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When we last saw Rutgers take the field, the Scarlet Knights looked more like a team putting together a blooper reel and less like a team that pulled one of the biggest surprise seasons in the Big East.

With a chance for at least a share of the first league title in school history, Rutgers had six turnovers and lost to UConn 40-22. The Huskies got 21 points off the miscues in quite an uncharacteristic performance for the Scarlet Knights. So much about that game stung -- Rutgers had taken care of the football so well all season; the Huskies were a beatable team, having finished the season 5-7; and an opportunity for a title was squandered.

Safety David Rowe said the loss stuck with him for a long time "especially knowing what was at stake and what could have been," he said. "But that's the great thing about football. It's so unpredictable. UConn played a great game."

Once bowl practices began earlier this month, the players and coaches were able to put the disappointment of that loss behind them. But still, that regular-season finale on Nov. 26 is the lasting image fans have of this team. Rutgers needs a good performance in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Friday against Iowa State to really end the season on a positive.

Is making a bowl game for the sixth time in seven seasons enough to wipe away what happened at UConn? It should be, but there might always be a "what-could-have-been" vibe to this season.

"We laid an egg that last week," coach Greg Schiano said Monday during his first bowl press conference. "We've got to get our game back and play the way we're capable of playing. I thought we improved all season long and then came out and played horribly against Connecticut, so I'm loking forward to going out and playing Rutgers football."

Establishing the run would be a good first start. Rutgers had a season-low minus-9 rushing yards in the game, in part because the quarterbacks were sacked six times. Rutgers also was a season-worst minus-5 in turnover margin, and gave up some big runs on defense as well.

What could help Rutgers is playing in Yankee Stadium for the second time this season. Though there were some concerns about the turf the last time the Scarlet Knights played on the field in November against Army, Schiano says those have been repaired. He also said the "wow" factor of playing in the same stadium as the Yankees will not apply for his team.

Against Army: "We got to the stadium a little early, so they could go and do their pictures and I said once you're done with that, get off the field, let's lock it in," Schiano said. "They handled it well. I know it's not the old one but it's very similar, and the history and tradition carries over."

Rutgers also opted to practice at its own facilities in Piscataway, N.J., during bowl week, so Schiano hopes that works to his team's advantage as well.

Last week, we took a look at the up-and-coming freshmen in the Big East. Now it is time to take a look at all of the departing senior talent. There is a ton across every team in this league. Sixteen of the 29 players honored on the All-Big East first team are seniors. There are still five bowl games left to be played, but it is worth taking a look at how many seniors are departing.

I will take a closer look at some of these "super seniors" in a future post.

Cincinnati

• Seniors: 21
• Starters: 12
• Key losses: Zach Collaros, Isaiah Pead, Randy Martinez, D.J. Woods, Evan Davis, John Hughes, Wes Richardson, Alex Hoffman, JK Schaffer, Adrien Robinson, Tom DeTemple, Derek Wolfe.

UConn

• Seniors: 13
• Starters: 7
• Key losses: Mike Ryan, Moe Petrus, Kashif Moore, Isiah Moore, Dave Teggart, Twyon Martin, Kendall Reyes.

Louisville

• Seniors: 17
• Starters: 9
• Key losses: Victor Anderson, Josh Bellamy, Josh Chichester, Ryan Kessling, Dexter Heyman, William Savoy, Greg Scruggs, Chris Philpott.

Pitt

• Seniors: 17
• Starters: 9
• Key losses: Lucas Nix, Greg Gaskins, Jordan Gibbs, Antwuan Reed, Max Gruder, Greg Williams, Brandon Lindsey, Chas Alecxih, Myles Caragein.

Rutgers

• Seniors: 16
• Starters: 8
• Key losses: Desmond Wynn, Caleb Ruch, Art Forst, Joe Martinek, Justin Francis, Manny Abreu, David Rowe, San San Te.

USF

• Seniors: 17
• Starters: 6
• Key losses: Jeremiah Warren, Chaz Hine, Quenton Washington, Jerrell Young, Patrick Hampton, Keith McCaskill.

