Rutgers Football: Will Scarlet Knights finally escape Big Ten’s cellar in 2019?
By Daniel Smyth
Offense must be more than just mediocre
Artur Sitkowski took a lot of criticism last season for being arguably the worst quarterback in college football. In his defense, Rutgers trotted him onto the field despite not developing him properly nor surrounding him with talent.
He only threw four touchdowns last season while tossing 18 interceptions. Clearly he was not ready, but Rutgers chose to develop him through a “trial by fire” method.
The four-star quarterback showed some promise in 2018 and will be a major building block for the Scarlet Knights moving forward.
FIRST CAREER TD PASS ALERT @RFOOTBALL: Nice touch, Artur Sitkowski. pic.twitter.com/H4EKGlHdpA
— Rutgers On BTN (@RutgersOnBTN) September 1, 2018
The Rutgers running game will be the strength of the team. The duo of Raheem Blackshear and Isaih Pacheco will be one of the best duos in the conference.
Through the air Bo Melton and Daevon Robinson will be the top threats through the air. Specifically, Robinson is expected to have a breakout 2019 based on his chemistry with Sitkowski that he has developed over the spring.
On the offensive line center Michael Maietti will be the key cog of the unit.
This offense has plenty of talented young players to make a major leap forward in 2019. Expect Blackshear to run for over 1,000 yards and Robinson to become a big time play-maker.