Iceland12
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3. Stop leaving points on the field.
Looking back at what wrong in Rutgers' two winnable Big Ten games will make a coach's stomach turn. The Scarlet Knights crossed midfield five times against Iowa and seven times against Illinois -- with just one touchdown in each game to show for it.
Rutgers is 2-of-12 in converting those possessions into points, chewing up a lot of empty yards on the way to turnovers and fourth-down failures while kicker David Bonagura and his uncertain range rests on the sideline.
It has begged the question of whether Rutgers can abandon the shotgun on fourth-and-short situations.
"We have the ability to get under center," Ash said. "We've had these conversations everywhere I've been for quite a while: What do you do the most? If you jump out of a plane, what are you going to do? You resort back to your training and what you feel the most comfortable with. That is to take shotgun snaps. You notice when we take a knee at the end of a game or the end of a half, we take it out of the shotgun."
4. Strength vs. weakness.
Minnesota ranks No. 4 in the Big Ten in rushing defense and No. 5 in the Big Ten in rushing offense. Rutgers ranks No. 13 and No. 9, respectively, in the same categories.
In a way, Minnesota is reminiscent of the Wisconsin offenses that pushed Rutgers around at the line of scrimmage the last two seasons. Ash is a former Wisconsin defensive coordinator who emphasizes the line of scrimmage above all else.
Rutgers squandered an opportunity for a defensive gem against Illinois' backup quarterback last week when it allowed 228 rushing yards to offset just 92 passing yards. Minnesota is likely to start its backup quarterback (Conor Rhoda) and try to match Illinois' formula -- only with a better tandem of runners.
"They're huge up front," defensive tackle Darius Hamilton said. "They work well together. They execute. It's very rare that when you watch film you will see an offensive line that works (so) well together and makes few mistakes. That's exactly what they do. They know who they are. They want to run the ball and they do a great job of doing that."
http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/i...a_stop_leaving_so_man.html#incart_river_index
Looking back at what wrong in Rutgers' two winnable Big Ten games will make a coach's stomach turn. The Scarlet Knights crossed midfield five times against Iowa and seven times against Illinois -- with just one touchdown in each game to show for it.
Rutgers is 2-of-12 in converting those possessions into points, chewing up a lot of empty yards on the way to turnovers and fourth-down failures while kicker David Bonagura and his uncertain range rests on the sideline.
It has begged the question of whether Rutgers can abandon the shotgun on fourth-and-short situations.
"We have the ability to get under center," Ash said. "We've had these conversations everywhere I've been for quite a while: What do you do the most? If you jump out of a plane, what are you going to do? You resort back to your training and what you feel the most comfortable with. That is to take shotgun snaps. You notice when we take a knee at the end of a game or the end of a half, we take it out of the shotgun."
4. Strength vs. weakness.
Minnesota ranks No. 4 in the Big Ten in rushing defense and No. 5 in the Big Ten in rushing offense. Rutgers ranks No. 13 and No. 9, respectively, in the same categories.
In a way, Minnesota is reminiscent of the Wisconsin offenses that pushed Rutgers around at the line of scrimmage the last two seasons. Ash is a former Wisconsin defensive coordinator who emphasizes the line of scrimmage above all else.
Rutgers squandered an opportunity for a defensive gem against Illinois' backup quarterback last week when it allowed 228 rushing yards to offset just 92 passing yards. Minnesota is likely to start its backup quarterback (Conor Rhoda) and try to match Illinois' formula -- only with a better tandem of runners.
"They're huge up front," defensive tackle Darius Hamilton said. "They work well together. They execute. It's very rare that when you watch film you will see an offensive line that works (so) well together and makes few mistakes. That's exactly what they do. They know who they are. They want to run the ball and they do a great job of doing that."
http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/i...a_stop_leaving_so_man.html#incart_river_index