NNOO QUESTIONQUESTION

With concerns about the health of quarterback Tom Savage and tailback Joe Martinek,

Mohamed Sanu’s Wildcat package will certainlytake on a big role in Rutgers’ matchup with Tulane.

JOVELLE ABBEY TAMAYO / PHTOGRAPHY EDITOR

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP: DEFENSE

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U MG 2 O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 0 G A M E DAY

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP: OFFENSE

MOHAMEDSANUWide ReceiverSophomore6’-2”, 218 lbs.

DESMONDSTAPLETONTackleJunior6’-5”, 285 lbs.

DESMONDWYNNGuardJunior6’-6”, 290 lbs.

HOWARDBARBIERICenterSenior6’-5”, 304 lbs.

ANTWANLOWERYGuardR-Freshman6’-4”, 302 lbs.

ART FORSTTackleJunior6’-8”, 311 lbs.

D.C.JEFFERSONTight EndSophomore6’-6”, 258 lbs

MARK HARRISONWide ReceiverSophomore6’-3”, 230 lbs

TOM SAVAGEQuarterbackSophomore6’-5”, 226 lbs

PAUL CARREZOLAFullbackR-Freshman6’-2”, 235 lbs

JOEMARTINEKRunning BackJunior6’-0”, 215 lbs

JONATHANFREENYRight endSenior6’-3”, 250 lbs

CHARLIENOONANTackleSenior6’-2”, 274 lbs

SCOTTVALLONETackleSophomore6’-3”, 270 lbs

ALEXSILVESTROLeft endSenior6’-4”, 260 lbs

MANNYABREULinebackerJunior6’-3”, 245 lbs

STEVEBEAUHARNAISLinebackerSophomore6’-2”, 230 lbs

ANTONIOLOWERYLinebackerSenior6’-2”, 225 lbs

DAVIDROWECornerbackJunior6’-0”, 196 lbs

JOELEFEGEDStrong SafetySenior6’-1”, 205 lbs

KHASEEMGREENEFree SafetySophomore6’-1”, 215 lbs

BRANDONBINGCornerbackSenior5’-11”, 180 lbs

RUTGERS VS TULANEKnightsGamedayGAME 3: Rutgers Stadium, 2 p.m. TV: ESPN3.com RADIO: 1450 AM SPREAD: Rutgers by 17.5

SCARLET KNIGHTS (2-1)

PASSINGT. Savage

RUSHINGJ. MartinekJ. Thomas

RECEIVINGM. SanuM. HarrisonK. StroudD. Jefferson

DEFENSEA. LoweryS. BeauharnaisJ. Lefeged

INJURIESProbable — J. Martinek, T. SavageOut — D. Milewski

YDS370

YDS178105

YDS164

454349

AVG.123.3

AVG.4.33.3

AVG.10.215.014.316.3

INT001

INT.3

LNG3517

LNG29202125

SCK0.5

10.5

SE LouisianaOle MissHoustonRutgersArmyTulsaUTEPS. MethodistS. MississippiRiceCentral FloridaMarshall

W, 27-21L, 27-13L, 42-232:00 p.m.3:30 p.m.7 p.m.9:05 p.m.3:30 p.m.3:30 p.m.3:30 p.m.3:30 p.m.12 p.m.

TD1

TD10

TD1001

TKL232120

CMP52.4%

NO.3929

NO.16

332

SCHEDULESept. 2Sept. 11Sept. 25Oct. 2Oct. 9Oct. 16Oct. 23Oct. 30Nov. 6Nov. 13Nov. 20Nov. 27

Norfolk StateFIUN. CarolinaTulaneConnecticutArmyPittsburghSouth FloridaSyracuseCincinnatiLouisvilleWest Virginia

W, 31-0W, 19-14L, 17-132 p.m.7:30TBATBA7 p.m.TBATBATBATBA

SCHEDULESept. 2Sept. 11Sept. 25Oct. 2Oct. 8Oct. 16Oct. 23Nov. 3Nov. 13Nov. 20Nov. 26Dec. 4

[ ]TULANE (1-2)

