2018 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

2018 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
2018 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
	East Division
Record	1–11 (0–9 Big Ten)
Head coach	Chris Ash (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	John McNulty (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Power spread
Defensive coordinator	Jay Niemann (2nd season)
Base defense	Multiple
Home stadium	HighPoint.com Stadium; (Capacity: 52,454)
	Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

The 2018 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Scarlet Knights played their home games at HighPoint.com Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey and competed as members of the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by third-year head coach Chris Ash.

2018 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 3 Ohio State xy$	8	–	1	13	–	1
No. 14 Michigan x	8	–	1	10	–	3
No. 17 Penn State	6	–	3	9	–	4
Michigan State	5	–	4	7	–	6
Maryland	3	–	6	5	–	7
Indiana	2	–	7	5	–	7
Rutgers	0	–	9	1	–	11
West Division
No. 21 Northwestern xy	8	–	1	9	–	5
Wisconsin	5	–	4	8	–	5
No. 25 Iowa	5	–	4	9	–	4
Purdue	5	–	4	6	–	7
Minnesota	3	–	6	7	–	6
Nebraska	3	–	6	4	–	8
Illinois	2	–	7	4	–	8
Championship: Ohio State 45, Northwestern 24
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Rutgers began the year with a 35–7 victory over Texas State, but things quickly turned south for the team. After a blowout loss to Ohio State in Rutgers' conference opener, the team traveled to play Kansas, who had lost 39 of their previous 42 games against FBS opponents.^[1] Rutgers lost in a blowout, 55–14. The next week, the team was blown out 42–13 by Buffalo of the Mid-American Conference. In the remainder of conference play, the Scarlet Knights were mostly outmatched, losing the rest of their games, despite holding fourth quarter leads in games against Northwestern and Michigan State.^[2]^[3] Rutgers' final record of 1–11 matched the previous school record for losses in a season with their 1–11 2002 team and 0–11 1997 team.^[4]

Freshman quarterback Artur Sitowski led the team in passing, finishing with 1,158 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. Sophomore running back Raheem Blacksheer led the team in both rushing and receiving yards, and had 953 yards from scrimmage on the year.^[5] On defense, senior linebacker Trevor Morris finished in sixth in the conference with 105 total tackles. He concluded his career in ninth on the school's all-time leaderboard for total tackles.^[6]

Previous season

The Scarlet Knights finished the 2017 season 4–8, 3–6 in Big Ten play to finish in fifth place in the East Division.

Offseason

Recruits

The Scarlet Knights signed a total of 21 recruits.

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jarrett Paul CB	Paramus, New Jersey	Paramus Catholic High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	197 lb (89 kg)	Apr 22, 2017
Jarrett Paul CB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jalen Chatman QB	Harbor City, California	Narbonne High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	May 15, 2017
Jalen Chatman QB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Zihir Lacewell WR	Staten Island, New York	Tottenville High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jun 13, 2017
Zihir Lacewell WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Isaih Pacheco RB	Vineland, New Jersey	Vineland High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jun 21, 2017
Isaih Pacheco RB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Kessawn Abraham CB	Brooklyn, New York	Erasmus Hall High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jun 22, 2017
Kessawn Abraham CB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Matt Rosso OT	Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania	Pennsbury High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	Jun 24, 2017
Matt Rosso OT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Deion Jennings CB	Erial, New Jersey	Timber Creek Regional High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jun 26, 2017
Deion Jennings CB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Reginald Sutton OG	Baltimore, Maryland	Calvert Hall College High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	278 lb (126 kg)	Jun 27, 2017
Reginald Sutton OG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Avery Young CB	Coatesville, Pennsylvania	Coatesville Area High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jun 30, 2017
Avery Young CB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Paul Woods WR	Buffalo, New York	Canisius High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Jul 11, 2017
Paul Woods WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Adam Korsak P	Maribyrnong, Victoria	Prokick Australia	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jul 12, 2017
Adam Korsak P	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Raiqwon O'Neal OT	Conway, South Carolina	Conway High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Aug 16, 2017
Raiqwon O'Neal OT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Matthew Thomas DE	Brooklyn, New York	Midwood High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	237 lb (108 kg)	Aug 25, 2017
Matthew Thomas DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Christian Izien DB	Brooklyn, New York	Erasmus Hall High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Oct 13, 2017
Christian Izien DB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Artur Sitkowski QB	Old Bridge, New Jersey	IMG Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Nov 1, 2017
Artur Sitkowski QB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jalen Jordan WR	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	IMG Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Dec 13, 2017
Jalen Jordan WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Daevon Robinson WR	Medford, New Jersey	Shawnee High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Dec 18, 2017
Daevon Robinson WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jamree Kromah DE	Springdale, Maryland	Charles Herbert Flowers High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	246 lb (112 kg)	Dec 20, 2017
Jamree Kromah DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Malik Dixon S	Thatcher, Arizona	Eastern Arizona College	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jan 5, 2018
Malik Dixon S	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Robin Jutwreten DE	Stockholm, Sweden	N/A	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Jan 21, 2018
Robin Jutwreten DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Eddie Lewis WR	New Monmouth, New Jersey	Mater Dei High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	Feb 1, 2018
Eddie Lewis WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Rivals". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 27, 2018. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 27, 2018.

