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The new-look Rutgers offensive line debuts Thursday night against Norfolk State. And it has an unlikely anchor.

Fifth-year senior Howard Barbieri will start at center and will also walk to midfield before the game as one of three team captains. Neither are roles he envisioned himself playing when he arrived on campus.

"I just wanted to show people I could play here," he said.

Barbieri had a lone scholarship offer to Wagner. But he believed in his ability, so he chose to walk on at Rutgers.

That looked like a wise choice as soon as his redshirt freshman year, when he was running second string on the offensive line before he was moved to tight end. Since then, Barbieri has done a little bit of everything.

In 2008, he played at left guard, right guard and right tackle. He started at both guard spots last year and practiced at center, then was moved to that position permanently before this spring, when he finally received a scholarship for his efforts.

A center has to be aware of what everyone is doing on a given play, and Barbieri's background makes that easier.

"I know what the right guard is going to do on a play because I've been there before," he said. "It helps me a lot. I look at myself as a leader of not just the offensive line, but the whole offense."

Assistant coach Kyle Flood told the Home News Tribune that Barbieri's leadership "is going to help us as we go through this process as we try to get everything on track. To have a guy like that who can anchor the middle for you, it makes the transition a little smoother."

The Scarlet Knights could use some stability on their offensive front, which will start together for the first time Thursday night. Three starters are gone from last year, and the most experienced lineman, Art Forst, has moved from guard to right tackle. Desmond Stapleton takes over for Anthony Davis at left tackle, while Desmond Wynn steps into a more prominent role. Caleb Ruch, who was injured most of last year, is at right guard.

Fans will be watching closely, even against Norfolk State, to see signs of improvement after last year's line disappointed. Barbieri said they should like what they see.

"This is the most physical line we've had since I've been here," he said. "That's the way we're practicing, and it's been emphasized to us all offseason. We're going to be tough and physical."

And they have an unlikely anchor.

The first weekend when every Big East team was in fall camp just concluded, which meant plenty of scrimmages.

Several teams had their first full-bore intrasquad scrimmages of the preseason, which can help determine depth charts and give an early indication of how things are going. Here are some notes from those workouts:

PITT: The Panthers went through an 88-play scrimmage, but they did so without injured key players such as Dom DeCicco, Myles Caragein, Andrew Taglianetti and Greg Romeus, who continues to be unavailable with back spasms. In addition, Jabaal Sheard, Dion Lewis and Jon Baldwin played limited snaps.

Ray Graham was taken out of the scrimmage after going down with a knee injury, but it did not appear to be serious. Quarterback Tino Sunseri was just 5-for-11 for 61 yards, while backup Pat Bostick impressed by going 9-of-15 for 163 yards and three scores.

RUTGERS: Defense dominated in the Scarlet Knights' 2 1/2 hour scrimmage, which is not surprising given how strong the Rutgers 'D' looks. The offense, which played without Howard Barbieri and Joe Martinek, scored just one touchdown while the defense scored off a turnover and had two safeties.

Quarterback Tom Savage went just 8-of-15 for 52 yards as the offense managed just 74 yards on its first 29 plays. De'Antwan Williams hoped to make a push for the No. 2 running back job but finished with just 13 yards on four carries while losing a fumble. Mason Robinson scored the lone TD.

WEST VIRGINIA: Head coach Bill Stewart mostly didn't like what he saw out of the Mountaineers' first scrimmage.

"Sloppy tackling, not breaking on the ball, not doing back-side cutoff blocks, not hustling, drops, exchange snaps,'' he said. "I'm not real pleased. [We] didn't play up to our standards."

Noel Devine did, though, ripping off a 79-yard touchdown run and then taking most of the rest of the day off. And so did Bruce Irvin. The junior-college import recorded two sacks as West Virginia lined up with four defensive linemen. Coaches and teammates are singing the praises of Irvin for his quickness and burst so far in practice.

Quarterbacks Geno Smith and freshmen Barry Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson combined to complete 16 of 18 passes for 113 yards on mostly short routes.