PASSINGR. Griffin

RUSHINGA. WilliamsO. Darkwa

RECEIVINGC. RobottomD. BanksD. FigaroJ. Kemp

DEFENSET. MackeyA. WachaR. Travis

INJURIESOut — QBs R. Griffin, K. Moore, RB O. Darkwa

YDS360

YDS180139

YDS147153

9551

AVG.120.0

AVG.5.14.8

AVG.8.6

10.923.812.8

INT000

INT.2

LNG2728

LNG38234926

SCK000

TD0

TD04

TD0010

TKL382624

CMP65.6%

NO.3529

NO.1714

44

INSIDEthe

NUMBERS

Key MatchupRutgers front four vs. Tulane’s quarterbacks

Joe Kemp spent the offseason transitioning from quarterback to wide receiver but isback under center out of necessity and will split time with Wildcat quarterback

D.J. Banks, posing a dual threat for the Rutgers defensive line.

BY SAM HELLMANCORRESPONDENT

Between the Rutgers andTulane football teams, three quar-terbacks and two critical offensiveweapons are injured.

For the Scarlet Knights, sopho-more starting quarterback TomSavage and junior starting runningback Joe Martinek are probablewith injuries although neither fullyparticipated in practice this week.

Savage suffered a rib injuryagainst North Carolina. He man-aged to return after sitting out oneseries, but struggled severelythrough the rest of the game, fail-ing to lead Rutgers to touchdownstwice in the final two drives insideUNC’s half of the field.

“You can feel it, but like I said,I’m just looking forward to thegame now,” Savage said on hisinjured ribs. “It’s football. You justhave to go out there and play. I’msure 90 percent of the team doesn’tfeel 100 percent either.”

Martinek injured his legagainst Florida International. Thecoaching staff limited him signifi-cantly during the bye week and heplayed sparingly against the TarHeels, rushing the ball five timesfor 30 yards.

JOVELLE ABBEY TAMAYO / PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Nursing a sore ankle, junior starting tailback Joe Martinek had just five carries for 30 yards in Rutgers’ 17-13 loss to

North Carolina last week, when the ground game went through Mohamed Sanu and Jordan Thomas.

Injuries abound for both RU, TulaneThe contingency plan if Savage

can not play is a mixture of theWild Knight formation with sopho-more Mohamed Sanu, who ranthe ball 15 times for just 41 yardslast week to go along with one com-pleted pass and 74 receiving yards,and backup Chas Dodd.

Dodd, a true freshman, came infor three plays last week andplayed in the fourth quarteragainst Norfolk State.

“We are confident in Chas if hehas to go,” Schiano said. “The issuegets a little cloudy after that, so thatis really one of the concerns.”

For the Green Wave, fifth-yearsenior quarterback Kevin Moore isout indefinitely with a broken finger.Starting quarterback Ryan Griffinsprained his non-throwing shoulderlast week in a loss to Houston.

Behind them are a pair of widereceivers that could see timebehind center. Wideout Joe Kempis listed as the backup on Tulane’sdepth chart for the upcoming weekand D.J. Banks will see time out oftheir Wildcat formation.

“That is the big thing, theawareness of who you are seeing,who you are facing and what youcan anticipate them doing with thatguy,” said Rutgers head coachGreg Schiano. “Since they do have

a Wildcat component, it certainlychanges things quite a bit.”

Kemp completed one pass this sea-son for 38 yards and is fourth on theteam with four catches and 51 yards.

“Joe has played a lot of footballfor us at quarterback as well,” saidTulane head coach Bob Toledo.“He’ll play. D.J. Ponder will alsoplay quarterback for us. He’s ourthird quarterback. Kevin is out, andwe’ll just kind of go from there.”

Rutgers faced a similar prepa-ration quandry two weeks agowhen the team had to gameplanaround a quarterback carousel atFlorida International.

FIU head coach Mario Cristobalopted to refrain from announcingeither Mississippi State transferWesley Carroll or last year’s backupWayne Younger as the starter.

In their running game, Tulaneis without Orleans Darkwa, whosprained a tendon in his elbow.Darkwa is third on the team with175 total yards and second in rush-ing with 139.

“Obviously, after you play three orfour games, guys start getting bangedup a little bit,” Toldeo said. “The nicething about it is we still feel like wehave nice, quality backup depth thatwe can replace some of those guyswith. We’re fine at this point.”

