Washington vs. Rutgers: Predicting the Outcome | Prediction

The University of Washington heads to Piscataway, NJ to tackle Rutgers University in prime time on Friday night time. The Scarlet Knights are favored by 2.5 factors. Who will take the spoils on this epic joust?

Max Vrooman

This needs to be a way more aggressive sport than the final time Washington performed at Rutgers again in 2017. New Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis (Minnesota switch) is off to a profession finest begin averaging 9 YPA and having thrown just one INT to this point. He likes to throw it deep and has had vast open targets in opposition to their lackluster opening schedule. That’s partly as a result of opponents are so involved with the run sport. RB Kyle Monangai is a beast averaging 6.3 YPC after working for almost 1300 yards final season. He is a real bell cow and already has 16 extra carries than Jonah Coleman though Rutgers has solely performed 3 video games. The Rutgers offensive line has been fully dominant to this point clearing holes for him and UW’s D-Line will face their hardest take a look at to this point.

The excellent news for Washington is that Rutgers is so much weaker on the different facet of the trenches. The Scarlet Knights have simply 2 sacks in 3 video games from their entrance 4 rotation gamers (in comparison with 9 in 4 video games for UW). Linebacker Dariel Djabome has been a breakout participant with 25 tackles to this point rather than star Mo Toure who's injured and out for the yr. The secondary is okay however the edge there clearly goes to Washington.

And there’s an opportunity that you could throw all of the above evaluation out the window. Washington is travelling throughout the nation on a brief week. There’s principally no latest precedent for the way the Huskies will react to crossing 3 time zones on one fewer day’s relaxation. Given how sloppy they've been with out leaving the metropolis of Seattle, I’m not optimistic they’ll carry out higher on this context. From the day the schedule got here out, this regarded like a transparent potential schedule loss and the outcomes to this point haven’t carried out something to dissuade me from that notion.

Washington 20 – Rutgers 27

Photo by Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Images

Mark Schafer

It is now week 5 and that is the first Big Ten highway sport that the Huskies will ever play, as they go all the approach to the different facet of the nation to tackle the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Not solely that, they'll achieve this on a Friday night time. You’d be proper to be just a little scared, as the elements all level to a substantial drawback for our Dawgs. But I nonetheless have religion that they’ll get it carried out by the finish of the sport. By how a lot, I’m undecided.

These are 2 groups that can lean on what’s working. For the Scarlet Knights, they've a robust bodily again in Kyle Monangai, who they’ll go to early and sometimes, and quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who will take deep photographs when he’s been arrange by stated working sport.

For the Dawgs, they’ll lean on Will Rogers to make good selections, Jonah Coleman to run downhill and get yards, and Denzel Boston and Giles Jackson in the go sport. The key offensively is getting the ball to Jonah to arrange explosive performs, both in the run or go sport as a result of Rutgers is weaker in defending in opposition to the run. If we will stress Kaliakmanis, we’ll have success defensively, however that’s a tall order, contemplating Rutgers’ o-line has graded out very nicely in Pro Football Focus. Overall, this shall be an in depth sport, and all the elements level to a win for Rutgers, however I simply can’t decide in opposition to the Dawgs!

Washington 28 – Rutgers 24

Andrew Berg

Let’s begin with the arguments in opposition to the Huskies in the Friday night time primetime sport on Fox. First, the Dawgs need to journey 3000 miles throughout three time zones to play a highway sport on per week night time (okay, that’s 3 arguments in opposition to the Huskies already). Rutgers will lean offensively on a robust working again in Kyle Monangai and the Huskies haven't proven a flair for dominating the line of scrimmage defensively in a means that may put Rutgers behind the sticks. Athan Kaliakmanis has his faults as a QB, however Rutgers has used the run sport to attract defenses nearer to the line of scrimmage, and the Greek Rifle has efficiently thrown over them to the tune of 9.0 yards per try. Defensively, the finest approach to beat Rutgers is on the floor and the Dawgs haven't proven a game-long dedication to the run sport, presumably on account of a scarcity of religion in the offensive line. Overall, Rutgers is a really bodily workforce on a degree the Huskies haven't but encountered.

There are additionally very affordable arguments in favor of UW. Rutgers doesn't have an particularly explosive offense, and the solely approach to rating on the Husky protection to this point this yr is once they commit sufficient penalties to increase opponents’ drives. Will Rogers, whereas not all the time trying the smoothest, has put up rock-solid stats and is forging spectacular connections with each Denzel Boston and Giles Jackson. Rutgers has a reasonably good protection, but it surely’s not elite to the diploma that it ought to knock Rogers fully out of rhythm.

On a impartial area with equal relaxation and journey, I'd take the Huskies to win. With many different elements working in opposition to UW, I’m nervous that this robust stretch of video games will get off to an undesirable begin.

Rutgers 27 – UW 23

ATS Picks; UW 1, Rutgers 2

SU Picks: UW 1, Rutgers 2

Average Score: Rutgers 26 – Washington 24