SOUTH FLORIDA: Defense was also ahead of the offense at South Florida, as the Bulls mustered one touchdown in a nearly 150-snap scrimmage.

Quarterback B.J. Daniels missed 11 of his first 12 passes and finished 7-for-22 for 70 yards. True freshman backup Jamius Gunsby did look good, though, going 12-for-17 for 169 yards, including a 58-yard completion. But the defense had three interceptions.

"Right now we're a long way from being productive as an offensive football team," coach Skip Holtz said. "With the penalties and dropped passes and missing open receivers and inconsistencies in the passing game, it's very difficult to get anything into rhythm. We've got a lot of work to do right now, but I think the attitude is good and they're willing."

SYRACUSE: Coach Doug Marrone was disgusted by his team's lack of physicality on Friday, especially the offense, so he emphasized that in Saturday's first full-contact, two-hour scrimmage.

So the focus was on running the ball and running it hard, which Delone Carter did. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Nassib remained turnover-free. Freshman linebacker Marquis Spruill got some looks with the first-team defense at outside linebacker, where he's battling with Ryan Gillum.

LOUISVILLE: Head coach Charlie Strong held his scrimmage behind closed doors, with no fans or media allowed to attend. So details of the 90-play scrimmage were unknown. The school's official account said the Cardinals worked on situations like 1st-and-10 from their own 30, 1st-and-10 from the 12 inside the red zone and 1st-and-10 from their own 1.

"Early in the scrimmage, the offense didn't move the ball very well, but the longer we went, the better it got," Strong said. "We still have a long way to go and we still have to get better. We have to improve our tackling and we need some guys to really step up and become leaders of this team."

We're only about a month away now from the start of preseason practice. Of course, players are already working hard on campus this summer getting ready. I had a chance to catch up with Rutgers quarterback Tom Savage this week to ask him how things were going in Piscataway. Here is a transcript of our conversation.

What's your schedule like right now?

Tom Savage: Right now, we've got summer classes to deal with, and the older guys are getting together throwing 7-on-7s and throwing against air. We're working hard. The whole team's really excited about this season.

Can you tell that there's improvement going on during the 7-on-7s and lighter pass drills?

TS: Yeah, I feel like there's improvement, and there's also a good connection going on. I'm really starting to understand the timing with the receivers. The good thing is, they're all young guys, so they're all going to be with me for the next three years. That's really exciting to watch and be a part of.

Several young guys emerged at receiver during the spring. How is that carrying over into the summer?

TS: I feel like all of them are starting to really understand the game. They're all really talented, but you can be talented and not understand the principles of our offense. I feel like everyone's starting to understand and get it all together.

How much film do you watch in the summer?

TS: We watch some film. The receivers and I get together. We prepare a little bit for Norfolk State [the Scarlet Knights' opening opponent] because we can't overlook them too much. But we've also got to keep watching ourselves from last season and learn what we can do better. We all get together and look at the timing and the routes last year, then we go outside and work on that.

You didn't really throw much in games to a lot of the younger receivers last year, so how do they incorporate the film study?

TS: The spring is really what they'll be watching a lot of. The good thing is, we've got all that stuff on tape, so we can see what we did and what we can improve on.

How about outside of working out -- how are you guys building chemistry off the field?

TS: Mohamed [Sanu] and I really buddy up. We hang out a lot. We spend time with all the receivers. We're really comfortable with each other, which is good because we know how to communicate with each other.

You went through your first spring practice this year. What did you learn from that?

TS: One thing I learned is how good our defense really is. I felt like the spring gave me a chance to really slow down and understand the meaning of the plays instead of just doing it. Last year, they would just tell me the play and I'd execute and do what I could. This year, I really understand the plays more and understand the game a lot better.

Coach Schiano said he didn't want to put too much on you as a true freshman last year. Do you feel like the playbook is more opened up to you this season?

TS: I've told them numerous times that I'm ready to expand and learn as much as I can. That's what I'm ready to do. To give the team the best opportunity to win, you've got to be able to throw everything at the guys, and I want to be the kind of guy who can understand everything and really be the manager of the offense.