Syracuse

• Seniors: 18
• Starters: 7
• Key losses: Van Chew, Andrew Tiller, Michael Hay, Antwon Bailey, Kevyn Scott, Mikhail Marinovich, Nick Provo.

West Virginia

• Seniors: 22
• Starters: 8
• Key losses: Don Barclay, Julian Miller, Bruce Irvin, Najee Goode, Keith Tandy, Eain Smith.

Rutgers safety David Rowe has been a mainstay in the defensive backfield for the Scarlet Knights.

He has played in a team-leading 50 games, with 35 starts. He made the move from cornerback to safety this season and continued to thrive, with three interceptions, three fumble recoveries and 57 tackles this season. At 6 feet and 195 pounds, he could play in the NFL.

Except Rowe has decided the New Era Pinstripe Bowl against Iowa State on Dec. 30 will be the final football game of his career. Rather than continue on to the pros, Rowe has decided what he really wants to do is reach out and help the homeless.

“I think it just came down to what's going to make me happy,” Rowe said in a recent phone interview. “Growing up, my dream was to play in the NFL. As I got older and I saw some of the things in the world, I wanted to have an opportunity to help a lot of people. You can do that in ways other than just football.”

The events of one day two summers ago helped Rowe make up his mind. Working with the homeless always has been a life goal of his. So Rowe decided he wanted to see just what it was like to live on the streets. He and a friend pretended to be homeless for a day while he was back home in Cocoa, Fla.

Neither one showered. Rowe wore dirty, tattered clothes -- cargo pants ripped at the bottom and an old shirt with a hole in it. They had no money on them, and no food. They walked 10 miles all day and into the night. At one point, they went to the mall. As they approached one store, a woman was on her way out. Rowe says she turned right around when she saw him approaching and avoided making eye contact.

"People would look at me differently because of the clothes I had on and how dirty I looked," Rowe said. "It really showed me what they go through even on a little scale. I can only imagine if you are really homeless how people look at you and how much help you need."

By the end of the night, Rowe called his brother to pick him up. He was hungry, tired and had a new outlook on what he should do.

Rowe would like to do homeless outreach or work at a homeless shelter to start. He is working toward a degree in communications, and has tried not think about the reality of his final game as a football player.

"It's definitely going to be hard," Rowe said. "I'll approach it like any other game. If I don't, I'll probably have a bad game if i put too much weight on it. After the game, I will be happy."

The two worst teams in the Big East last season are now among the two best.

How has it happened for Cincinnati and Rutgers?

Defense.

Both teams feature aggressive, opportunistic units that have made huge strides defending opponents, and that is a big reason each team has gone from 4-8 in 2010 to 4-1 at the midway point of the season. A quick check of the stats show how far both defenses have come.

Last season, Rutgers and Cincinnati were the two worst defenses in total defense, scoring defense, pass efficiency defense and sacks. Cincinnati was the worst team in the league in turnover margin.

Now? Rutgers is No. 1 in scoring defense; Cincinnati is No. 3. Rutgers is No. 2 in total defense; Cincinnati is No. 4. The Scarlet Knights lead the league with 20 sacks. Cincinnati is third with 17.

And the two teams lead the nation in turnover margin. Rutgers has 22 takeaways -- tying the total amount from 2010. Cincinnati is second with 18 takeaways -- four more than all of last season.

Rutgers has gotten so many solid performances from so many of its players, coach Greg Schiano demurred when asked for an MVP.

"The group," Schiano said. "The thing that I really enjoy most about coaching these guys is there is an unselfishness about us. That is the MVP."

There are a few big reasons Rutgers is playing well on defense. Schiano began moving players around the defense to help get more speed on the field.

Among the most significant moves -- Justin Francis to defensive tackle; Khaseem Greene to weakside linebacker; and David Rowe to safety. Greene is in contention for Big East defensive player of the year, as he averages nine tackles a game. Francis leads the league with 4.5 sacks. Rowe has two interceptions this season.

Schiano, whose background is on defense, is now calling the plays for the first time since 2008. Linebacker Steve Beauharnais said that has had a huge impact. At the beginning of training camp, Schiano showed a tape to his entire defense that essentially set the tone for what he wanted out of them.

