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Richard Schnyderite of The Knight Report broke down Rutgers' team prior to its weekend matchup against Michigan.

He explained what the Scarlet Knights' strengths and weaknesses are, before concluding with a final score prediction for the contest:

• QB Artur Sitkowski (freshman) — The numbers aren't pretty for the rookie this season — he is only completing 49.8 percent of his passes and has accumulated a 4-15 touchdown-to-interception ratio, with his 15 picks being three more than any quarterback in the country. Sitkowski did, however, have one of the best games of his young career last week at Wisconsin, throwing for 261 yards (second most this year) with a touchdown and no picks.

• RB Raheem Blackshear (sophomore) — He is by far the biggest playmaker on the Scarlet Knight offense, leading the team in both rushing (437 yards) and receiving (316 yards).Head coach Chris Ash has shown a tendency to play the 5-9, 192-pound speedster at both running back and in the slot, trying to put him in the best positions to make plays.

• WR Bo Melton (sophomore) — The former four-star wideout is second on the club in both receptions (25) and receiving yards (216), but has yet to score a touchdown. Consistency has been an issue for Melton — after reeling in 21 grabs through the team's first six clashes, the sophomore has only brought in four passes over the last three.

• WR Shameen Jones (redshirt freshman) — Despite playing at least 34 snaps in every outing, Jones has only compiled 13 catches for 128 yards. He has not caught more than three balls in any showdown this year, nor has he logged more than 37 yards in a single tilt.

• WR Eddie Lewis (freshman) — His 24 receptions are third most on the roster and his 173 yards are the fourth most. Lewis' single-game high in grabs and yards have only been four and 43, respectively.

• TE Travis Vokolek (sophomore) — Fifth-year senior Jerome Washington (11 catches, 202 yards) missed last week's loss to Wisconsin with an injury and will likely be out once again, which would allow Vokolek to get the starting nod for a second straight week. He has only posted 110 yards, but his 11 receptions are actually tied for the fifth most on the team.

• LT Tariq Cole (redshirt senior) — He is a team captain and has been a staple on the Scarlet Knights' offensive line, starting 31 of the team's last 33 contests. Cole received All-Big Ten honorable mention accolades from both the coaches and media at last season's end, and entered the 2018 campaign on Athlon's All-Big Ten third team.

• LG Zach Venesky (redshirt junior) — Redshirt sophomore Mike Lonsdorf began the campaign as the starter, but Venesky has begun the last two games while the former has been out with an injury. It remains to be seen who will get the start against the Wolverines, but it should be noted that Rutgers racked up 333 yards (its third-highest total of the year)on Wisconsin last week with Venesky in the lineup.

• C Michael Maietti (redshirt sophomore) — Though just a redshirt sophomore, Maietti has has started 18 of the club's last 21 outings. He has also graded out as the Scarlet Knights' second-best starting offensive lineman by Pro Football Focus (PFF), with a 66.1 mark (64 is considered average).

• RG Jonah Jackson (redshirt junior) — He has been marked as Rutgers' best offensive player by PFF, with a 75.6 overall tally. A team captain, Jackson has been a stalwart on an experienced offensive line, having started 13 showdowns since the beginning of 2017.

• RT Kamaal Seymour (redshirt junior) — Yet another mainstay up front for the Scarlet Knights, Seymour has begun 26 of Rutgers' last 33 affairs, including all nine in 2018. He is a solid pass blocker according to PFF (69.8), but subpar in the run blocking department (57.7)

• DE Kevin Wilkins (redshirt senior) — His 4.5 tackles for loss are tied for the second most on the club, and his 43 stops rank sixth. Wilkins has been especially effective against the run in 2018, with a mark of 76 from PFF in that category.

• DT Jon Bateky (senior) — He is one of the most experienced players on Rutgers' whole defense, playing in 41 of the Scarlet Knights' last 45 contests. Bateky's stats don't jump off the page (2.5 tackles for loss, one sack), but he is the anchor of the defensive line at 6-3, 298.