When you look around at the team, you see a lot of young guys. Do you have enough talent to overcome some of that inexperience?

TS: Right now we don't have that much experience, but we do have a leadership core. I think the biggest thing being able to lead and talk through things to the younger guys. I mean, I'm a younger guy, but for the younger guys to be able to tell them how it works and how everything's going to go. Our leadership core, with older guys like Howard Barbieri, helps out a lot.

Speaking of Barbieri, he's going to be your new center, but he was hurt part of the spring. How is the chemistry between you two?

TS: We take snaps all the time. I'm really comfortable with him. I know he's really trying to get back out there, and the whole team is looking forward to that, too.

There were several injuries along the offensive line this spring. Are you looking forward to seeing what that unit can do when healthy this fall?

TS: Yeah, I know we've got plenty of depth at the O-line positions. We couldn't have had too many more guys go down this spring, and it seemed like we still managed it well. I'm excited to see what the whole offensive line crew can do.

Rutgers released a post-spring, two-deep Tuesday, and while there aren't a ton of surprises, there is some shuffling along the offensive line.

The depth chart, which shouldn't be viewed as written in stone at this early date, has junior Art Forst moving from guard to tackle. Forst has the size to play tackle at 6-foot-8, 310 pounds but all of his career starts have come on the interior. Moving to his old guard spot is Desmond Wynn, who was expected to challenge for one of the starting tackle spots but missed spring practice because of a shoulder injury.

Desmond Stapleton, who had a surprisingly good spring, is starting at the other tackle spot, with Caleb Ruch at the other guard and Howard Barbieri -- who had knee surgery late in spring -- at center. Redshirt freshman Antwan Lowery, who was moved to the offensive line this spring, is listed as a backup behind Ruch at guard.

At running back, Joe Martinek is obviously the starter, but oft-injured Kordell Young is listed behind him, not De'Antwan Williams.

On defense, the biggest competition was at cornerback, and for now David Rowe and Brandon Bing are starters, with Bing holding off hard-charging Logan Ryan for that job.

The post-spring Big East position rankings continue now with a look at the league's offensive lines. Remember, we're looking for both star power and depth.

1. Connecticut: Randy Edsall and offensive line coach Mike Foley somehow keep unearthing gems and developing outstanding linemen. Guard Zach Hurd was a first-team All-Big East performer a year ago, while center Moe Petrus should be among the best at his position this season. Adam Masters and Kevin Friend were pleasant surprises this spring. The Huskies are big, deep and talented up front.

2. Cincinnati: The Bearcats have to replace all-league left tackle Jeff Linkenbach, but they return all-conference performers Alex Hoffman and Jason Kelce on the interior. Tackle C.J. Cobb needs to overcome spring knee surgery, but this unit should be strong enough to keep Cincinnati one of the nation's top-scoring offenses.

3. West Virginia: The Mountaineers' offensive line was spotty last year, but there's reason to hope for improvement. Four starters are back, and the unit played better toward the end of the season. Don Barclay is becoming a leader at left tackle, while Josh Jenkins has the talent to be an all-conference performer. Depth should be much better than it was a year ago, when the starters played virtually every snap.

4. Pittsburgh: There are serious questions at center and right guard, and depth is a major issue. Yet Jason Pinkston is arguable the top left tackle in the league, and Chris Jacobson and Lucas Nix look ready to break out this year. Line coach Tony Wise usually finds a way to get it done.

5. South Florida: The Bulls may lack a lot of household names, but they have as much experience up front as any Big East team. Even with the loss of Zach Hermann to a career-ending neck injury, they still have plenty of veterans like Jake Sims, Mark Popek, Chaz Hine and Sampson Genus, who was a second-team All-Big East center a year ago.

6. Louisville: The Cardinals aren't going to wow you with talent on the offensive line, but four starters are back on a unit that held its own last year. Center Mario Benavides has proved to be a worthy heir to Eric Wood and could push for postseason honors. Greg Tomczyk and Mark Wetterer have played a lot of football in their careers.