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year
John Mackey Award^[7]	Jerome Washington	TE	SR

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	12:00 p.m.	Texas State*	HighPoint.com Stadium Piscataway, NJ	BTN	W 35–7	40,124
September 8	3:30 p.m.	at No. 4 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	BTN	L 3–52	93,057
September 15	12:00 p.m.	at Kansas*	David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	FSN	L 14–55	28,044
September 22	12:00 p.m.	Buffalo*	HighPoint.com Stadium Piscataway, NJ	BTN	L 13–42	34,574
September 29	12:00 p.m.	Indiana	HighPoint.com Stadium Piscataway, NJ	BTN	L 17–24	32,056
October 6	12:00 p.m.	Illinois	HighPoint.com Stadium Piscataway, NJ	BTN	L 17–38	36,702
October 13	12:00 p.m.	at Maryland	Maryland Stadium College Park, MD	BTN	L 7–34	32,995
October 20	12:00 p.m.	Northwestern	HighPoint.com Stadium Piscataway, NJ	BTN	L 15–18	32,514
November 3	12:00 p.m.	at Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	BTN	L 17–31	74,379
November 10	3:30 p.m.	No. 4 Michigan	HighPoint.com Stadium Piscataway, NJ	BTN	L 7–42	43,786
November 17	12:00 p.m.	No. 16 Penn State	HighPoint.com Stadium Piscataway, NJ	BTN	L 7–20	44,840
November 24	4:00 p.m.	at Michigan State	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	FOX	L 10–14	64,951
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Roster and coaching staff