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U M O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 0 G 3G AMEDAY

BOUNDSOUTof

WITH JORDAN THOMASTargum’s football beat writer Sam Hellman chats with

true freshman running back Jordan Thomas aboutadapting to college life on the Ave. ...

THE DAILY TARGUM’S

Sam Hellman: How important of a learning experience was North Carolina foryou?Jordan Thomas: I know we lost, but the learning experience was really good.It taught me a lot just being in there and I learned a lot from the tape.

SH: What do you like about that swing pass that we’ve seen the team run inyour direction?JT: We work on it a lot in practice, so you’re confident that it will work in a game. Ilove having the ball in open space and just trying to use my speed to gain yards.

SH: What did you take from that game that you want to carry over to Tulane?JT: That game is over and I basically can’t wait until Tulane. We had a reallygood practice the other night.

SH: Why can’t you wait for Tulane?JT: The fans. I can’t wait for the fans to be back. They were awesome last weekand this is Homecoming. It’s my first college Homecoming game. If the fans treat itanything like it was for me in high school, you know it’s going to be 10 times better.

SH: Away from football, what’s your favorite part of Rutgers through your firstmonth of classes?JT: I just love being able to say I’m in college. I love the atmosphere of the col-lege, going to class and stuff like that. And obviously I love the people — myteammates, classmates, teachers, coaches, everyone. That’s the college life.

SH: What’s your favorite class?JT: Public speaking. I really like public speaking.

SH: These interview sessions must be good practice.JT: [Laughs] I love it.

SH: In the few minutes that you actually get spare time, what do you like todo?JT: I really just hang out and chill with my roommates — Taj Alexander,Jawaun Wynn, Lorenzo Waters. I love those guys. It’s just like hanging outwith my brothers. We could play Xbox all day.

SH: What’s your game of choice?JT: Call of Duty.

SH: Who’s the best?JT: Definitely Waters. No question.

SH: I know you’re still relatively new, but do you have a favorite place to go?A restaurant or something?JT: I like the Grease Trucks. I think they’re pretty good. I want to try out somenew restaurants though. I’m not really sure. Some of the guys say I should hitup some of the ones on the Ave [Easton].

SH: What’s your fat sandwich of choice?JT: Fat Fella. That’s steak, mozzarella sticks, lettuce, tomatoes — all the good stuff.

SH: I know you’re a guy who likes to laugh, but who’s the best on the team atmaking you do it?JT: [Laughs] The funniest person would have to be Mo [Mohamed Sanu], but Iwould say [true freshman linebacker] Sam Bergen is the best at making melaugh. You don’t expect it, but he’s really, really funny.

SH: What about him is so funny?JT: He’s hilarious. He’s just so sarcastic. You can’t tell if he’s serious or not. He’s just afunny character.

KNIGHT NUGGETSBY THE NUMBERS

BIG QUESTION

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

FINAL VERDICT

True freshman quarterbackChas Dodd is 1-for-3 for sixyards in his young career,with the lone completion

coming late against Norfolk State. He could seevaluable time if Savage’s ribs don’t hold up.

6Rutgers’ defense faced fivefourth-down conversionattempts thus far, and theopponents converted zeroof them as the Knights’ ‘D’

continually gives the ball back to the offense.

0The Scarlet Knights’defense forced six fumblesthrough its first threegames and recovered all six

of them, continuing the takeaway success itbegan last season with a +20 turnover margin.

6-6Mohamed Sanu has a quarterback efficiency rating of 395 out of theWildcat formation, which

Rutgers could rely on if the traditionaloffense continues to struggle early.

395

RUTGERS, 20-9Rutgers’ defense shuts down

Tulane’s limited offensive attackto seal the Homecoming win.

KHASEEM GREENESOPHOMORE FS

Will Tom Savage recoverand bounce back from

last week’s performance?

Savage took both a mental and physical beating against UNC, butsaid he felt OK all week long and

will need to show it to silence criticsafter his rough start to the season.

“[Joe Lefeged]may not be a ‘rah rah,’

Brian Dawkins,get-loud,

get-in-your-facetype of guy,

but he will lead by example.”

