Rutgers Football midseason report card

Offense

Overall Grade

Quarterback | B

Chris Laviano has had his moments this year, and he has had his moments. In the past two games, he has thrown for a combined for 596 yards, 6 TDs, and only 1 interception. Both games were played against B1G competition as well. He has improved in just about every game this year and should look to build on that as the season progresses.

Running Backs | B+

The only reason they aren't an A is because Josh Hicks has coughed up the ball too much, including a crucial fumble against Washington State. Besides his fumbling, Hicks has been solid. Robert Martin III has been the best back of the trio, in my opinion, and is coming off a huge game against Indiana. Paul James looked like he was no longer any good the first 4 games, but had a huge 72-yard rush against Michigan State and the game-tying 40-yard run against Indiana. He just has a knack for making big plays. Sam Bergen is included in this group, and has had a solid season so far.

Wide Receivers | A

This group, in my opinion, is the strongest on the offense this year. Leonte Carroo is the best WR in the B1G and there is plenty of talent besides Carroo on this roster. Andre Patton has proven to be Mr. Reliable for this team and is one of the toughest players on the team. He will be playing on Sundays sooner than later. Carlton Agudosi has proven to be a huge player as well. He made 3 catches against Indiana filling in for Leonte Carroo. One was a bomb that he mossed two DBs on and nearly scored. The other two were huge third-down conversions on the game winning drive, one of which set up the final field goal. Janarion Grant is incredibly dynamic and his hands are far and away better than last year, and probably better than they ever were. He is a huge part of this offense and his ability to be sure-handed is proving crucial.

Tight Ends | B

The tight ends have done nothing special so far. Matt Flanagan already has 3 TDs, but the group as a whole needs to be more productive. Nick Arcidiacono has proven to be a great blocker, but an average receiver. Charles Scarff and Flanagan aren't good enough receivers to not be good blockers. The good news is this group has lots of room for improvement and could have 3 complete NFL-type TE's next year.

Offensive Line | B

The offensive line has been incredibly inconsistent this year. They were dominated against Penn State, average against Michigan State, and great against Indiana. There is a good deal of talent in this group and 4 starters will return next year. Keith Lumpkin is as good a leader as you could ask for and holds this unit together. Similar to the secondary, this unit clearly gets better every single week

Defense

Overall Grade

Defensive Line | C+

This might not be a popular choice, but I think this has been the most disappointing unit on the team. Obviously Darius Hamilton's injury affects this group in multiple ways on and off the field. Sebastian Joseph has been alright, but has Kevin Wilkins on his back for the starting job. Julian Pinnix-Odrick hasn't been as consistent as expected. Quanzell Lambert has been decent, and Jimmy Hogan has been a pleasant surprise at defensive end. However, Djwany Mera hasn't been having a great season, besides the blocked kick against MSU, and Kemoko Turay has been M.I.A. on the D-Line. He only has 2 sacks in 6 games, which is obviously not what is expected of him.

Linebackers | A

This group might just be the most talented group on the team. Quentin Gause is a straight up beast and does just about anything you could ask of a linebacker in the B1G. He can rush the passer, finish tackles, hit, and cover decently. Steve Longa doesn't let anyone get by him either. He is a tackling machine who may return to Rutgers for his senior year even though he has NFL potential. Kaiwan Lewis has been great against the run, but has been getting torched on passing plays, That is this units only weakness so far.

Secondary | C

Look on the bright side, this unit has been getting better and better and picked of the most efficient passer in the B1G twice in one quarter. Anthony Cioffi has been a consistent playmaker and Isaiah Wharton nabbed his first career interception. Kiy Hester has emerged as a budding star as well. Next up is seeing how Jarius Adams can handle himself against the defending National Champs.

Overall Team Grade