2018 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
RB	`2`	Raheem Blackshear	So
QB	`3`	Jalen Chatman	Fr
RB	`4`	Trey Sneed	So
WR	`5`	Paul Woods	Fr
WR	`6`	Mohamed Jabbie	So
WR	`7`	Hunter Hayek	So
QB	`8`	Artur Sitkowski	Fr
RB	`10`	Isaih Pacheco	Fr
QB	`11`	Johnathan Lewis	So
WR	`12`	Jalen Jordan	Fr
WR	`13`	Prince Taylor	So
QB	`14`	Rob Nittolo	Sr
WR	`14`	Everett Wormley	So
WR	`15`	Shameen Jones	Fr
QB	`17`	Giovanni Rescigno (C)	Sr
WR	`18`	Bo Melton	So
QB	`19`	Austin Albericci	Fr
WR	`21`	Eddie Lewis	Fr
RB	`23`	Jonathan Hilliman	Sr
RB	`24`	Charles Snorweah	Jr
RB	`28`	Aslan Pugh	So
WR	`34`	Javis Hanks	Fr
WR	`36`	Ryan Downer	Fr
FB	`41`	Brandon Myers	Fr
RB	`44`	Max Anthony	Jr
OL	`50`	Owen Bowles	Fr
OL	`51`	Jamaal Beaty	Fr
OL	`54`	Kamaal Seymour	Jr
OL	`55`	Michael Maietti	So
OL	`56`	Micah Clark	So
OL	`57`	Zach Miseo	Fr
OL	`58`	Charles Zarzecki	Fr
OL	`61`	Mike Lonsdorf	So
OL	`63`	Jim Onulak	So
OL	`65`	Tariq Cole (C)	Sr
OL	`66`	Nick Krimin	So
OL	`70`	Reggie Sutton	Fr
OL	`71`	Raiqwon O'Neal	Fr
OL	`73`	Jonah Jackson (C)	Jr
OL	`74`	Sam Howson	So
OL	`75`	Zach Venesky	Jr
OL	`76`	Matt Rosso	Fr
OL	`77`	Sam Vretman	So
OL	`78`	Liam Flite	Fr
OL	`79`	Zack Heeman	Sr
WR	`81`	Tyler Hayek	Fr
WR	`82`	Zihir Lacewell	Fr
WR	`84`	Cole Murphy	Jr
TE	`85`	Daevon Robinson	Fr
TE	`86`	Nakia Griffin-Stewart	Jr
TE	`87`	Jonathan Pimentel	Fr
TE	`88`	Jerome Washington	Sr
TE	`89`	Travis Vokolek	So

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DB	`1`	Blessuan Austin	Sr
LB	`3`	Olakunle Fatukasi	So
DB	`4`	Trey Avery	So
LB	`5`	Trevor Morris	Sr
LB	`6`	Deonte Roberts (C)	Sr
DL	`7`	Elorm Lumor	So
LB	`8`	Tyshon Fogg	So
DB	`9`	Saquan Hampton (C)	Sr
DB	`11`	Isaiah Wharton (C)	Sr
DB	`12`	Christian Izien	Fr
LB	`13`	Deion Jennings	Fr
DB	`16`	Jelani Ray Garvin	Jr
DB	`17`	Zamir Mickens	Fr
LB	`20`	Elijah Barnwell	Fr
DB	`20`	Avery Young	Fr
DB	`21`	Tim Barrow	Fr
DB	`22`	Damon Hayes	Jr
DB	`23`	Kiy Hester	Sr
DB	`25`	Jarrett Paul	Fr
DB	`29`	Lawrence Stevens	So
DB	`30`	Kessawn Abraham	Fr
LB	`31`	Johnny Yorey	Fr
DB	`32`	Rani Abdulaziz	Fr
DB	`33`	Parker Day	Fr
DB	`35`	Anthony Marshall	Fr
LB	`42`	Izaia Bullock	Jr
LB	`43`	Chike Nwankwo	Fr
LB	`44`	Tyreek Maddox-Williams	So
DL	`45`	Muhammad Wainwright	Sr
LB	`49`	Nihym Anderson	Fr
DL	`50`	Julius Turner	So
LB	`55`	Austin Rosa	Jr
LB	`56`	Rashawn Battle	So
DL	`57`	Joahne Duggan	Fr
DL	`72`	Manny Taylor	Jr
DL	`85`	Matt Thomas	Fr
DL	`88`	Brendan Bordner	Fr
DL	`90`	Freddie Recio	So
DL	`91`	Tijaun Mason	Fr
DL	`93`	Jason Griggs	So
DL	`94`	Jamree Kromah	Fr
DL	`95`	Jon Bateky	Sr
DL	`96`	Willington Previlon	Jr
DL	`97`	Mike Tverdov	Fr
DL	`98`	Robin Jutwreten	Fr
DL	`99`	Kevin Wilkins	Sr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
LS	`46`	Brendan Shank	Fr
LS	`47`	Billy Taylor	So
LS	`48`	Ryan Cassidy	Fr
P	`92`	Nick Johnston	Sr
P	`94`	Adam Korsak	So
K	`95`	Justin Davidovicz	So
P	`96`	Zach Sterr	Fr
K	`99`	Gavin Haggerty	Jr

