I wish I felt more certain about it though. I was feeling like it was going to happen till I saw that score from last year. I hope RU has gotten a lot better since then!!!
I voted "I don't care" but I guess I'll root for Rutgers in deference to all my friends in the mob on this board. :lol:
Louisville has more good players and more depth. They have an offense that is very hard to defense against and a sure fire 1st round NFL QB leading the way. They also play aggressive D. Rutgers defense is what improved the most. 2nd year with Schiano as DC. They lost 540 lbs and 20 sacks due to graduation, but replaced it with more speed, have better cohesiveness and better discipline. It's an attack D , very aggressive, very quick ,swarming, but undersized. Statiscally the 2nd best in the nation and one of the sack leaders. On offense RU improved on the O line. Rice, Leonard and TE Harris are among the best in college football and that part of their offense is solid. QB Teel ( 2nd year as starter) is a caretaker , much like a Paterno QB, but has a good arm. He's not asked to win the game but manage it, just pass enough to move the chains and keep a D honest. WR's are not experienced due to injuries and an unknown comodity. Fr WR Britt 6'4" can be a huge factor as can UL 's 6'6" wr . It's easier to defend than a WVU spread, although Rice is a tremendous back who can find an opening when there is none. Leonard is a great great FB who can do it all, catch, run and block. RU has excellent special teams, good kicker, good punter. They go after the punter and have the athletes to take it to the house on KOs and PRs. For RU to win, the intangibles have to kick in, not so much the crowd as the overall play as a team. They worked so hard off the field and in practice. RU is 8-0 because of the preparation. You'll see references to the chop. He has the players believing in themselves and committed to doing the little things that it takes to win. The team has great leadership, there are no prima dona's. Brian Leonard graduated but came back. he was a sure fire NFL 1st or 2nd round pick. The kid took a back seat to Rice , has not complained and is happy to do whatever it takes for the team to win. It's intangibles like this that you can't measure. This is a team in every sense of the word and they have confidence. Also can't let last year totally influence the perception. You're never as good and never as bad. Some things got away from them, mostly their inability to function offensively. In the beginning RU dominated UL but not on the scoreboard. 2nd half fell apart. In my heart I'll pull for RU, but I'm not as confident they have enough to win. UL has major league talent. I think it will be a much closer game than last year. Don't be surprised if you see so many turnovers. Both teams go full throttle UL on offense and RU on D, although UL will also get aggressive on D. I expect to see a few TO's. The 6 1/2 point spread is a real teaser if you like UL. Forgot to add both Schiano & Petrino are masters of deception with their respective specialties. RU's D shows so many different fronts that the QB can not audible because they don't know till the ball is snapped where they are attacking from.
PJ, Did you see my post about the Empire State building? They are changing the colors to Scarlet Red ! I just can't imagine what would happen if by some miracle RU made it to the MNC game and won? We can have a sleeping giant here.
I think Krebsie is still in Florida...Ill have the Rhode Island Chapter of the Garden State Branch of MARFIOSO giving our all tomorrow night :!: 8) :roll: jiffer
Ordinarily I would pull for the little guy (Rutgers), but the possibility of Texas even sniffing around the championship game makes me ill, so ... GO LOUISVILLE!! :twisted:
I saw that AJ. Who would have ever thought that would happen? I certainly never thought RU would catch on like this. I used to think that RU and Temple would always be at the same level when it came to football. PJ in Jersey
I'm right here you guys. In Howell NJ. I'm driving down on Saturday. Like many of you, I have been stricken with Scarlet fever.
" I want you to send a couple of the boys out to Detroit to see this guy Gipper. You know, straighten out his thinkin'"
Fuckin'-ay. I was gonna watch the game tonight until some guy named Paulie Walnuts threw my TV outta the window.