Rutgers Study: Close Game Expected

Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech’s matchup with Rutgers seems like it could go either way. (Ivan Morozov)

The Scarlet Knights whomped the Howard Bison and Akron Zips to start the season, and will arrive at Blacksburg fresh off an open week. That might be a more impressive record than it sounds, because the Zips were game and more talented* than I expected. We’ll focus on that game in today’s preview.

Offense

This isn’t quite the same Rutgers team the Hokies played last year, though there are plenty of similarities. The approach is still a grinding one that runs the clock down on most snaps. The Knights’ best play looks like Split Zone/Read, which you’re familiar with by now. They spend a lot of time in 11-personnel wing sets, which aligns the TE to come across on the kick-out:

That’s Kyle Monangai (RB, #5) almost housing the carry. Monangai’s stocky and he runs strong, and he’ll again be a problem for the lankier Hokie defenders to bring down. He’s the heart and soul of this offense, and if he’s seeing well and forcing misses, the Knights are going to put up points. He usually has a nice surface to scan, and not just because of the offensive line shoving people aside. Converted defensive end Kenny Fletcher (TE, #12) didn’t grade well by PFF’s eye against Akron, but each time I saw him, he was sending defenders backwards and making sure Monangai had plenty of room on cutbacks. (My first note about the game was actually about Fletcher’s blocking.) Not surprisingly, they like going for it on 4th-and-short.

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