7. Syracuse: Ryan Bartholomew, a second-team All-Big East guard last year, has moved to center. Depth is better than a year ago, and former offensive lineman Doug Marrone will whip this group into shape. A lot will depend on how tackles Justin Pugh and Michael Hay develop.

8. Rutgers: Greg Schiano says he's confident this year's O-line will outperform last year's unit for the Scarlet Knights. When center Howard Barbieri and tackle Desmond Wynn return from injuries this summer, the line should look a lot better. But exiting the spring, no team has more question marks and concerns on the offensive front than Rutgers.

The product you see in spring practice isn't necessarily indicative of the team you'll see in the fall. That's because several players are held out of spring drills because of injury, academics or just plain precaution.

The following is a list of players who missed all or significant parts of the spring and need to come through for their teams when it really counts.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats had a lot of injuries this spring that cost several players time. They'll need right tackle C.J. Cobb (ankle surgery) to come back strong, and, of course, they hope running back Isaiah Pead's sore knee that kept him out of the spring game isn't serious.

Connecticut: Cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson didn't play this spring because of offseason shoulder surgery, and the Huskies' secondary badly needs his playmaking abilities. Offensive lineman Jimmy Bennett and Greg Lloyd could add valuable depth in the trenches if they recover from knee problems.

Louisville: Running backs Victor Anderson (shoulder surgery) and Jeremy Wright (sports hernia) were either limited or missed time this spring. That position should be one of the Cardinals' strong suits this season. And they'll need good health from safety Terrence Simien (kidney).

Pittsburgh: Safeties Andrew Taglianetti (knee) and Dom DeCicco (foot) should be fully healed by fall camp, adding much-needed depth and experience to the Panthers' secondary.

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights already had some kinks to work out in their offensive line, and that wasn't helped by injuries to center Howard Barbieri and tackle Desmond Wynn this spring. Obviously, both guys need to come back strong for Rutgers to capitalize on its potential.

South Florida: If the Bulls could get anything out of receiver A.J. Love (torn ACL) this spring, it would provide a major bonus. And, of course, quarterback B.J. Daniels needs to be fully recovered from his shoulder surgery, but no one expects that to be a problem.

Syracuse: The Orange managed to avoid the injury bug for the most part. But standout linebacker Doug Hogue needed knee surgery after the spring game. He should be fine by the time August arrives. And, naturally, suspended running back Delone Carter's status will be a question that lingers through the summer.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers won't get where they want to go unless quarterback Geno Smith (foot) is able to do a whole lot more than he could this spring. Getting Scooter Berry back to his 2008 form would also help the defensive line immensely.

2009 overall record: 9-4

2009 conference record: 3-4, T-4th in Big East

Returning starters

Offense: 6. Defense: 6. Punter/kicker: 2

Top returners

QB Tom Savage, WR Mohamed Sanu, RB Joe Martinek, TE D.C. Jefferson, DE Alex Silvestro, DT Scott Vallone, LB Antonio Lowery, S Joe Lefeged

Key losses

WR Tim Brown, OT Anthony Davis, CB Devin McCourty, LB Ryan D'Imperio, C Ryan Blaszczyk, DE George Johnson

2009 statistical leaders (* returners)
Rushing: Joe Martinek* (967 yards)
Passing: Tom Savage* (2,211 yards)
Receiving: Tim Brown (1,150 yards)
Tackles: Damaso Munoz (81)
Sacks: Jonathan Freeny* (9.5)
Interceptions: Four players tied with two

Spring answers

1. More than Mo: The Scarlet Knights had just one proven receiver -- sophomore Mohamed Sanu -- coming into the spring. But Tim Wright, Mark Harrison and Quron Pratt all elevated their games and started to fulfill their vast potential during practice. Rutgers now feels good about its passing game going into the fall.

