Rutgers/Norfolk St. gamethread

I was very, very, very concerned about the offense after the first half. It’s never a good sign when you need 2 and a half quarters and the opposition dropping like flies due to injury and/or fatigue before picking up the first touchdown of the game. It wasn’t so much a lack of talent or poor play-calling, but inconsistent execution consistently by someone in a red jersey. If it wasn’t Savage, it’d be a receiver. If not them, then a lineman missing a block. And so forth. I’m glad they got more momentum and confidence going, especially on the ground, in the second half. But at the same time, Rutgers, in general, should not be struggling with the defense of Norfolk State.

I noticed Jordan Thomas got more than just a few touches. While Rocket Williams looked great in garbage time, I wonder if Thomas did enough to justify being the #2 guy behind Martinek. I suppose that question will be answered against FIU?

I will say I was pleased by the defense. They got lucky on a missed FG to maintain a shutout (and prevent Norfolk from tying the score in the first half); but they fixed their mistakes rather quickly, didn’t get demoralized when Norfolk did break off a first down, and had more than a few nice plays of their own. They were excellent against the run, holding them to a mere 25 on the ground. Of course, it’s Norfolk State, so it’s hard to get too excited. At least the D showed up to play.

Needless to say, while one can’t brag about the win, it appears that most of the issues I saw on the field are fix-able. It’s a young team and hopefully in due time, they’ll improve. Ideally against FIU because if the offense turns a performance as flaccid like they were in the first half against Norfolk State, then it’s going to be a long, long season.