The Bells Must Ring! - A Rutgers Football Journey (NCAA 06)

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THE BELLS MUST RING

A Rutgers Football Journey

Intro:

It's been a while since I've tried to run a dynasty here on OS, but I'm going to give it a try with one of my favorite NCAA games, NCAA 06. Since I last attempted to run a dynasty thread, I graduated high school and began attending (you guessed it) Rutgers University. I won't have the time to crank out reports with other demands on my schedule, but I'll do my best to keep it consistent.

Why Rutgers?

As I mentioned above, I currently attend Rutgers and the football situation is, well, it's abysmal. Probably one of the worst Power 5 teams in the country, if not the worst. However, with NCAA 06, we'll be traveling back to a time when the Big East still existed and there was no playoff.

Rutgers was coming off a 5-7 year in 2004 , when they started 5-2, but lost their remaining five games to miss out on bowl season. Greg Schiano was entering his 5th year on the banks, and expectations, while not high, were increased past what they had been in New Brunswick for the years leading up to Schiano's tenure. He had steadily improved the team's record, and with two straight 5-win campaigns, fans eagerly anticipated the program taking the next step into bowl games and potential Big East title contention.

Dynasty Specifics

Game: NCAA 06

Platform: PS2

Difficulty: All-American, with slider adjustments

Rosters: Generic

Scheduling: I will attempt to make myself a tough schedule year in and year out

Recruiting: No restrictions

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RUTGERS FOOTBALL: A HISTORY

Rutgers, known as the Birthplace of College Football, was the site of the first ever college football game. In this game, Rutgers defeated Princeton 6-4, and a nationwide craze (and rivalry) was sparked. The players on each side had no idea the effects of this first game, nor that some 18-year old would be writing about their exploits 150 years later.

Rutgers has not had a particularly grand history outside being the start of it all, however. Two undefeated seasons in the years of 1961 and 1976 are the brightest spots of this long history, and despite having a history of good players such as Marco Battaglia, Ray Rice, and more, recent years have not been kind to the Knights. Their last winning season was in 1992 under Doug Graber, and they have not achieved much of anything since.

However, something is brewing in New Jersey. A sleeping giant, waiting to be awoken? Greg Schiano is attempting to wake that giant, and perhaps this year can be a breakthrough...

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SEASON-BY-SEASON RESULTS

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Feel free to post! Season preview should be up either tonight or tomorrow!

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2005 SEASON PREVIEW

Can USC repeat as National Champions?

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Aug 25, 2005
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	--	USC Trojans (38)	0	0	1502
2	--	Tennessee Volunteers (22)	0	0	1425
3	--	Iowa Hawkeyes (1)	0	0	1351
4	--	Oklahoma Sooners	0	0	1279
5	--	Florida State Seminoles	0	0	1209
6	--	Texas Longhorns	0	0	1140
7	--	Michigan Wolverines	0	0	1074
8	--	Louisville Cardinals	0	0	1009
9	--	LSU Tigers	0	0	947
10	--	Virginia Tech Hokies	0	0	886
11	--	Miami Hurricanes	0	0	827
12	--	Ohio State Buckeyes	0	0	770
13	--	Florida Gators	0	0	715
14	--	Georgia Bulldogs	0	0	662
15	--	Purdue Boilermakers	0	0	611
16	--	Alabama Crimson Tide	0	0	561
17	--	Boston College Eagles	0	0	514
18	--	Boise State Broncos	0	0	468
19	--	Arizona State Sun Devils	0	0	425
20	--	Auburn Tigers	0	0	383
21	--	Texas Tech Red Raiders	0	0	343
22	--	Virginia Cavaliers	0	0	305
23	--	Pittsburgh Panthers	0	0	269
24	--	UTEP Miners	0	0	235
25	--	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	0	0	203

Heisman Watch - Updated: Aug 25, 2005
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Ryan Finnerty	QB	USC Trojans		--
Micah Oliver	HB	Oklahoma Sooners		--
Thomas Leonard	HB	USC Trojans		--
Erik Irons	QB	Texas Longhorns		--
Dominic McCray	WR	Ohio State Buckeyes		--

Big East (Conference Projections) Conference Standings - Updated: Aug 25, 2005
TEAM	REC	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	STRK
Louisville Cardinals
Pittsburgh Panthers
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
West Virginia Mountaineers
Syracuse Orange
UConn Huskies
USF Bulls
Cincinnati Bearcats

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RUTGERS FOOTBALL 2005 PREVIEW

CAN KNIGHTS IMPROVE ON 5-7 CAMPAIGN?

