Big Improvement Needed for Rutgers Defense After Poor Performance
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Entering Thursday night's season opener against the Ohio Bobcats, fans had high expectations for an offense led by senior quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and a stable of explosive receivers. The same can not be said for the defensive side of the ball.
The Rutgers defense had no answer for Bobcats QB Parker Navarro
Talented Ohio Bobcats quarterback Parker Navarro had an efficient passing day, completing 21 of 31 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns, but it was his legs that did the real damage, as he rushed nine times for 96 yards, an average of 10.3 yards per carry.
In fairness, very few defenses have the speed and talent to stop Navarro, one of only five FBS quarterbacks to rush for over 1,000 yards last season, with two, Bryson Daly (Army) and Blake Horvath (Navy), playing for the option-heavy service academies. Navarro presented a unique dual-threat challenge for a Rutgers defense that was looking to improve after a much-aligned 2024 season.
Absence of a pass rush
The Knights were thought to have addressed the lack of a pass rush this offseason with the portal additions of Bradley Weaver and Eric O'Neill. Weaver performed well against his old team, assisting on five tackles and being credited with two quarterback hits. Unfortunately for Rutgers, highly touted edge rusher Eric O'Neill had little impact in his first game for the Knights, with one solo tackle and two assists. Senior lineman Jordan Walker was also quiet, only tallying two assisted tackles.
Overall, Rutgers had zero sacks and zero takeaways, and that's obviously not going to cut it if the team expects to compete when Big Ten play starts in late September against Iowa.
The underwhelming performance by the defensive line put added pressure on the linebacking unit. Moses Walker led the defense with a career high 13 tackles. Dariel Djabome added five tackles, and the two took nearly every defensive snap. Head Coach Schiano was blunt in his post-game assessment of the defense.
"I've told you guys all along. I haven't tried to hide it. It's a work in progress," Schiano said. "We had a lot of guys out there that, you know, we’ve been here for seven, eight months. So I’m encouraged that we have plenty of room for development, and we’re going to have to do that, right? Fundamentally, right, that’s how you do it. You don’t go create new defenses. You create better fundamentals that when they execute those fundamentals, and we get better and better and better, then the calls will work better and better."
It's too early to tell if the Rutgers defensive performance last night is an indication of things to come or just a product of playing against a very unique quarterback in Navarro for the season opener. One thing is sure, though - the coaches have plenty to clean up this week in preparation for another MAC opponent, the Miami of Ohio Redhawks, next Saturday afternoon at SHI Stadium.
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John Catapano graduated from Rutgers in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, covering the women’s field hockey and soccer teams for the campus paper, The Daily Targum. After college, he moved to Los Angeles, got a job at Walt Disney Television, and has worked in media ever since. John currently works with the Wasserman Media Group in their Brooklyn, NY office, collaborating with brands, influencers, and athletes across the globe. When the pandemic struck in 2020 and Catapano began working remotely, he resumed writing by contributing to a Rutgers fan blog. He covered various sports, highlighted human interest stories, and focused on topics that Scarlet Nation wanted to discuss. It’s never easy being a Rutgers fan, but with over 500,000 alumni living worldwide and a passionate fanbase, covering the Scarlet Knights is always engaging.