• DT Willington Previlon (redshirt junior) — He only has 15 total tackles, but has still managed to record two tackles for loss and a sack. Previlon has set career highs in snaps played the last two weeks (45 and 55), so it's safe to assume he'll continue to take on an expanded against Michigan as well.

• DE Elorm Lumor (redshirt sophomore) — He has been Rutgers' best threat off the edge, leading the squad with six tackles for loss, while checking in second with 3.5 sacks. Lumor's three quarterback hurries place him second on the team.

• LB Trevor Morris (senior) — His 81 tackles pace Rutgers and are actually the fourth most in the Big Ten. To put in perspective how much of a tackling machine Morris has been in 2018, consider this — senior linebacker Deonte Roberts is the only other Scarlet Knight who has more than 49 tackles.

• LB Deonte Roberts (senior) — Roberts' 71 stops are tied for the ninth most in the conference, and as a result he has earned a 79.7 grade from PFF against the run this season. The senior has also tallied 3.5 tackles for loss, which are tied for fourth most on the squad.

• LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams (redshirt sophomore) — He missed all of last season with an injury, but has bounced back nicely in 2018 to start all nine games. His 37 stops and three TFLs aren't necessarily eye-popping, but his 81.8 grade from PFF against the run is outstanding.

• CB Isaiah Wharton (redshirt senior) — The veteran has had an incredible career in Piscataway, starting all 45 outings of his tenure (not counting when he redshirted in 2014). Wharton's consistency is a big reason the Scarlet Knight pass defense is only allowing 180.4 yards per game (21st best nationally).

• CB Avery Young (freshman) — Young has been a revelation as a freshman in the Scarlet Knight secondary — his 49 tackles rank third on the roster, and his six pass breakups are second on the club. PFF has tagged him with an overall grade of 74, which is the highest of any of the squad's defensive starters.

• S Saquan Hampton (redshirt senior) — He has started 23 showdowns since the beginning of the 2016 campaign, including all nine in 2018. The most impressive stat he boasts are his nine pass breakups, which are the fifth most in the Big Ten.

• S Damon Hayes (junior) — He played cornerback his first two years in college, but was switched to safety prior to this season. Hayes' 48 stops are the fourth most on the club, and his two picks are tied for the squad lead.

• K Justin Davidovicz (sophomore) — He is a perfect 14 of 14 on extra points and has made eight of his 10 field goal attempts, with his only two misses coming from beyond 40 yards. After connecting on his first five kicks of the season, though, Davidovicz is just three for his last five.

• P Adam Korsak (sophomore) — He is averaging an impressive 43.1 yards on 59 punts, which ranks as the fourth-best mark in the Big Ten. Korsak has upped his performance as of late, tallying at least 43.8 yards per boot in each of his last four tilts.

"The Scarlet Knights' biggest strength is easily the running backs and the different styles of running they all bring to the table," Schnyderite explained. "Let’s begin with the starter, Blackshear, who is easily the best and most versatile running back on the team.

"This past weekend, Rutgers took on Wisconsin and struggled to run the ball, so the staff decided to use Blackshear more in the slot and he came away with 162 yards receiving in the game.

"Next up, you have the freshman out of South Jersey, Isaih Pacheco. He leads the team in yards per carry at 4.7 and is tied for second in rushing touchdowns with two. Pacheco might be the shiftiest of the three running backs the Scarlet Knights use, and he has been very good with his juke moves and head fakes recently. Rutgers recently started getting him more involved in the run game, so look to see quite a bit of him on Saturday.

"The third and final running back Rutgers has is graduate transfer Jonathan Hilliman, originally from Boston College. Hilliman actually committed to the Scarlet Knights back when Kyle Flood was head coach, but decommitted and ended up signing with BC in the end. He is considered the power back for the Scarlet Knights, and he currently leads the team in rushing touchdowns with six. He’s been losing some carries lately to the younger guys, but I think it is pretty safe to say we will see some of him this weekend."