Through three games, theRutgers offense outgainedopponents by 16 yards, tallying 838 yards of

offense, compared to 822 by Norfolk State,Florida International and North Carolina.

16Entering Saturday’s contest,both Rutgers and Tulanescored 63 points throughtheir first three games. The

Knights scored two rushing touchdowns,three passing and one on special teams.

63

TOM SAVAGESOPHOMORE QB

THE ADVANTAGE GOES TO ...

OFFENSE DEFENSE

COACHING HISTORY

MOMENTUM X-FACTOR

For as much as Rutgers’ offensestruggled early on, Tulane is

without its top two quarterbacks.

Through the first three games, theRutgers defense has done its part,

so Tulane’s tricky quarterback situation should not affect it.

Although Tulane took its last gameagainst Rutgers, 52-24, the Knights

hold the series advantage, 3-1.

Greg Schiano has questions at quarterback, but was still dealt a

better hand than Bob Toledo.

Rutgers is coming off a tough lossto UNC, but the team was at least inthat game. Tulane fell to Houston,

42-23, last weekend.

In Greg Schiano’s first nine years atRutgers, the Knights are 8-1 in

Homecoming games. There is noreason for success not to continue.

BY STEVEN MILLERSPORTS EDITOR

Consider this a disclaimer — one thatRutgers safeties Joe Lefeged andKhaseem Greene would not afford theoffense: They’re going to hit you. Andthey want to do it early.

“I definitely think if you come up in thefirst quarter and lay a big hit, widereceivers think about things like that,”said Greene, a sophomore. “Once areceiver gets hit, most willbe peeking next time they

come around. That’s anadvantage we have,

especially with meand Joe and all theother safeties here atRutgers. When wehave an opportunityto lay a big hit or tack-

le somebody hard, wetake advantage of that.”Delivering big hits are

just another part ofLefeged and Greene’s

repertoire, one thatcomes naturally to a pair of high

school linebackers who are nostrangers to contact.

It is a part of the gameLefeged established from Day1 in Piscataway.

As a true freshman in2007, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound

Lefeged delivered a pair of bighits to Maryland quarterback

Jordan Steffy and Syracusesignal caller Andrew

Robinson, with the latterforcing a fumble and

earning him Big EastDefensive Player ofthe Week honors.

Greene joined Rutgers with one yearat safety under his belt from Avon OldFarms Prep (Conn.) and four years oflinebacker play at Elizabeth High School.He credits Lefeged with teaching him toput the two together and play safety likea linebacker.

“It just means that you’re physical as asafety, instead of being just a coverageguy or a guy who can cover, but not tack-le,” Greene said. “He showed me it all asa whole package: A hard-hitting safety

who can cover the wholefield and is fast.”

Both Greene andLefeged began the seasonplaying as if they are thetotal package.

They are physical,combining for 37 tacklesand two forced fumbles.And they cover the field,picking off two passesbefore showing off theirspeed in returning themfor a combined 43 yards.

By Lefeged’s stan-dards, he may not have

been a complete safety until last season,when he recorded his first career inter-ception against Connecticut.

And although the Germantown, Md.,native has no problem delivering a bone-jarring hit, he would still prefer to havethe ball in his hands after a takeaway.

“I still have to say [I would ratherhave] an interception, because there’snothing better than getting the ball backto the offense,” he said.

Greene had a knack for interceptionsfrom the first time he saw the field, as hehad two his redshirt freshman season andanother last week against North Carolina.

And Lefeged and Greene’s knack forthe ball in pass coverage is reassuring for

G A MG 4 O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 0

“[Lefeged] will laysomeone out andset the foundationfor a game, or he

will force a fumbleor ... interception.”

KHASEEM GREENESophomore Safety

TACKLES TFL SACKS INTS FR FF BLOCKS TDS

J. LEFEGED ... STRONG SAFETY

2007: 38 3.5 3.5 0 0 1 0 0

2008: 72 4 1 0 2 1 0 0

2009: 44 2.5 1 1 1 2 2 1

2010: 20 0.5 0 1 0 2 2 1

TOTAL: 174 10.5 5.5 2 3 6 4 2

RAMON DOMPOR / ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORSenior safety Joe Lefeged shares kick-returning duties along with his role on the

bined for a stat line that reads: 37 tackles, half a tackle for a loss, two interceptio

HEIGHT: 6’1” WEIGHT: 205 POUNDS

HOMETOWN: GERMANTOWN, MD.

