Syracuse will play a Rutgers team on Saturday that features one of the best defenses in the country. Under new head coach Kyle Flood, the Scarlet Knights are boasting a 5-0 record and have earned themselves a No. 20 ranking. The Daily Orange spoke to Star-Ledger beat writer Tom Luicci about all that and more.

The Daily Orange: Rutgers’ defense has been impressive all season, but how do you think it will do against Syracuse’s no-huddle offense? Has RU seen any no-huddle yet this season?

Tom Luicci: The key to defending any no-huddle or hurry-up offense is defensive communication. Rutgers has a significant advantage in that regard because of all the seniors in key roles on defense — guys who have seen pretty much everything an offense can offer. So as long as the lines of communication keep open, Rutgers should be okay. This is an experienced defense that can handle most any situation. That’s what makes it so good. Tulane and Arkansas sped up the tempo on offense and had success passing, but Rutgers turned both into one-dimensional offenses (stopping the run) and was able to force key interceptions and win both games.

The D.O.: How much has Gary Nova grown as a quarterback since last season? How much do you think it’s helped him that he’s not in a two-quarterback system with Chas Dodd?

TL: Nova has always had confidence in his abilities. Now he has a track record to justify it. His decision-making has improved dramatically and he has cut down on his mistakes (no interceptions the past three games). Those were issues last season when he started five games, but he was a true freshman then. Now he’s a sophomore with 10 career starts. He has command of the offense now, is poised and is playing with a sense of purpose. Again, he has improved his decision making. That’s the biggest difference. There’s no doubt that not having to look over his shoulder waiting to see if Dodd will replace him has been a key to his success. It allows him to focus on more important things than position survival.

The D.O.: What’s the biggest difference you’ve seen in Rutgers since Kyle Flood took over?

TL: Offensively and defensively, from a scheme standpoint, there has not been much change at all. But what Flood has done is to allow this to be more of a players’ team because of the tremendous senior leadership it has. Schiano would not have done that. Schiano also didn’t delegate as much to the assistants as Flood has done. Flood hired eight new assistants, has faith in them and trusts them all. He allows them to do their jobs. No one is walking around on eggshells any more, which was too often the case under Schiano. That type of control-freak approach was probably needed to get Rutgers to respectability. But after a while it became counter productive. Instead of playing freely, players often played afraid to make a mistake. Not now.

The D.O.: How do you think Syracuse’s receivers match up against Rutgers’ secondary? 

TL: It should be a good matchup. Despite some shaky pass defense numbers so far, Rutgers has one of the best secondaries in the country. Logan Ryan, Marcus Cooper and Brandon Jones are proven corners. So far, Syracuse seems more willing to take the 15-yard gains in chunks in the passing game as opposed to being a deep-threat team. It will be interesting to see how determined Syracuse is to establish the run against the nation’s No. 2 run defense. Rutgers has turned a lot of offenses one-dimensional, and what happened in the fourth quarter last week against Connecticut (three interceptions) often happens to opponents when they are forced to pass against Rutgers and can’t run.

The D.O.: If a team is going to beat Rutgers, what’s the most important thing they’ll need to do?

TL: Pressure Nova, force turnovers and run the ball. Nova really hasn’t faced serious pressure all year and Rutgers has kept the turnovers to a minimum. And no one has run against this Rutgers defense, which changes what offenses want to do. That’s when they play into the hands of what is a very good defense.

Published on October 11, 2012 at 12:03 am

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman