Rutgers proved its mettle against a very tough Pitt team in Pittsburgh. Ray Rice had an opportunity to showcase his talents as a legitimate Heisman candidate and the rest of the team acquitted themselves quite well. Pitt tried to take over in the third quarter and it seemed that momentum was swinging their way when Rice ripped off a 63-yard run immediately after a Pitt TD had closed the lead to just three. That one run seemed to suck the life out of the Pitt team once and for all.
College: Rutgers
Conference: Big East
Columnist: Steve Martin
Name - # - Ht - Wt - Speed - Pos - Class
Clark Harris - 81 - 6' 5.3" - 255 - 4.80 - TE - 2007
Harris really played an excellent game. As a receiver, he was able to find some openings in the zone, but was overthrown on a couple occasions otherwise he would have had even more success. He caught the ball fairly well, showing an effort to catch the ball with his hands. As an inline blocker, he did well, keeping the pressure off the QB. On running plays, he slid into the second level well to pick up a defender and he also was able to seal the edge to prevent any backside pursuit. (POSITIVE)
Brian Leonard - 23 - 6' 1.0" - 235 - 4.52 - FB - 2007
The color analyst for the game (Andre Ware) kept commenting about how Leonard was the most team-oriented, unselfish player in the country. He probably has hurt his draft stock slightly by staying in school an extra year, but he’s really getting a chance to show everyone how versatile and important he is to a football team. I can’t count the number of times where Leonard was the lead blocker and targeted HB Blades and effectively took him out of the play (my notes have “took out 51” a number of places). Leonard also was effective carrying the ball the few occasions that Rice didn’t. He shows an ideal blend of power and balance and is a patient runner who can bust it up the middle or surprise defenders with decent speed to the outside. He also catches the ball softly, although he wasn’t used much as a receiver in this game – only 2 catches for 2 yards. (POSITIVE)
Willie Foster - 84 - 5' 9.3" - 170 - 0.00 - WR - 2007
Foster was effectively removed from the game as a WR option by Revis. Even when he had Revis one-on-one without help over the top, Teel wasn’t looking his way. As a returner, he started the game with a bang with a 40-yard return. Then late in the game he caught a KO in the corner of the endzone and hesitated too long before deciding to come out and was tackled on the 10 yard line (fortunately Rice picked him right up with a big run). His punt returns were nothing spectacular and his fair catches were often an adventure (one trapped on the ground, another muffed, and a third just a little shaky-looking). (SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE)
Ramel Meekins - 60 - 5' 11.0" - 275 - 0.00 - DT - 2007
Meekins was seeing a lot of double teams from the Pitt O-line and did his part by occupying blockers to let others make an impact. Early in the game (when he was singled), he dispatched his blocker with a nice show of strength and used his quickness to make a nice play on the RB (although the tackle wasn’t pretty). Meekins also managed to get in the backfield a couple of times to pressure Palko. He didn’t have the speed to make the play, however. Meekins seems to have great explosiveness and quickness, but not much straight-line speed. (NEUTRAL)
Derrick Roberson - 11 - 5' 9.5" - 172 - 0.00 - CB - 2007
DNP (Hamstring injury).
Devraun Thompson - 55 - 5' 11.0" - 220 - 0.00 - LB - 2007
Thompson played a decent game. He was frequently around the ball and showed some very nice tackling skills, utilizing strength and leverage effectively. Thompson is a bit inconsistent in his efforts, however. When it seems like he’s out of the play, he shuts it down a bit rather than playing through the whistle. Thompson moves well laterally and has the speed and quickness to cover a lot of ground. I was not able to get a read on his abilities in pass coverage. (NEUTRAL)
Darnell Stapleton - 53 - 6' 2.7" - 305 - 0.00 - C - 2007
Stapleton is very agile for a big man. He moves his feet well and gets into position quickly. He’s also able to get to the second level without problem. As a run blocker, Stapleton is able to get his hands inside the defender quickly and steer him out of the play. He locks his man up quite well. In pass pro, he can be overpowered and is susceptible to the bull rush, however he maintains contact, keeps his feet moving, and establishes positioned between the defender and the QB, so he’s not getting blown up, but rather being moved slowly back into the pocket. If he shows that he can add some muscle mass (particularly upper body), then he could be a candidate for the next level. (SLIGHTLY POSITIVE)
Ron Girault - - 0' 0.0" - 0 - 0.00 - S - 2008
Girault is a nice combination of run stopper and deep cover man. On running plays, he’s able to locate the ball-carrier quickly and is a very good tackler who can really put a pop on someone. He also showed some nice positioning and ball awareness on a deep pass where he broke on the ball well and was in position to knock it away from the receiver. He should continue to improve with experience. (POSITIVE)