2. Solid on D: Despite losing stars such as Devin McCourty, Ryan D'Imperio and George Johnson, Greg Schiano has plenty to work with on defense. The defensive line is as deep and talented as it's ever been during Schiano's tenure. Sophomore Steve Beauharnais looks ready to take off at middle linebacker. And Logan Ryan made a lot of plays in the secondary.

3. Stapleton a fixture: One answer on the offensive line appears to be junior Desmond Stapleton. Buried behind Anthony Davis the past two years, Stapleton needed to assert himself this spring. By all accounts, he did just that and figures to earn a starting spot at one of the tackle positions.

Fall questions

1. O-line, O-line, O-line: With the exception of Stapleton, the offensive line was a giant question mark most of the spring. Howard Barbieri's knee injury didn't help matters, and neither did having Desmond Wynn sidelined for most of practice. Rutgers has more playmakers this year on offense, but it won't matter if the line can't protect Tom Savage.

2. Running game explosiveness: Schiano wants more big plays out of his running game. Joe Martinek just missed reaching 1,000 yards last season but was more of a steady player than a star. He responded to Schiano's challenge with an excellent spring performance even behind the makeshift line. But a couple of true freshmen will get a look this fall as Schiano tries to increase the speed in the backfield.

3. What happens if Savage goes down? The Scarlet Knights' sophomore quarterback is on his way to a stellar career. But it's not easy to keep a quarterback healthy all year, and all Rutgers has behind him right now is Steve Shimko, who will have a hard time making defenses respect the deep passing game. Chas Dodd arrives in the summer, but it's a lot to ask for Dodd to be as advanced as Savage was when he showed up.

Two more Big East spring games will be held this weekend, including the first Bearcat Bowl for new Cincinnati coach Butch Jones.

Jones said on Thursday that his first spring with the two-time defending Big East champs went well.

"Last night, I sat back and reviewed our goals for spring practice, and I think we accomplished those," he said. "Are we anywhere close to being game ready? No. It was just a small foundation that we laid. But I liked the mentality of our kids, and we laid a great foundation going into the next phase, which is our summer conditioning program."

Cincinnati's final practice before the spring game ended with the team taking several minutes to practice the way it comes out for stretching and various warm-up routines, including a cheer to get the team pumped up.

The spring game, which will be televised by Fox Sports, will feature four 10-minute periods, the last two of which will have running clocks. Jones will match the first-teamers against the second-teamers, and he'll go into the stands and allow selected fans to call plays from the team's playbook. He said the game will only show about 20 to 25 percent of the team's offense and defense, and it's likely that offensive stars Armon Binns and Isaiah Pead won't play or will be severely limited because of injuries.

Rutgers also ends its spring practice with its annual Scarlet-White game.

The contest will consist of a running clock and no blitzing by the defense. That will help the offense, which is missing three injured starters on the offensive line in Howard Barbieri, Desmond Wynn and Antwan Lowery. Receiver/Wildcat specialist Mohamed Sanu likely won't play either because of a head injury.

The game can be viewed on the school's Web site.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- It's one of the great mysteries of the 2009 Big East season. How did Rutgers' offensive line, blessed with veterans and pro prospects, not come anywhere near expectations?

Guard Art Forst says he watched film of last year and the only conclusion he can come up with is that the unit underperformed. And he vows, "We won't underperform again."

Easier said than done. But how much the offensive line can come together and improve may well hold the key to the Scarlet Knights' fortunes in 2010.

It's a very different cast from last year. Gone are tackles Anthony Davis and Kevin Haslam and center Ryan Blaszczyk. In are ... well, we're not entirely sure yet.

Forst is back, but Howard Barbieri -- who was slated to take over at center -- suffered a knee injury and is out for the rest of spring. Desmond Wynn is penciled in as a likely starter at one of the tackle spots but he, too, has been hurt this spring.