The tape showed animals in the wild hunting for food. Specifically, Beauharnais remembers seeing lions taking down zebras as their prey. Schiano used it as an analogy for his players -- they needed to be relentless in pursuit of what they wanted. In their case, that meant going after the ball and their opponent.

"At first I was like what does this have to do with football?" Beauharnais said in a phone interview. "But when he stopped to explain it, everybody got the picture. You see us all swarming, attacking. We are real aggressive, and we are always running to the ball."

Schiano also stressed the need to play as one before every practice during training camp. He would hold his two hands far apart, then join them together in a fist. That was his way of showing his players how they needed to come together.

"We've always been friends, but I don't think we've ever been this close," Beauharnais said. "Everybody talks to everybody, and everybody hangs out with everybody. It's like a family."

The mentality has been much the same at Cincinnati. Coach Butch Jones has stressed becoming a more physical team. In fact, there are signs hanging up in the locker room that say, "Live Toughness Daily."

That has shown. The Bearcats have used an aggressive defensive front to help them set the tone in their games. Dan Giordano and Derek Wolfe have four sacks each, and Wolfe is third in the league with seven tackles for loss. In their last two outings, they have held their opponents to negative rushing yards.

What has helped has been the return of all 11 starters on defense. They have gained another year of experience, which means they are another year more mature, and another year more responsible to each other.

"The overall maturity and bond that our team has now is really starting to come into effect," Cincinnati linebacker JK Schaffer said. "Even when the offense isn’t putting points up on the board sometimes, we’re not saying, 'What is the offense doing? They need to put some points on the board.' No we’re like, 'OK, let’s go out there and play.' The whole mindset changed. Our team had to grow up. We were immature last year, a little resistant to some of the things we were doing. Now that the team’s grown up, we’ve accepted our jobs and responsibilities. Coach Jones talks about indisputable role understanding and guys are doing that."

Rutgers had plenty of chances to beat North Carolina, but in the end the Scarlet Knights could not take advantage of five Tar Heel turnovers and lost 24-22.

The offense could never get the run game going and was plagued by shaky offensive line play and several big drops from receivers. Still, they had a shot to at least get into field goal range late in the fourth quarter. Facing fourth-and-7 from its own 42, Chas Dodd threw incomplete.

That essentially summed up the day. Rutgers could not make the big plays happen when it needed them. Dodd went 25-of-47 for 243 yards and two touchdowns but was hit and knocked down more times than he probably cares to remember. The ground game was nonexistent -- Rutgers finished with 1 yard rushing on 25 carries because of the scrambles and sacks on Dodd.

Mohamed Sanu finished with 13 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown, but he should have had a score in the second quarter when a ball slipped out of his hands. That drive ended with no points after Rutgers failed to score on four attempts inside the 2. Mark Harrison also had two critical drops.

David Rowe had a big game, having a hand in three of the five turnovers. But in the end, they weren't enough. North Carolina ended with 405 yards of offense.

Rutgers is hanging with North Carolina thanks to three defensive turnovers. But Scarlet Knights fans are probably shaking their heads because Rutgers has only converted them into six points.

The first provided the best chance for a touchdown. After Duron Harmon returned an interception to the 2 in the first quarter, Rutgers made it to the goal line but was stuffed. Two throws and a run on the first three downs yielded no points. Rutgers went for it on fourth-and-goal, but DeAntwan Williams was stuffed.

David Rowe recovered two fumbles and Rutgers turned those into two field goals from San San Te. His second was from 50 yards out, tying a career high.

Turnovers are the biggest reason Rutgers is in the game, down 14-6 in the second quarter. Bryn Renner has started 11-of-13 for 189 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The two fumbles off completions certainly were not his fault. He basically has picked up where he left off last week and is threading passes to open receivers. The run defense had been doing a nice job until Giovani Bernard broke through several missed tackles to score on a 60-yard run. Until that dash, UNC had 3 total yards on the ground.

Meanwhile, the Rutgers offense has not been able to do much of anything against a UNC defensive front that has shut down the run and consistently harassed Chas Dodd. Mark Harrison has two critical drops that would have probably been touchdowns.

