20-17 overtime victory against USF on November 5.

Deering’s move to wideout gives recently named starting quarterback Gary Nova a quick option in the open field; literally. Thanks to his well-documented speed and agility, Deering’s expectations on the field are already high.

If the junior can break open the opposing Big East defenses this season, expect Nova to take advantage of it.

He may be a first-time receiver, but Deering could, and likely will, have a major impact on the Scarlet Knights total offense.

Deering will be joined on the field by returning wideouts Brandon Coleman and Quron Pratt, who add another dimension of size and strength to the Rutgers’ receiving corps.

Coleman in particular will have high expectations in the Scarlet Knights’ opening matchup against Tulane, just over a week from now.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound junior posted incredibly impressive numbers in 2011, racking up 552 yards and six touchdowns on just 17 receptions.

Pratt, also returning for his junior season, finished last year with a team-high 32 receptions; expect him to be a favorite target for Nova in 2012.

The Scarlet Knights are, no doubt, young in the receiver spot, but what they lack in age, they make up for in experience, totaling six returnees for this season. That experience will give Nova, in his first year under center, plenty of options in the air.

Rutgers Football Preseason: Scarlet Knights Hold Final Scrimmage

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights held their final scrimmage Thursday before the regular season kicks off on Sept. 1 against Tulane. Gary Nova took a back seat on the day, attempting just six passes and letting Jawan Jamison and Savon Huggins control the offense on the ground. The two running backs combined for 127 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries.

The big day rushing, albeit against the second-team defense, was a marked improvement from the previous scrimmage when the Jamison and Huggins combined for just 50 yards on 22 carries. Rutgers is looking to improve a ground game that finished 115th out of 120 schools last season. Jamison was pleased with the performance Thursday.

"I don't think it matters (how)," Jamison said. "I think it's all about the confidence. It was very big, just to establish (the running game) and get more confidence."

He added, "definitely we needed a little pump up."

With Nova entrenched as the starter at quarterback, the Scarlet Knights are hoping to take major steps forward from an offense that struggled at times last season. By all accounts, they are well on their way.

For more on Scarlet Knights football, check out the SB Nation blog On The Banks.

Rutgers Lands 2 Players On Senior Bowl Watch List

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights had two players named to the Senior Bowl watch list on Thursday. Khaseem Greene and Scott Vallone were the two Rugers players who landed on the list. Both Greene and Vallone are expected to be vocal leaders on the defensive side of the ball and have garnered recognition for their pro potential. Greene was the Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year last season, but spent the spring on the shelf recuperating from a broken leg.

This marks the first time the Senior Bowl has a released a watch list. The list will be pared down to the top 100 invitees, who will comprise the two rosters for January's game. New Executive Director Phil Savage, a former NFL pro personnel exec and GM, spoke about the rationale for releasing the watch list prior to the 2012 season:

"The Senior Bowl is very pleased to announce our first-ever ‘official' Watch List," Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage said. "We want both college and pro football fans to enjoy tracking the players on our list as they begin their journey towards the Senior Bowl and the 2013 NFL Draft. We have included prospects from almost every level of the college game and look forward to monitoring their progress throughout the upcoming season."

For more on Scarlet Knights football, check out the blog On The Banks.

Rutgers Preseason Position Battles: See Them Run

If there’s one thing the Rutgers Scarlet Knights can do, it is run the football.

The Scarlet Knights, who return all three of their major backs for the 2012 season, have plenty of options when it comes time for coach Kyle Flood to pick his top perspective rusher.

Jawan Jamison returns after his first full season, finishing the year with 897 yards and nine touchdowns on 231 carries.

Savon Huggins, the highest-rated recruit to ever sign with Rutgers when he came out of St. Peter’s Prep, also returns for his second season on the field after racking up 146 yards on 56 carries as a true freshman in 2011.

Jamison has the stats to warrant another year in the starting spot, but Huggins has the hype; or at least he did going into his freshman season.

Rutgers Football Camp: Khaseem Greene, Three Others Named Captains

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football program named its captains for the 2012-13 season Monday. Senior wide receiver Timothy Wright, senior linebackers Khaseem Greene and Steve Beauharnais and senior defensive back Mason Robinson each earned the honor.

The announcement was made by first-year head coach Kyle Flood after his team's practice. Flood admitted he's not ruling out naming a honorary captain for each game as "there are other people that are deserving of it."

Greene, last season's Co-Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year, said he was happy with the honor, but admitted it didn't come because he was good.

"Being injured and battling that adversity and coming out and making the best of it. You understand, when the going gets rough, what it takes to get over that," said Greene, who suffered a severe ankle injury in last year's Pinstripe Bowl victory over Iowa State. "Dealing with that adversity puts me at a bit of an advantage."

"I had a big smile on my face," Robinson said after he heard the news. "It was great."

