Know Your Penn State Football Enemy: Rutgers Scarlet Knights

The Scarlet Knights have talent and experience, but will it be enough to beat Penn State.

When Penn State travels to Piscataway to take on Rutgers on November 17, it will be a game the Nittany Lions best not overlook. While the Scarlet Knights may not have achieved Big Ten dominance, you need to give head coach Chris Ash credit for what he is trying to build.

Rutgers went 4-8 last year with wins over other “building” Big Ten teams in Purdue, Maryland and Illinois. This year, Rutgers returns talent on both sides of the ball, and potentially have a quarterback to earn them a signature win.

It is unclear right now who will be under center for the Scarlet Knights to open the season. True freshman Artur Sitkowski and incumbent starter Gio Rescigno are battling it out in camp.

Sitkowski was a highly a touted recruit from IMG Academy, and could potentially be a turning point in Ash’s tenure. Sitkowkski is earning many reps in camp, but Rescigno has the experience and showed flashes of a competent quarterback last year. Sophomore Johnathan Lewis is also in the mix.

Getting the quarterback decision correct will be a key for Ash and offensive coordinator John McNulty, but there are still other gaps that need to be addressed.

The offensive line returns three starters in tackles Tariq Cole and Kamaal Seymour and center Michael Maietti, but the receiving corps is very inexperienced. Cole is a third year starter and could’ve left for the NFL after last season. He hopes to improve his stock while protecting the quarterback this year.

Raheem Blackshear is a shifty sophomore running back with the ability to break big plays. Senior Jonathan Hillman will also have an opportunity to show what he can do out of the backfield for the Scarlet Knights.

If Sitkowski is under center when they take on Penn State, it will be vital for the Nittany Lions to shut down his receivers and force him into errant throws.

Trevor Morris is the key returner on the defensive side of the ball. He’s an extremely athletic linebacker who led the team in tackles last season. He will be joined by fellow senior and returning starter Denote Roberts who defends the run and pass equally well.

The experience is also evident on the d-line with seniors Kevin Wilkins and Jon Bateky returning to their starting roles this season.

Penn State will need to keep those two off of Trace McSorley and away from Miles Sanders for the Nittany Lions to have success.

NFL prospect Saquan Hampton returns at Free Safety to round out what should be a formidable defense even against an offense like Penn State.

Of course, so much can happen over the course of the season, and Rutgers already has gotten a taste of that.

Around the same time Urban Meyer was bumbling like an arrogant buffoon through his suspension press conference, news broke of eight Rutgers football players who are facing charges in an apparent credit card scam.

Of the eight players charged six were not in camp. K.J. Gray who was slated to start at strong safety and Brendan DeVera, a backup linebacker, were both dismissed from the team.

Rutgers will push on, just as they have been doing for several trying years in the Big Ten. They finally have the talent and experience to make some waves, but with a daunting schedule, improving on 4-8 will be difficult