Previewing Rutgers With A Scarlet Knight Insider

Richie Schnyderite of The Knight Report was kind enough to swing by this week and break down Rutgers' football team prior to its weekend showdown with the Michigan Wolverines in Piscataway.

The analyst provided a preview of which Scarlet Knight players fans should keep an eye on, while also giving a final score prediction and a forecast of how he thinks the game will go.

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• Redshirt junior QB Noah Vedral — The Nebraska transfer has experienced plenty of ups and downs so far, with his 63.1 completion percentage being respectable but his seven interceptions tying Michigan State redshirt junior quarterback Rocky Lombardi for the most in the conference. Vedral tossed two touchdowns apiece in losses to Indiana and Illinois, but threw three interceptions in each of those games as well.

• Junior RB Isaih Pacheco — He is the heart and soul of the Scarlet Knights' ground game, with his 286 yards standing fifth in the Big Ten. Pacheco is also averaging 5.2 yards per attempt and has carried the ball 55 times already, with no other Rutgers running back possessing more than 15 attempts on the year.

• Senior WR Bo Melton — His 334 yards are the fifth most in the conference, while his four touchdown grabs are deadlocked for second. Melton enjoyed the best game of his career last Saturday against Illinois, reeling in five catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

• Junior WR Aron Cruickshank — His 21 receptions lead the club, and his 123 receiving yards are second only to Melton's 334. The 5-10, 160-pound speedster transferred in from Wisconsin following last season and serves as the Scarlet Knights' primary kick returner as well (averaging 20.8 yards on 15 kicks brought back).

• Redshirt junior WR Shameen Jones — His 12 receptions are tied with Pacheco for the third most on the squad, while his 92 receiving yards stand third. Jones hauled in his lone touchdown of the year in the season-opening win at Michigan State.

• Fifth-year senior TE Jovani Haskins — He transferred in from West Virginia following last season, but has caught only two passes for 12 yards so far. Haskins is quite a physical presence downfield, standing 6-5, 251.

• Redshirt sophomore LT Raiqwon O’Neal — Pro Football Focus (PFF) has him rated as the second-best player on Rutgers' entire offense, awarding him with a 70.5 grade (64.0 is considered average) through the team's first four games. O'Neal's 73.2 mark as a pass blocker is the best on the roster.

• Junior LG Cedrice Paillant — He is in his first year with the Scarlet Knights after transferring in from Monroe Junior College in New York. Paillant has struggled though, with his overall tally of 49.0 checking in 19th out of the 23 Rutgers offensive players who have seen the field.

• Fifth-year senior C Nick Krimin — He is one of the most experienced players on the roster, having appeared in 35 games since the start of the 2017 campaign. Krimin's 47.4 overall grade from PFF is the lowest among all Scarlet Knight offensive linemen.

• Freshman RG Bryan Felter — He earned the first start of his collegiate career last week against Illinois, playing 55 snaps in the narrow 23-20 loss to the Illini. Schnyderite revealed redshirt junior Sam Vretman could also get the start here, with the latter having earned the starting nod in Rutgers' first three contests before getting benched.

• Redshirt sophomore RT Reggie Sutton — PFF has him rated as the club's second-best pass-blocking offensive lineman, tagging him with a 64.3 mark in that area. Sutton is one of just three Scarlet Knight players to have played all 304 snaps this season.