Rutgers Wins Ugly at USF, Sets Tone For Big East

September 13, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights wide receiver Mark Harrison (81) is congratulated by offensive linesman Betim Bujari (55) after he scored a touchdown during the second half against the South Florida Bulls at Raymond James Stadium. Rutgers Scarlet Knights defeated the South Florida Bulls 23-13. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Rutgers win at USF Thursday night wasn’t pretty — in fact, it was downright ugly at times. But for the Scarlet Knights, it sets a tone in a Big East that opened the season without clear cut favorites.

Making sense of the Big East title race is rarely exact science, and can almost never be done until the late weeks of November, say nothing of mid-September. But Kyle Flood does have positives to glean from Rutgers’ performance.

In their 3-0 start, the Scarlet Knights have allowed a combined 25 points. Against Tulane and Howard, an 8 point per game average doesn’t mean all that much. But adding USF to the equation says a lot, particularly in Tampa. The Bulls averaged 35 points per game at Raymond James Stadium last season, more than two touchdowns greater than their road output. There’s an even greater disparity taking away the Bulls’ ugly 6-3 home loss to Miami.

Thursday’s showing looked like it was headed for similarly ugly final, with neither team scoring a touchdown until the second half. Each lived up to its defensive reputation on the scoreboard, though Rutgers accrued 424 yards on the night and had an impressive 8-for-19 third down conversion rate. Those figures should be both promising and troubling for Flood. RU moved the ball against a stout and experienced defense, and the receiving corps showed no glaring side effects from Mohamed Sanu’s absence. If anything, this group will be the Scarlet Knights’ strength with some depth: Brandon Coleman, Mark Harrison and Tim Wright could all be reliable targets, but it’s contingent on Gary Nova finding his rhythm.

The defense is there for Rutgers. Finding its offensive identity is what will determine if the Scarlet Knights are bound for their first BCS bowl, or destined for the middle of the Big East pack. RU has yet to crack 30 points in three outings. The offensive line is vastly improved, but Nova still isn’t quite clicking. Quarterbacking has been an issue lingering over the program the last two-plus campaigns. The run game also needs more diversity, because Jawan Jamison can’t carry 41 times every time out like he did Thursday. Savon Huggins’ return will alleviate some of that, but Huggins needs to become more reliable when in the lineup.

Added up, the above hardly reads like a ringing endorsement of Rutgers’ Big East title worthiness. Any team is going to have some ugliness this early in the season, and RU has the right start for beautifying its game to a BCS level.

Conversely, USF’s BCS aspirations aren’t dashed — recent Big East seasons have proven one loss is hardly a dream killer. However, recent Big East season have proven that the Bulls should be worried. USF typically falters late in the season, making a fast start vital for the Bulls’ overall outlook. Early season losses a season ago doomed the Bulls to their first season without a bowl appearance since 2004.

USF took several steps backward after the giant leap that was its Week 2 comeback at Nevada. Close losses vexed the Bulls in 2011: six of their seven losses were by a combined 28 points. The win at UNR was a reversal of those fortunes, but Thursday night was a return to the status quo. And the way USF reached this familiar destination was a repeat of a season ago.

BJ Daniels exhibited his maturity a week ago, but against Rutgers fell into his old habit of forcing passes not available, resulting in three interceptions and a sub-50 percent completion rate. Now that is an ugly stat line, especially if you’re Skip Holtz