Rutgers just wrapped up fall camp, so let us take a look at some questions that remain headed into the season.

1. Running back rotation. The most wide-open competition of camp featured plenty of players with talent, but who would emerge? Unfortunately, Jawan Jamison (hamstring) and Jeremy Deering (head) lost some practice time because of injuries. How that affects the rotation going into the season remains to be seen. Without them, true freshman Savon Huggins and De'Antwan Williams had good fall camps so they may be ahead right now. This may end up being done by committee. We will have to wait to see how Greg Schiano handles the situation.

2. Defensive changes. Schiano made more defensive changes during camp, moving Steve Beauharnais back to middle linebacker. Ka’Lial Glaud is at defensive end and Jamal Merrill is now a starter at outside linebacker after being converted from receiver. Those go with changes that were made in the spring -- Manny Abreu to defensive end, Khaseem Greene to outside linebacker and David Rowe to safety. So how is all the tinkering going to shake out once the season begins? Schiano believes the linebackers now have more speed, but the line remains undersized.

3. Punter still undecided. True freshman Anthony DiPaula and junior college transfer Justin Doerner are neck and neck in the competition to win the starting job. Doerner also is competing for the kickoff job.

Rutgers' David Rowe discusses his move to safety.

Big East media day is almost here, so I thought you would like to see what the league has planned for its annual preseason get together Aug. 2 in Newport, R.I.

The league will produce a live studio show from media day on BIGEAST.tv for the Big East Digital Network. The show is available for free, and will be the first place fans can see the results of the preseason media poll. In addition, the show will feature interviews with players, coaches and other guests.

Fans may submit questions for coaches and players via the conference’s Facebook page and Twitter(#bemediaday) between now and the date of the show.

Now here is the list of players scheduled to attend. Remember, this list is subject to change. I will be there as well, bringing you plenty of news, notes and video interviews.

Cincinnati
Zach Collaros, QB
JK Schaffer, LB

Connecticut
Kendall Reyes, DT
Moe Petrus, OL
Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB
Kashif Moore, WR

Louisville
Victor Anderson, RB
Josh Chichester, TE
Chris Philpott, K
Greg Scruggs, DE

Pittsburgh
Jared Holley, DB
Mike Shanahan, WR
Myles Caragein, DL

Rutgers
Joe Martinek, FB
David Rowe, DB

USF
Jeremiah Warren, OL
Quenton Washington, CB

Syracuse
Antwon Bailey, RB
Ryan Nassib, QB
Chandler Jones, DE
Mikhail Marinovich, DE

West Virginia
Bruce Irvin, DE
Geno Smith, QB
Keith Tandy, CB

We continue our look at Big East title chances for each team in the league. Next up: Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights finished last in the Big East in 2010, but you can make a case for them to win the league. Yes, I know that has never happened, but there is talent at Rutgers and this season should be better than last.

Why Rutgers will win the league title

1. Playmakers. There is no underestimating the talent at the skill positions. Mohamed Sanu returns. Mark Harrison returns. Brandon Coleman had a breakout spring. Tim Wright is back from a knee injury. Freshmen Tejay Johnson and Miles Shuler bring ridiculous amounts of speed. Highly touted freshman running back Savon Huggins enters the mix as well, giving Rutgers plenty of options on offense. Add in a new coordinator in Frank Cignetti, and you can bet there will be more of an offensive identity this season.

2. Better on D. Rutgers made several position changes in the offseason that could pay off in a big-time way. Manny Abreu moved from linebacker to defensive end, Khaseem Greene moved from safety to linebacker, Scott Vallone moved to nose tackle and David Rowe moved from cornerback to safety, just to name a few. Those three are impact players who have the potential to really shape the defense and how it plays this season.

3. Better O-line. It is hard to imagine Rutgers being worse here than last year. By now you already know Rutgers had the worst offensive line in the country, giving up an NCAA-high 61 sacks. The Scarlet Knights also averaged just 2.7 yards on the ground -- third worst in the nation. Four starters return, so they clearly have gained experience that was perhaps lacking last season. David Osei impressed during the spring and will start at center with the loss of Dallas Hendrikson (knee). A new offensive coordinator should help here as well, because Rutgers will have more of an identity and have schemes that could help make up for potential shortcomings.