For more on Scarlet Knights football, check out the blog On The Banks.

Rutgers Football: Gary Nova Named Starting Quarterback

Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Kyle Flood said over the weekend he'd name a starting quarterback sometime next week, and he wasn't lying. On Monday, the first-year headman made sophomore Gary Nova the squad's No. 1 signal caller entering the 2012 season, ending a preseason battled between Nova and junior Chas Dodd.

Nova will become the Scarlet Knights' fifth different season-opening quarterback in as many seasons.

The decision came after a strong performance by Nova in Saturday's scrimmage, which featured the Don Bosco Prep alum completing 7-of-13 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns -- two of them being over 60 yards.

"We are fortunate to have two talented quarterbacks who have won big games for us," said Flood in a press release announcing his decision. "This has been an excellent competition but Gary’s body of work ultimately earned him the job."

Last season, Nova played in 10 games for Rutgers, starting in five of them, and showed the tools of a blue-chip quarterback tossing for 1,553 yards and 11 touchdowns. But at times Nova struggled to make good decisions (nine interceptions).

Rutgers opens its season Sept. 1 against Tulane University.

-- For the latest on all things Rutgers, head over to On the Banks.

Rutgers Scrimmage: Chas Dodd, Gary Nova Both Make Case For Starting Job

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football program held their second scrimmage of preseason camp Saturday, and all eyes were on the quarterback battle between sophomore Gary Nova and junior Chas Dodd at High Point Solutions Stadium. In the end, the two signal-callers each made a case to be the Scarlet Knights' No. 1 guy, says ScarletNation.com.

Dodd ended the scrimmage completing 23-of-39 passes for 286 yards and four touchdowns, while Nova went 7-for-13 for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Nova also completed a few deep passes, including a 60-yarder to wide receiver Mark Harrison and a 75-yarder to wide receiver Miles Shuler.

The performances by the two quarterbacks could make it tougher for first-year head coach Kyle Flood to decide on a season-opening starter. Flood said he expects to make a decision some time next week.

In the backfield, Jawan Jamison rushed for only 33 yards on 12 carries, while Savon Huggins rushed 10 times for 14 yards.

Overall, there were no turnovers in the scrimmage, which made Flood happy.

"[I'm] extremely pleased," Flood said. "The first rule of football is the ball is the program, so if we protect the football we are always going to have a chance to win."

-- For the latest on all things Rutgers, head over to On the Banks.

College Football Preseason Rankings: Rutgers Scarlet Knights Receive Votes

Rutgers received votes in the USA Today Coaches' poll, but did not receive votes in the Associated Press' poll.

Rutgers Eagerly Awaits Saturday Scrimmage

After completing two weeks of training camp, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights are excited for Saturday's scrimmage. The team will try to simulate real-game intensity, says head coach Kyle Flood. "What I did was I set the clock for this scrimmage because I'm trying to give this scrimmage as much as we possibly can the feeling of a game situation...And then after we're done with this scrimmage, I'm going to set it for the Tulane game."

But before the team can be ready for its first-week showdown with Tulane, Rutgers has a few position battles it has yet to settle. The two quarterbacks contending for the starting job, Gary Nova and Chas Dodd, will receive equal reps, according to Flood.

Also up for grabs is the starting position at right guard, where junior Andre Civil is competing with third-year sophomore Taj Alexander.

For more Rutgers football updates, check out SB Nation New York and On The Banks.

Rutgers Football Camp, Day 2: Darius Hamilton, Jeremy Deering And More

For the second day Tuesday, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football program took to the practice field. The Scarlet Knights were again in shorts and t-shirts doing drills and technique work. At the conclusion of practice, first-year head coach Kyle Flood spoke to the media.

Here's some notes from Flood's press conference:

• The squad implemented plays for first and second down Tuesday, and the plan is to go over third and fourth day plays on Wednesday. The idea, says Flood, is to implement the plays into Saturday's scrimmage.
• Freshman defensive end Darius Hamilton had some cramping issues, but Flood stated that's normal for a rookie who's getting a lot of early-season reps. So far, its not a concern.
• The first noticeable depth chart changes will come on Monday. Flood said he'd like to go the week, keep the groups together as much as possible, have the half scrimmage on Sat. and Sunday evaluate where the depth chart stands.
• Seems like running back/wide receiver Jeremy Deering will be a full-time wide out in 2012-13.

Meanwhile, over at the SB Nation blog On The Banks, a position-by-position preview of the squad is slowly taking place. Here's a link to the quarterbacks and running backs.

-- For more on Rutgers football, check back to his SB Nation New York StoryStream.

Rutgers Football Camp, Day 1: Intensity Increases As Preseason Begins

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football program's preseason camp has begun, check back to this SB Nation New York StoryStream for the latest news, injury reports and information on position battles.