Schedule

Week 1: @ #17 Boston College

Week 2: vs Temple

Week 3: @ Buffalo

Week 4: @ Indiana

**BIG EAST PLAY BEGINS**

Week 5: vs #23 Pittsburgh

Week 6: vs West Virginia

Week 7: @ Syracuse

Week 8: @ UConn

Week 9: vs Navy

Week 10: vs USF

Week 11: @ #8 Louisville

Week 12: BYE

Week 13: vs Cincinnati

Week 14: BYE

Projected Record: 6-6 (2-5)

SCHIANO NAMES STARTING LINEUPS FOR WEEK 1

This week at his Tuesday press conference, Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano named his starting lineup for the team's season opener against #17 Boston College.

"These are the guys who worked their butts off all from the final whistle last year to this point here and now, and that's why they're our starters to open the year", Schiano said this afternoon.

Here are your starting Scarlet Knights for the 2005 season!

QB: SR Jamaal Wood
HB: JR Jabari Tautofi
FB: SR Jerry Marshall
WR: SR Eddie Barbato
WR: SR Jacob Murphy
TE: SR Nick Wilkinson
LT: JR Ryan Walker
LG: SO Jason Morales
C: SR Barrett Jones
RG: S Frank Jones
RT: SR Mike Gibson

Analysis: This is a very experienced group entering the year, as all but one starter is either a junior or senior. I'd expect this experience to be the difference is some close games, and they should help propel the Knights to a bowl berth.

LE: SR Shannon Lawrence
RE: SR Travis Smart
DT: SR Elliot Evans
DT: JR P.J. Gray
LOLB: SR Tim Ruud
MLB: JR Noah Hinds
ROLB: SR Daniel Hunter
CB: JR Brigham James
CB: JR Dan Ford
FS: SO Kevin Irons
SS: SR Andre Johnson

Analysis: Similarly to the offense, there is a load of experience at the starting positions on defense. Again, this experience should propel Rutgers over the top in close games and should keep the team focused on the end-goal throughout the year: making a bowl game.

K: SR Antwon Miller
P: SR Steve St-Preux

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KNIGHT'S CALL: 2005 RUTGERS RECRUITING PREVIEW

This year, Rutgers has some higher goals than you might expect from a team coming off a 5-win season. They have officially offered 12 recruits scholarships, but insiders report they are focusing their efforts on four separate prospects.

The first of these prospects is Guard Nick McClellan from Phoenixville, PA. Standing at 6'5" and weighing in at 315 lbs, he already has good size for college offensive lineman. He reportedly benches 470 lbs, and squats 680. He clearly comes in with elite size and strength, but Rutgers will have to compete with some good programs to land his services. Currently his favorite school is Rutgers, but powerhouses such as Notre Dame, Ohio State and Michigan are also contenders for Nick.

The second prospect here is halfback Eddie Taylor from Fort Lee, NJ, less than an hour's drive from New Brunswick. The 5'11" prospect runs a 4.39 40-yard dash according to early reports, and from his film as a sophomore and junior he has been a factor in Fort Lee's passing game as well. Rutgers will be up against schools such as Penn State and Virginia Tech for Taylor's services, but if he commits to RU, he could be a dynamic back both running and receiving.

Next up we have linebacker Anthony Fitzpatrick from Lyndhurst, NJ. Also less than an hour's drive from New Brunswick, Anthony is a bit undersized at 5'11", but has solid speed, running a 4.5, and possesses decent instincts on the field. Rutgers is again up against powers such as Virginia Tech, Ohio State, and Michigan, but Fitzpatrick would be a strong get for a senior-laden defense.

Finally, we have Strong Safety Zach Luke. Another out of state prospect, this time from Maryland, Zach has elite height for the safety position, measureing in at 6'3". He also runs around a 4.5 according to initial reports, but his instincts on the field more than make up for less than elite speed. Again, schools such as Notre Dame and Penn State will be competing for Zach's services next season, but he could be a good piece to add to Rutgers' defensive backfield.

That's all we have for the opening edition of Knight's Call! We will keep you updated as recruits trim their lists, take visits, and eventually commit.

GO RU!

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WEEK 1 PREVIEWS: 'NOLES-CANES TOPS SLATE

Entering week 1 of the 2005 college football season, there is a sense of excitement in the air. Last week, during "Week 0", as some call it, there was one matchup, as #19 Arizona State defeated Temple 52-20. The Sun Devils' top performer was their wideout Jones, who finished with 9 receptions, totaling up a staggering 191 yards and 2 touchdowns.

This week, gameday will be heading to Tallahassee as the #11 Miami Hurricanes take on the #5 Florida State Seminoles. Both teams have championship aspirations, so this is a big early-season test to see who might live up to that billing.

Elsewhere, the #1 ranked USC Trojans host unranked Hawaii, and #20 Auburn hosts #25 Georgia Tech in an intriguing early season matchup for two sleeper teams in their respective conferences. The final ranked-vs-ranked matchup is the #14 Georgia Bulldogs taking on the #18 Boise State Broncos in Athens. That should be exciting as we see if Boise can play spoiler to the BCS this year.

That's all for this week's preview, tune in next week for the updated Top 25, Heisman Watch, and more!