BIG EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

TWO TIMES ... SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF

THE WEEK ONCE

HARD KSafeties’School of

THE LEFEGED FILE

Schiano, who has only one concern abouttheir linebacker mentalities.

“If they play their pass responsibili-ties like linebackers, then we’re in bigtrouble,” Schiano said. “But whatthey’re saying is they hit — they’re notafraid to bring the wood. There’s nor-mally not a blocker for them, but if thereis, it doesn’t matter because they mightnot hit anybody. But when there’s not ablocker on our safeties, they’re going tohit somebody.”

Like Schiano, coverage was the partof the move to safety that concernedGreene most, but after a year of practiceat prep school and a redshirt season atRutgers, any concern was put to rest.

“In the beginning, I thought it wasgoing to be hard, because when you’rethe deep middle safety, you cover side-line to sideline,” Greene said. “After ayear doing it at prep school, I got itdown pat to a T. I just elevated my gameevery single time I got out on the prac-tice field or in the film room andlearned from older guys like Joe whopassed it down.”

But Greene was the perfect pupil,according to Lefeged, and whenLefeged’s former partner in the second-ary Zaire Kitchen graduated last season,Greene made a seamless transition fromthird safety to full-time starter.

Now, sophomore Duron Harmon fillsGreene’s former role in nickel packages,when Lefeged slides up to the line ofscrimmage — a position that takes himback to his high school days.

“There’s a lot of similarities [betweensafety and linebacker] in terms of reads,and also because a lot of times oursafeties come up closer to the line,”Lefeged said. “And then there’s the phys-icality of delivering some strong tackles.”

The latest for Lefeged came against

North Carolina, when helifted wideout JheranieBoyd off the ground anddrilled him to the turf.

He had a team-highnine tackles in thatgame, but the perform-ance could be consid-ered a step down after heearned Big East Defensiveand Special Teams Player ofthe Week honors in thegame prior.

But according toGreene, special perform-ances should be expect-ed of Lefeged.

“Every yearthere’s thatone guy onthe defensewhere you’vejust neverbeen arounda guy likethat, whojust worksso hardon thefield and offthe field,” Greenesaid. “Joe is likethat. He grinds, heconstantly grinds.

“On the field, he’s aleader by example. He may notbe a ‘rah rah,’ Brian Dawkins get-loud, get-in-your-face type of guy, but hewill lead by example. He will lay someoneout and set the foundation for a game, orhe will force a fumble or catch an inter-ception — that pretty much starts thegame for us.”

It is the closest thing to a disclaimerLefeged and Greene will offer.

O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 0 G 5E DAY

Est.MMXXVI

K. GREENE ... FREE SAFETY

2008: 38 3.5 3.5 0 0

2009: 72 4 1 0 2

TOTAL: 44 2.5 1 1 1

TACKLES TFL SACKS INTS FR

JOVELLE ABBEY TAMAYO / PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORdefense, while sophomore safety Khaseem Greene is also a special teams player. Thus far this season, the two com-

ns, two forced fumbles, two blocked punts, a touchdown and 169 all-purpose return yards.

HEIGHT: 6’1” WEIGHT: 215 POUNDS

HOMETOWN: ELIZABETH, N.J.

KNOCKSTHE GREENE FILE

T H E D A I L Y T A R G U MG AMEDAYG 6 O C T O B E R 1 , 2 0 1 0

Vallone makes big impact despite what stats readBY A.J. JANKOWSKIASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

To the untrained eye, ScottVallone did not start the 2010 sea-son off strong.

The sophomore defensivetackle recorded two tacklesthrough two games after a red-shirt freshman campaign whenhe averaged more than threetackles per contest.

But in the eyes of head coachGreg Schiano, the early seasonstats are not a reflection ofVallone’s performances.