Head coach Greg Schiano likes what he's seen so far out of Desmond Stapleton, who backed up Davis the past two seasons. Stapleton has been playing left tackle, and Schiano said he's provided worry-free performance. His older brother, Darnell, was a Rimington Trophy candidate at Rutgers and a starting center for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The most intriguing prospect on the line is Antwan Lowery. He was Rutgers' highest-rated recruit a year ago as a defensive lineman. After his redshirt season, he asked to make the switch to the O-line, Schiano said. The 6-foot-4, 325-pounder is obviously raw, but his size and skill can overcome some inexperience.

"He's incredibly explosive," Schiano said. "We have to get him good enough. We don't have guys like him, so it's almost to where we've got to make it work."

"He does some things to our best defensive linemen where you sit there and say, 'Are you kidding me?' But then he'll do something [dumb] and you're like, 'Are you kidding me?' So there are kidding-me's both ways."

Rutgers gave up more sacks (40) than any other Big East team last year and it struggled to run the ball effectively for large stretches. This year, there's little depth behind quarterback Tom Savage, so the line simply must protect him for the team to succeed. The group is still mixing and matching parts and probably won't have its pieces together until fall camp when Wynn and Barbieri return.

Still, Schiano is optimistic.

"I've just got a feeling we're going to be better," he said. "I can't tell you why. I don't know if it's chemistry or whatever. But confidence means nothing unless you do it."

And unless this offensive line does it better than last year's, Rutgers won't be going very far in 2010.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Just wrapped up a fun day at Rutgers. I'll have plenty to say about the Scarlet Knights next week, but here are some observations from today's practice:

• It was more like a first practice of the spring than an eighth one. The team went in shoulder pads and shorts and had a shorter-than-normal workout with the spring's first full-scale scrimmage planned for Saturday. The Scarlet Knights are hosting a coaches' clinic today, and a couple hundred high school coaches dotted the sidelines to watch. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was scheduled to address the coaches after practice.
• Without any real hitting, it was tough to judge too much from today's practice. But the guy who really stood out to me, and who by all accounts is having a terrific spring, is wide receiver Tim Wright. The sophomore caught just about everything thrown his way, especially in the two-minute drill situations at the end of practice. He made a nice adjustment on one deep ball, grabbed a third-down conversion in traffic and later snatched a reception while being double covered.Wright didn't do much last year, but he's 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds and has all the tools. Greg Schiano told me that he's gotten Wright and Mohamed Sanu confused on tape a couple of times since Wright wears No. 5 and Sanu No. 6. And if Wright looks like Sanu on film, that's saying a lot.
• The receiving group overall looks encouraging. Mark Harrison is a physical specimen and Quron Pratt is a shifty guy in the slot. One bit of bad news for the group was that freshman Phil Lewis suffered what appeared to be a serious arm injury during the practice. Schiano said Lewis was in a lot of pain.
• The defensive line is deep and experienced, and whenever the second D-line went against the No. 2 offensive line, it was a total mismatch. The first string O-line is still being mixed and matched, with former defensive line super recruit Antwan Lowery running with the ones at guard. Desmond Stapleton has had a great spring and could be the starting left tackle or right tackle, depending on how Desmond Wynn plays when he's fully healthy. Depth is an issue, especially with Howard Barbieri out for the rest of spring with a knee injury.
• Tom Savage had two passes intercepted during the two-minute drills. The first was a deflection that linebacker Steve Beauharnais grabbed in the end zone. The second was worse, as the offense just needed to get a field goal to win the drill, but Savage floated a throw for Sanu too low and got picked off by Logan Ryan inside the 10. Savage got an earful from Schiano and threw his helmet to the ground on the sidelines. Still, the sophomore quarterback threw some impressive balls during practice. As long as he gets protection from the O-line, he should have a big year. Ryan, by the way, has had a good spring and looks like a potential starter at cornerback.
• I always enjoy the different weird things coaches do to simulate game situations. At one point in 7-on-7 drills, managers held brooms up in the air that Savage and Steve Shimko had to pass through. If Rutgers plays a team of witches or chimney sweeps, it should be ready.
• The running backs didn't have much to do today, but Schiano told me that Joe Martinek has worked hard on trying to be more elusive instead of running through defenders. Martinek is solid but not spectacular, and he may have to hold off some incoming freshmen as Rutgers seeks a real home run threat at tailback.
• The most animated guy on the field is new receivers coach P.J. Fleck. He's a boisterous young coach prone to leaping in the air or bowing, depending on what his players do. They seem to respond well to his energy.
• Knee-jerk reaction of questionable merit: This is a very young team, and the offensive line remains a concern. But it's a talented bunch that should be better on offense than last year. Rutgers is probably a year away from serious Big East contention, but if the kids come around quickly, watch out.