Players to watch: CB Manny Collins (Sr) – Collins was filling in for Roberson and played an exceptional game. He showed good speed and a real nose for the ball in run support. He also provided tight coverage and good ball awareness, even forcing a key fumble. He was apparently involved in a serious car accident and was told he wouldn’t play again. The doctors were wrong on that count.OG Mike Fladell (Jr) – Fladell really impressed me with his athleticism and strength. He moved exceptionally well for an OG and, at 6’7”, I think he could make the move out to OT and be effective there too. DT Eric Foster (Jr) – Foster is similar in size to Meekins (although he has a longer frame and could add bulk more easily) and played very well. He showed some explosiveness and some nice strength. RB Ray Rice (So) – What else is there to say? He’s explosive. He’s powerful. He’s patient. He’s well-conditioned. He’s tough and durable. He’s fast. He’s got great vision. He’s slippery. He’s relentless…
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College: Pitt
Conference: Big East
Columnist: Steve Martin
Name - # - Ht - Wt - Speed - Pos - Class
H.B. Blades - 51 - 5' 11.0" - 238 - 4.69 - LB - 2007
Blades was very active and involved in the game. He was credited with 19 tackles (13 solo) and battled hard with Brian Leonard. He is a relentless player and demonstrated his intensity and pride throughout the contest. As a run stopper, he battled through constant attention from blockers and was still able to get to the ball carrier on many occasions. He’s able to move very well from one sideline to the other and is very effective in pursuit. He matched up very nicely against Clark Harris and had a couple passes defended. The one area where he was a little exposed was when he had responsibility for a WR in the zone. He just couldn’t run with them and fell victim to effective route running a couple times. (POSITIVE)
Tyler Palko - 3 - 6' 2.5" - 225 - 4.70 - QB - 2007
Palko battled throughout the game as he faced relentless pressure. The lefty is as tough a QB as there is, playing the game with the intensity of a LB. He’s able to make things happen when the blocking breaks down. He has very good pocket awareness and can usually sense the pressure before it gets there (although he was blindsided a couple times by RU when his blockers let guys run free). If there is pressure, Palko will move and continue to look for receivers before pulling it down to run – and he does run effectively. Palko has a strong, accurate arm, particularly in the short to intermediate passing game. One issue he has is that he floats the deep ball, putting such a soft arc on it that the defenders get too much recovery time. Also, he throws a weird screen pass, as he puts too high an arc on the ball in an effort to get it over the oncoming rushers. (SLIGHTLY POSITIVE)
Sam Bryant - 46 - 5' 11.5" - 230 - 4.65 - S - 2007
Has excellent size at the SS position and was frequently up near the line in run support, where he showed a willingness to stick his nose into the action. He also made a nice tackle on a receiver downfield, however the receiver appeared to be Bryant’s responsibility in the first place. He did disappear for long stretches of the game. (SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE)
Adam Graessle - 18 - 6' 3.5" - 225 - 4.95 - P - 2007
Graessle was hit or miss. He got good distance on almost all of his punts, but a couple of them he sent out as line drives. When he hits a nice one, it’s very nice. He just needs to be more consistent. He had good leg on his kickoff duties and even made a key tackle on the opening kickoff. (NEUTRAL)
Darrelle Revis - 25 - 6' 0.0" - 200 - 4.40 - CB - 2008
Rutgers didn’t even bother testing him through the air, and for good reason. Revis was forced to make his mark in run support and he was more than able to do that. He is able to pick through the blockers to get to the ball-carrier and showed good tackling ability once there. He showcased his speed on the Ray Rice 63 yard run when Revis was (the only guy) able to run Rice down from behind once he got beyond the second level. He didn’t do a whole lot as a punt returner, as he was only able to return one of the six punts he saw. He did a nice job getting that one back for 15 yards, although it featured a lot of dancing and juking and not a whole lot of getting upfield. (VERY POSITIVE)
John Simonitis - - 0' 0.0" - 0 - 0.00 - OG - 2007
DNP – Injury.
Clint Session - 17 - 5' 11.0" - 235 - 0.00 - LB - 2007
Session is a guy I wanted to see since he has been getting a fair amount of hype recently. He has a great build and shows good strength and speed on the outside. He shows an understanding of the game, not falling prey to misdirection. He also showed some ability in pass coverage. Session was very active and even made a big hit on special teams. (POSITIVE)
Players to watch: WR Derek Kinder (Jr) – Kinder is a big, strong WR (former RB) who was Palko’s go-to guy through the air. He was able to repeatedly get open against a quick RU defense. Oderick Turner (Fr) – Turner is taller and lankier and much quicker than teammate Kinder. Turner read Palko when he got flushed from the pocket and changed his route and direction in order to get open in the back of the endzone for Pitt’s only TD of the game. OG Joe Thomas (Fr) – Yes, there’s another Joe Thomas to watch on the offensive line, but this one is a true freshman guard. He was matched up with Ramel Meekins and, while he got some help from the center, played Meekins extremely well, keeping him from being much of a disruption.