While Rutgers has a trio of running backs it likes to use, the team's rushing numbers as a whole aren't very good. Their 124.4 yards per contest are 113th in the nation, and they have only rushed for more than 119 yards three times all year.

The squad is also tallying a dismal 3.7 yards per carry (103rd).

On the flip side, Michigan has yielded a combined 83 yards on the ground its last two times out to Michigan State and Penn State. Needless to say, this is a significant mismatch in U-M's favor despite being a team strength for Rutgers.

"Rutgers' biggest weaknesses is its offensive line," the analyst noted. "Despite returning three starters, the unit still had to replace both interior guards this offseason. Along with replacing two starters, the unit also has suffered some injuries. Throughout the year, [fifth-year senior left tackle Tariq] Cole has been on and off the field with some nagging ailments.

"The unit as a whole has been struggling to find solidarity too. The team has started four different players at the left guard spot over the course of the season."

Despite the offensive line struggles, the unit has actually done an outstanding job of not allowing tackles for loss. It has given up only 38 all year, which ranks 12th in college football. On a similar note, the group has only yielded 12 sacks, which is tied for 27th in the FBS.

Michigan has made a living in opponent's backfields, though, with its 67 TFLs checking in at No. 21 nationally, and its 29 sacks at No. 8.

Not getting stopped behind the line of scrimmage is a must if the Scarlet Knights hope to move the ball successfully on Saturday.

"Rutgers' best defensive strength would probably be its passing defense," Schnyderite noted. ""Early on, a lot of fans were confident in the defensive backs with the return of soon-to-be NFL cornerback [redshirt junior] Bless Austin. However, he was hurt yet again early in the season, and it forced Rutgers to play [freshman Avery] Young as the team's No. 2 corner.

"Young has been burnt a couple times as expected, but overall he’s been pretty solid. Just this past Saturday against Wisconsin, Hampton finished the game with two interceptions and a couple of pass deflections.

"Although it's been easy to run on the Scarlet Knights, it's been somewhat difficult to pass on them."

Rutgers' numbers against the pass have been stellar this season. Only three foes have thrown for more than 156 yards, while three others have been limited to 100 yards or fewer.

It should be noted the unit has stepped up its play recently — over its last four clashes, opposing offenses have averaged just 120 yards through the air.

Michigan's aerial assault, meanwhile, doesn't throw for many yards (200.6, 96th nationally), but has been incredibly efficient.

Junior quarterback Shea Patterson has completed 67 percent of his passes this season, while putting together a 14-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

"The biggest defensive weakness of this team is easily the defensive line and rush defense as a whole," the expert said. "The defensive line has struggled to create any type of pass rush throughout the entire season, and the only spark the unit has seen recently has been from redshirt freshman Mike Tverdov. The New Jersey native and Rutgers legacy has been playing more snaps recently and now leads the team in sacks with three, despite a limited number of snaps earlier in the year.

"Rutgers is currently ranked No. 119 in rushing defense and gives up an average of 235 yards per game. Last week, they allowed 208 yards and three touchdowns to Wisconsin sophomore running back Jonathan Taylor.

"This unit has struggled all year, and I don’t expect much of a difference this week."

Teams have run on the Scarlet Knights at will, with three different clubs going over 317 ground yards on them. Rushing attacks have also averaged 5.6 yards per carry, which ranks 122nd in the country.

Rutgers held Texas State to just 69 yards on the ground in the season-opener, but every other foe has put up at least 128 yards on them.

Michigan will try to pound the ball over and over again on Saturday, evidenced by its 43.2 attempts per outing (20th nationally).

The Wolverines have averaged 254 rushing yards per tilt their last three games, so it's hard to envision Rutgers' front seven slowing them down.

"This game could get out of hand quickly," Schnyderite admitted. "With Michigan looking to add to their College Football Playoff resume, I expect [U-M head coach Jim] Harbaugh to pour it on.

"The rushing defense is horrid, and I’d expect [U-M senior running back Karan] Higdon to run for at least 150 yards, if not more. Expect it to be a long game for Rutgers."

Michigan 56, Rutgers 10

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