Why Rutgers won't win the league title

1. Offensive line. If Rutgers doesn't show any improvement on the offensive line, the Scarlet Knights aren't going anywhere. As stated above, four starters return on the offensive line, so is that a good thing or a bad thing? Surely they have much more experience, but they also were pretty awful last season.

2. Defensive line. There are concerns here as well with the departure of Charlie Noonan and Alex Silvestro, along with Jonathan Freeny. You're only as good as you are in the trenches. Scott Vallone should be good in his move to nose tackle, but how will Michael Larrow do at Vallone's old spot? Abreu should be good, too, but what about Justin Francis and Jamil Merrell on the other side? Depth here is lacking as well.

3. Quarterback depth. How will Chas Dodd do in a new system? All indications from the spring showed he transitioned easily, and this offense is better suited for him. But in football, you need to have depth at the quarterback position. Once again, Rutgers could rely on a true freshman to backup Dodd. Gary Nova and Mike Bimonte are expected to come into camp in the fall and compete for the No. 2 job with Steve Shimko. Last season, Dodd came in when Tom Savage got hurt so you always must have another quarterback prepared and ready to go.

Previously featured:

• West Virginia
• USF

Rutgers coach Greg Schiano is a realist. Last season was as much of a disappointment to him as it was to everyone, and he is eager to quickly get his program back to a bowl game.

But has going 4-8 increased his sense of urgency?

"I always have an intense sense of urgency," Schiano said in a recent phone interview. "My whole thing is we try to be the best that we can be. As I often say, ‘If I have something else extra to give you now, then you should have fired me five years ago because hopefully I have given you everything I've got and my players, too. We have a talented team that's a little green in some spots but not any more than other teams. We've just got to go out and get better and perform."

It is no secret the Scarlet Knights struggled on offense last season, and were devastated when Eric LeGrand was paralyzed making a tackle against Army. Rutgers did not win a game following the injury, and the team seemed in disarray at times. The offense ranked No. 114 in the nation and had no identity. The offensive line gave up a nation-worst 61 sacks. Schiano made changes to his staff, hiring Frank Cignetti as offensive coordinator.

Rutgers will get back to being a pro-style offense behind quarterback Chas Dodd. Schiano was pleased with the transition following spring practice, saying, "Chas is comfortable with what we're doing, although it's different than what he's done in the past. He looked very proficient in what he was doing, and we also ran the ball better than we have."

There is plenty of talent at the skill positions, though the starting running back job is still up in the air. But the biggest question of them all is the offensive line. Rutgers took a big hit when junior college transfer Dallas Hendrickson was lost for the season after getting hurt in spring practice. Schiano said the line did show improvement, and noted that there were changes to the scheme to help out.

Antwan Lowery, Desmond Wynn, Desmond Stapleton and Andre Civil earned praise from Schiano, and so did David Osei, who is bigger and stronger. "He really hit his stride," Schiano said of Osei.

"Those guys should be really improved," Schiano said. "Really, it's consistency. As a group we weren't consistent, but we were more consistent this spring than any time last year. Does that mean we're going to be world beaters? I don't think we're going to get out of it overnight, but I anticipate we'll be a lot better."

Schiano was happy with the position changes that were made in the spring, but said there may be more coming in the fall. Some players may be moved back to their original positions. The coaches are going to spend the next month going over the roster to potentially make more changes. But Khaseem Greene, David Rowe, Manny Abreu and Jeremy Deering are solid at their new spots. "We're going to try to start training camp with guys in the right place," Schiano said.

Schiano definitely has a plan for getting Rutgers back into position to contend for a league championship. Some fans are getting restless because he has been at Rutgers for 10 seasons without a league title. But consider where Rutgers was when he took over and where the program is now. Add in his excellent track record in graduating players, and Schiano has done plenty to make everyone proud.