Head coach

Chris Ash

Coordinators/assistant coaches

John McNulty (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks)
Jay Niemann (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers)
Vince Okruch (Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends)
Noah Joseph (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties)
A. J. Blazek (Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line)
Corey Brown (Defensive Line)
Nunzio Campanile (Running Backs)
Lester Erb (Wide Receivers)
Toby Neinas (Specialists/Outside Linebackers)
Cory Robinson (Cornerbacks)
Kenny Parker (Head Strength and Conditioning)
Anthony Van Curen (Defensive Assistant)
Charles Watkins (Offensive Assistant)
John Weiss (Offensive Assistant)
Marquise Watson (Defensive Assistant)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: September 8, 2018

Game summaries

Texas State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bobcats	0	0	7	0	7
Scarlet Knights	7	14	7	7	35

at No. 4 Ohio State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Scarlet Knights	0	0	3	0	3
No. 4 Buckeyes	14	21	10	7	52

at Kansas

	1	2	3	4	Total
Scarlet Knights	7	7	0	0	14
Jayhawks	17	14	10	14	55

Buffalo

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	14	21	0	7	42
Scarlet Knights	3	3	0	7	13

Indiana

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hoosiers	7	17	0	0	24
Scarlet Knights	7	0	0	10	17

Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	10	14	0	14	38
Scarlet Knights	7	7	0	3	17

at Maryland

	1	2	3	4	Total
Scarlet Knights	0	0	0	7	7
Terrapins	10	14	10	0	34

Northwestern

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	7	0	3	8	18
Scarlet Knights	0	12	3	0	15

at Wisconsin

	1	2	3	4	Total
Scarlet Knights	0	0	3	14	17
Badgers	7	3	14	7	31

No. 4 Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 4 Wolverines	7	14	14	7	42
Scarlet Knights	7	0	0	0	7

No. 16 Penn State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 16 Nittany Lions	3	10	0	7	20
Scarlet Knights	0	0	0	7	7

at Michigan State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Scarlet Knights	7	0	0	3	10
Spartans	0	7	0	7	14

Players drafted into the NFL

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
6	177	Saquan Hampton	S	New Orleans Saints
6	196	Blessuan Austin	CB	New York Jets

References

^ Fonseca, Brian (June 5, 2018). "Rutgers Football 2018 Preview: Kansas at a glance". 247Sports.com. Note: the source lists 39 of 41 as of the beginning of the 2018 season, and Kansas defeated FBS team Central Michigan the week prior.
^ "Bowser's second TD run rallies Northwestern past Rutgers". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 20, 2018.
^ "Michigan State scores late TD, beats Rutgers 14-10". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 24, 2018.
^ "Rutgers Scarlet Knights Football Record By Year". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
^ "2018 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
^ Kratch, James (March 12, 2019). "Trevor Morris flying under NFL Draft radar after standout Rutgers career: 'It's better to be the underdog'". NJ.com.
^ "2018 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List Released" (PDF). July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.

[1] Fonseca, Brian (June 5, 2018). "Rutgers Football 2018 Preview: Kansas at a glance". 247Sports.com. Note: the source lists 39 of 41 as of the beginning of the 2018 season, and Kansas defeated FBS team Central Michigan the week prior.

[2] "Bowser's second TD run rallies Northwestern past Rutgers". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 20, 2018.

[3] "Michigan State scores late TD, beats Rutgers 14-10". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 24, 2018.

[4] "Rutgers Scarlet Knights Football Record By Year". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2019.

[5] "2018 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2019.

[6] Kratch, James (March 12, 2019). "Trevor Morris flying under NFL Draft radar after standout Rutgers career: 'It's better to be the underdog'". NJ.com.

[7] "2018 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List Released" (PDF). July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.

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2018 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football

Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	East Division
Record	1–11 (0–9 Big Ten)
Head coach	Chris Ash (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	John McNulty (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Power spread
Defensive coordinator	Jay Niemann (2nd season)
Base defense	Multiple
Home stadium	HighPoint.com Stadium (Capacity: 52,454)
Seasons ← 2017 2019 →