Rutgers endured their most devastating defeat of 2015 a week prior to their matchup against Wisconsin, a 49-7 home loss Oct. 24 to Ohio State, in which it took Rutgers 59 minutes and 47 seconds to put any points on the board.
That said, the Scarlet Knights (3-4 Overall, 1-3 Big Ten) truly have nothing to lose against Wisconsin, needing a win against either the Badgers, No. 15 Michigan or Nebraska just to become bowl eligible.
It’s a lofty goal for a team that has suffered heartbreaking losses to Washington State, Penn State, coupled with a seven-point loss to No. 6 Michigan State and now a blowout at the hands of No. 1 Ohio State.
Glaring inconsistencies have nobody in Piscataway fooled, and it’s obvious that this Scarlet Knights team can be dangerous, but lacks the consistency of an elite team, having so few of the pieces to the puzzle solved.
The running-game is one of those solved pieces though. A trio of running backs, Robert Martin (480 rushing yards), Josh Hicks (439 rushing yards) and Paul James (381 rushing yards), have each combined to make Rutgers the fifth most effective rushing attack in the Big Ten (185.6 rushing yards per game).
Sophomore quarterback Chris Laviano is another player that has shown his ability to be an elite passer despite a lack of receiving options and propelled Rutgers to the top of the Big Ten in passing efficiency (148.9 QBR).
Together, they’ve combined to make the Scarlet Knights fourth-best in the Big Ten in total offense (426.6 yards per game), and gave an unprepared Michigan State quite a scare in early October.
Defense has hindered the offense though, and proved to be Rutgers downfall in most of their losses. The Scarlet Knights allow opponents 458.9 yards per game in 2015.