“I don’t know if the officialstats say [it], but he has playedtwo really good games,” the 10th-year head coach said before tak-ing on North Carolina a weekago. “He has had the productivi-ty. I hope he can keep risingbecause if he does he’ll have agreat year.”

Productive is the perfect wayto assess Vallone’s performancelast Saturday after Schiano madethose comments.

The Central Islip, N.Y., nativerecorded seven tackles — twoand a half for a loss, includingone and a half sacks — in thelosing effort.

For Vallone, the stat line andthe game’s result are just thingsof the past and all that is in hissights now is a Saturday after-noon affair with Tulane.

“I know there’s always roomfor improvement. Obviously, Iwish we got that last one, butthat one’s in the past and wemoved on,” the preseason All-Big East selection said. “Otherthan that, I’m just trying to

JOVELLE ABBEY TAMAYO / PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Sophomore defensive tackle Scott Vallone recorded seven tackles,

including one and a half sacks, in the loss against North Carolina.

improve every game and makesure the defense doesn’t get com-placent and make sure that wekeep improving.”

As someone who was the No.3 overall recruit in the state ofNew York upon his arrival tothe Banks, improving is notsomething Vallone usuallyneeded to do.

“In high school it was justabout double-teaming the bestdefensive player,” the St.Anthony’s product said. “Here, ithas to do with schemes and tech-niques. If I get double-teamed Ijust have to hold my ground andstay in my gap.”

After a foot injury requiredVallone to undergo surger ybefore his first season inPiscataway, the uphill climb tokick of f his collegiate career began.

Fortunately for Vallone, hereceived a medical redshirt, giv-ing him his year of eligibility back.

“Luckily for me I got the red-shirt, so now I still get to comeback next year and the yearafter,” he said. “Recovering fromthe injury was tough. It was ahard road back, but I’m healthynow so I’m back to what I needto do.”

If Vallone ever needs a help-ing hand along the way, he canjust look one spot over. Liningup next to Vallone is fellowdefensive tackle CharlieNoonan — a fifth-year seniorand recipient of the Frank R.Burns Award that commendsextraordinar y mental andphysical toughness duringspring practices.

According to Noonan, the twotackles are on an equal level andare good friends off the field.

“We’re real close, we livetogether and we always talk foot-ball. He just loves football and itpays off,” the Philadelphia nativesaid. “Scott’s a great player. He’syounger, but he’s real mature inthe sense that he’s a mature play-er at a young age. He plays withsuch good technique that noteveryone has at a younger age.”

Equal footing is exactly wherethe two stand on the stat sheet,with both recording nine tacklesthrough three games. But it is notabout the stats.

It is about the entire defensiveline being on the same page,which in turn can spark thewhole team.

“We always say that it’s up tous up front. Everything starts upfront,” Noonan said. “If we prac-tice hard, then we get the O-linegoing and it’s a trickle down fromthere. We are a hungry groupthat absolutely is always trying toget better.”

As one of the stronger groupson the Rutgers football team, thedefensive line’s dedication andhunger translates to success onthe field. It is a job that Valloneembodies with his focus andhard work.

“He’s just so focused on whathe has to do and on the chop,”said fellow defensive tackle EricLeGrand. “He’s always on taskand goes out and tries and pre-pares his hardest every week.”

Vallone’s statistical outburstagainst the Tar Heels turnedheads, but to Schiano, the

defensive tackle’s season as awhole is impressive.

“If you want to talk aboutScott’s whole year right now, he’splaying good football,” Schianosaid. “If he can continue to getbetter, he can be a very, very,very good lineman at this level inthis league.”

Being a good lineman in thisleague does not live and die bythe stat line for Schiano andVallone. Being a good lineman at

this level depends on takingVallone’s work ethic from thepractice field to the spotlight —all while enjoying the ride.

“Obviously, going into thegame you’re focused on the gameand your job and the opponent,”Vallone said. “But after the game,you have those guys in the lockerroom and hopefully after a goodwin you get to hang out a little bit… so that will be fun. But first youhave to take care of the game.”

RAMON DOMPOR / ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

With their hard-nosedstyle, Khaseem Greene

and Joe Lefeged are vital to

Rutgers’ defense.

FF REEREE SAFETYSAFETY