The Huskies host the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers for the first game of a very hyped-up season. Will the Dawgs be able to stay focused on the task at hand?
Huskies vs. Rutgers
The Opponent: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
2015 Season Record: 4-8
Head Coach: Chris Ash
HuskiesChris Petersenhas touched on the uncertainty of what Rutgers will do this week. They have a new coach, Chris Ash, who is obviously going to be implementing his style into this team and thus, the Huskies don’t have the kind of film or scouting that they want for this match up.
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Rutgers surrendered nearly 35 points per game last season and Ash, a former defensive coordinator at Ohio State, Arkansas and Wisconsin, should be stressing more on the defense than the Rutgers team did from a year ago.
On offense, senior quarterbackChris Lavianowill start the game for the Scarlet Knights. Last season, he threw for 2247 yards while throwing 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Laviano will be joined in the backfield by junior running backsJosh HicksandRobert Martin. Hicks ran for 674 yards and four touchdowns while Martin ran for 763 and six touchdowns.
They lost their number one receiver,Leonte Carroo, who now plays for the Miami Dolphins. Last season, Carroo caught 39 passes for 809 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Scarlet Knights do returnJanarion Grant, who caught 35 passes for 352 yards and a touchdown, andAndre Pattonwho caught 34 passes for 432 yards and one touchdown, so their big time scorer is gone from the receiving corps.
The Prediction
TheHuskiesare too talented. Rutgers was a 4-8 team last season and has a lack of playmakers on offense since Carroo left. The defense should be slightly improved after the horrible 2015 campaign, but this is a Husky team loaded with talent on both sides of the ball who should be foaming at the mouth to get this season started in front of the home crowd in Seattle.
The Huskies win this game handily with two touchdown passes fromJake Browning, two scores fromMyles Gaskin, and a solid outing from theBudda Baker-led defense.
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Final Score: Huskies 41, Scarlet Knights 10
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