It's on to Plan B or maybe even Plan C at center for Rutgers.

Center Howard Barbieri, who was making the move there this spring, is now out until the summer with a knee injury, Greg Schiano told reporters at practice today. The fifth-year senior hurt his left knee in Monday's practice, but Schiano declined to give any more details other to say that the injury would not require surgery.

It leaves the Scarlet Knights scrambling to find a replacement for departed senior Ryan Blaszczyk. Caleb Ruch could move over from guard, but that would cause even more reshuffling on a rebuilt line. The Star-Ledger reported that redshirt freshman David Osei stood in for Barbieri on Wednesday and sailed two snaps over Tom Savage's head.

"We're going to move some people around,'' Schiano told reporters. "We're going to tinker around a little bit."

Luckily, it's only the spring and Barbieri could be back ready to go by the fall. But Rutgers has some major questions on the line right now.

The spring superlatives series rolls on today with Rutgers, which gets us back in order after the little reverse-alphabetic switch. Let's look at which positions are strongest and which are weakest for the Scarlet Knights heading into the spring:

Strongest position: Defensive line

Key returnees: DT Scott Vallone (nine tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries), DE Alex Silvestro (12 tackles for loss, two sacks), DE Jonathan Freeny (9.5 sacks), DT Eric LeGrand (two sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss), DT Charlie Noonan (two sacks).

Key departures: DE George Johnson and DT Blair Bines.

The skinny: Despite the loss of two strong senior contributors, the Scarlet Knights still have loads of depth on the defensive front. Greg Schiano told me this week that the combination of Vallone, LeGrand and Noonan could be the best set of defensive tackles he's had at Rutgers. Freeny and Silvestro have shown the ability to get to the passer. And young players who were redshirted a year ago, like Andre Civil and Isaac Holmes, should be ready to play.

Weakest position: Offensive line

Key returnees: OG Desmond Wynn, OG Howard Barbieri, OG Art Forst, OG Caleb Ruch

Key departures: LT Anthony Davis, C Ryan Blaszczyk, RT Kevin Haslam

The skinny: Rutgers' O-line was a major disappointment last year, and now the unit loses arguably its top three performers, including a likely first-round NFL pick in Davis. This will be a revamped group, which might not be a bad thing considering the way the 2009 line performed. Still, Schiano has to find replacements at both tackle spots, potentially looking to a guy like Desmond Stapleton to step forward. Former super sub Barbieri will have to take on a larger role, while the talented Forst could emerge as a star. There's a lot to work with here, but also a lot to work on.

Rutgers is coming off a nine-win season and will be a really interesting team to watch in 2010. The Scarlet Knights have a lot of talent, but they will be one of the youngest, if not the youngest, team in the Big East this season.

That makes spring practice all the more important, and I caught up with head coach Greg Schiano this week to talk about Rutgers' spring drills, which begin March 23. This is Part I of my interview with Schiano; check back tomorrow for Part II.

What's the most pressing issue or concern for you going into the spring?

Greg Schiano: We're a really young football team. It's like 62 of our 85 scholarship players, when we report to training camp, will have three or four years of eligibility remaining. It's one of those deals where we've got to develop our younger players, but at the same time, it's not an excuse. That's who we are right now, and we've got to be able to go out and perform the best we can and hope that best is good enough, because we have good players. It's just that some of them are young.

Can you remember having a team this young before in your career?