"We had a tough year last year for a lot of reasons, but we've been to five straight bowl games. We've been consistent," Schiano said. "We'll be fine. We just have to work hard and be the best we can be. The next few years are going to be fun around here, I can tell you that."

Back for more in our series choosing players from each Big East team who announced themselves as potential breakout players this spring.

Once again, here's how I'm defining "breakout" status: players who haven't seen the field yet but showed they could be major contributors in 2011; players who have gotten some time but could move into much bigger roles this season; and players who have started but could blossom into stars.

We're going alphabetically, and it's Rutgers' turn. Let's see who's next for the Scarlet Knights:

• Brandon Coleman, WR, RFr: A lot of ink was spilled over Coleman this spring, and with good reason. You don't run across too many 6-foot-6 receivers who can glide down the field and make defensive backs look silly. Coleman's play in practice last month even had Greg Schiano wondering why he redshirted the wideout in 2010. It remains to be seen whether Coleman can get it done when it counts, or if the rest of Rutgers' offense will allow him to shine. But physically, at least, he's the real deal.

• David Osei, OL, Soph: Even before junior college transfer Dallas Hendrickson tore up his knee, Osei was making a major push to win the center job this spring. Now that Hendrickson is out for the year, Osei clearly will have to play a major role on the offensive line. I don't need to spell out again the struggles that unit has had the past two years, so for anyone to stand out there even in preseason qualifies as news. Perhaps the 6-foot-4, 266-pound Osei can be part of the solution and not the problem.

• David Rowe, S, Jr.: Rowe is well known to Rutgers fans and serious Big East observers after starting the past two seasons at cornerback. He was moved to safety in the spring as part of Schiano's desire to add more speed to the defense. He showed natural ability and terrific range at free safety this spring, using his speed to cover lots of territory. This position switch looks like a winner, and Rowe could blossom from a decent corner to an outstanding safety.

2010 overall record: 4-8

2010 conference record: 1-6, eighth in Big East

Returning starters:

Offense: 10. defense: 5. Punter/kicker: 1

Top returners:

WR Mohamed Sanu, WR Mark Harrison, QB Chas Dodd, RB Jeremy Deering, DL Scott Vallone, LB Khaseem Greene

Key losses:

SS Joe Lefeged, DE Alex Silvestro, DE Jonathan Freeny, LB Antonio Lowery, C Howard Barbieri

2010 statistical leaders (* returners)

Rushing: Jordan Thomas* (417 yards)
Passing: Chas Dodd* (1,637 yards)
Receiving: Mark Harrison* (829 yards)
Tackles: Antonio Lowery (108 tackles)
Sacks: Alex Silvestro (5.5 sacks)
Interceptions: Khaseem Greene* and Brandon Bing (2 interceptions)

Spring answers

1. More speed: Greg Schiano's main goal in making several offseason position changes was adding more speed to a defense that has long been built on that trait. He seemed to have accomplished that this spring. Moving Khaseem Greene from safety to weakside linebacker, David Rowe from corner to safety and leading returning rusher Jordan Thomas to corner all brought more speed to the Scarlet Knights defense. Steve Beauharnais looked more natural at strong side linebacker than in the middle. Schiano hopes that will help shore up a defense that fell apart in the latter half of 2010.

2. Brandon Coleman: The 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman receiver might have been the story of the spring for Rutgers. He showed elite speed to go along with his size, making him almost unstoppable at times in the passing game. His play made Schiano question whether redshirting Coleman was a mistake last season. Coleman seems poised to become a star quickly.

3. Skills set: As far as skill position players go, the Scarlet Knights might have the best-looking cast in the Big East. Along with Coleman, there's 6-foot-3 Harrison -- arguably the top returning receiver in the Big East -- and 6-4 Tim Wright, who was the team's best receiver last preseason before suffering a knee injury. Jeremy Deering's move to full-time running back was a major success, and De'Antwan Williams had his best spring yet. They'll give incoming super recruit Savon Huggins a challenge. We haven't even mentioned the incredibly versatile Mohamed Sanu yet or D.C. Jefferson, a wildly impressive physical specimen who could be devastating at tight end if he puts it all together. Rutgers could do a lot of damage on offense if it figures out its one main question mark.