GS: I don't know so much at Rutgers. Maybe a little bit in '05 or something. But I do remember that at other places. It's funny: Coaches think this is our year, that is our year. I've learned, you know what, you can't predict it. Every year has got to be our year. You've got to go out and believe that whoever is on your starting 11 is going to get it done. That's kind of the approach I take now. Injured guys, whatever, it doesn't matter. You have to win with what you've got.

Let's go position by position, starting with the offensive line. You lost three key starters. How do you see that unit right now?

GS: We have guys there. They've got to come through. You know, we didn't play very well on the offensive line last year, so to me, hopefully it's going to be an improvement. It needs to be an improvement. Not too long ago, we had the best offensive line in the country in sacks, rushing yards and all those things. We need to get that level of performance back.

I look at guys like Desmond Stapleton and Desmond Wynn, guys that haven't played a ton of football here but who are talented players. It's their turn, and they need to step up. A guy like Howard Barbieri, who played for us last year a good amount, he's now become a leader of that line. Art Forst, a guy who was probably forced into action before he was ready, now hopefully he's ready. Now is his time to really shine. A guy like Caleb Ruch, who played some, but he wasn't ready to play. He played because we had to play him. Now he's a junior.

I said earlier we have so many guys who have three years left. On the offensive line, we have a bunch of guys that have two years left. So hopefully that means they've been in our weight room now for three years. Offensive line is a little different position; the Anthony Davises who come and play right away are few and far between. These guys, I think they're good players. How fast they get good is going to have a big say in how fast we get good.

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It feels like the regular season ended five minutes ago, but for Rutgers, the postseason is in full swing.

The Scarlet Knights left New Jersey this morning and flew to Florida for Saturday's St. Petersburg Bowl against Central Florida. They played their last regular-season game just 10 days ago and got only five practices in at home before leaving for the bowl site.

"It's a quick turnaround," offensive lineman Howard Barbieri said. "We didn't have time to work the young guys (in practice) like we usually do."

For a team that bases a lot of what it does on preparation, Rutgers doesn't have a lot of time to get ready for this game. On the flip side, it won't be rusty after a long layoff.

"Everything's just faster and more compact," Barbieri said.

The game also comes in the middle of final exams, and several players had to have their tests moved up or back in order to accommodate the trip. Still, for a program that's gone to less-than-exotic bowl locales like Birmingham, Ala., Toronto and Houston in recent years, a junket to the beach doesn't sound too bad.

Problem is, this may look like a road game. UCF is located a little more than an hour away in Orlando and will have a lot of fans inside Tropicana Field.

"It's a dome, so I imagine it's going to be really loud in there," Barbieri said.

Of even more concern is the Knights' defense. UCF ranks fourth in the country against the run this season. Rutgers has struggled at times to move the ball offensively, and its running game has rarely overpowered people.

"The two guys in the middle of their defensive line are really good, and their defensive ends move inside also," Barbieri said. "Their linebackers are really fast. The whole defense is really good. We're going to have our work cut out for us."

The work has begun, and bowl week is under way for the Scarlet Knights.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Rutgers may be without some depth on its offensive line for Saturday's game against Florida International. Caleb Ruch, who moved into a starting job last year, has an unspecified leg injury and is not on the two-deep this week.

Coach Greg Schiano said Ruch may be able to go later this week, but he's preparing otherwise. Howard Barbieri has started the past two games ahead of Ruch.

Schiano also has moved redshirt freshman D.C. Jefferson ahead of Shamar Graves at tight end. Jefferson was competing for the starting quarterback job until late in fall camp when he made the position change. David Rowe is also now listed ahead of Brandon Bing at corner.

“Some of those spots are that close that I have informed the guys, ‘Look, whoever plays the best during the week and whoever we feel gets us the best chance to win at the end of the week is going to start,’” Schiano said. “I kind of like it.”

Schiano also said there's a chance that running back Kordell Young, who led the team in rushing a year ago but has been out so far this season with continuing knee problems, could play Saturday.

"I am hoping that if things go right that he will have a role in this game on Saturday," Schiano said. "It helps us because he is a mature guy and a leader on this football team."