Fall questions

1. Offensive line concerns -- again: Those hoping for a miraculous turnaround for the offensive line -- which allowed an NCAA-worst 61 sacks a year ago -- were sure to be disappointed. There were some minor signs of encouragement, but losing starting left guard Desmond Wynn for the spring with a knee injury and then having expected starting center Dallas Hendrickson go down with a season-ending torn ACL did little to help. David Osei showed great progress and should take over at center, and Antwan Lowery, Andre Civil and Desmond Stapleton got lots of valuable reps. But this is still the No. 1 concern for the Scarlet Knights this summer.

2. Defensive line concerns: Rutgers knows it has a standout performer on the defensive front with senior Scott Vallone, who played at nose tackle this spring and dominated most of the time he was in there. Justin Francis and Manny Abreu are trying to become first-time starters at defensive end, a position that failed to get a great pass rush most of last season. Young players like Mike Larrow, Jamil Merril, Isaac Holmes and Djwany Mera will have to contribute. Schiano's best teams have had disruptive defensive lines. It remains to be seen whether this one can measure up.

3. Backup quarterback: This is Dodd's team, both because of the way he took charge last season and the fact that there weren't really any other options at quarterback this spring. Just a true sophomore, Dodd must show that he can lead a team the entire season. Maybe more importantly, Rutgers must get someone else ready in case Dodd gets hurt. A pair of true freshmen in Gary Nova and Mike Bimonte will likely battle for the No. 2 job when they arrive this summer. The Scarlet Knights would like to avoid having to turn to a true freshman at quarterback for a third consecutive season.

Time to finish up our look at how each Big East team fared in trying to replace its biggest or most important star from 2010. Last but not least: Rutgers.

Biggest shoes to fill: Joe Lefeged.

Let's face it: The Scarlet Knights didn't exactly lose a ton of star power. They were the only Big East team to not have a player drafted last week. Lefeged is the closest thing to a star as the lone Rutgers representative on either the All-Big East first or second team. The strong safety ranked second on the team with 84 tackles and had four forced fumbles and an interception. He was also a disruptive force on special teams.

Spring replacement: Duron Harmon

Harmon, a junior, spent the past two seasons as a backup and now should move into a starting role replacing Lefeged. The 6-foot-1, 198-pounder had 21 tackles last year. You didn't hear his name a lot from Greg Schiano this spring, but that's mostly because Harmon was steady. David Rowe got a lot more attention for his play at free safety, where he moved from cornerback this spring. Rutgers hopes it has a solid 1-2 punch now at the position.

Summer outlook: Harmon appears to have a good grip on the starting job, but there are plenty of other safeties trying to get on the field, such as Patrick Kivlehan, Wayne Warren, Lorenzo Waters, Rashad Knight and converted receiver Jawaun Wynn. He'll need to keep playing well into the summer to stay ahead of the crowd.

Reviewing Rutgers' Scarlet-White game from Saturday, won by the Scarlet team (starters) 31-14:

Offensive MVP: Redshirt freshman receiver Brandon Coleman, who drew rave reviews for his work during earlier spring practices, showed the fans what the buzz was about. He had five catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-6 wideout could be a force in 2011.

Defensive MVP: Jamal Merrell had six tackles and forced a fumble for the White squad.

Chas Rewards: The Rutgers offense struggled in the previous two spring scrimmages but looked much better on Saturday. And quarterback Chas Dodd had much improved numbers from the earlier scrimmages. The sophomore finished 27-of-35 for 289 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

More than a seat-warmer? Uber recruit Savon Huggins was in attendance, but running back De'Antwan Williams hopes to do more than keep the position warm until Huggins arrives in the fall. Williams had 48 rushing yards and a score on 11 carries.

Other notes: The crowd of 21,120 was the second largest for a Big East spring game this year. ... Williams and safety David Rowe earned the team's most-improved player awards. Cornerback Mason Robinson was given the Frank R. Burns Award, which signifies a player who displays extraordinary mental and physical toughness. ... Several big names sat out the game, including Mohamed Sanu, Scott Vallone and Jeremy Deering.