Both the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and South Florida Bulls would like people to believe they are in fact contenders in the Big East. They’ll have the opportunity to showcase their talents on national television when they meet up on Thursday night on ESPN.
The Scarlet Knights are built around a strong defense, which to date has allowed just 12 points this season. They’ve won their first two contests to start the season, although the competition might be questioned as Tulane and Howard aren’t exactly BCS national championship contenders.
South Florida has played tougher competition so far. They had a cupcake in their opener against Chattanooga but earned a quality win on the road in Nevada in their second game.
While both teams field a quality defense in this contest, the difference figures to be the play of Bulls’ quarterback B.J. Daniels. People making their college football picks this week know that Daniels is a difference-maker for the Bulls on offense and the Scarlet Knights definitely can’t match him in that regard.
Scarlet Knights’ starter Gary Nova has completed just 26-of-47 pass attempts for 288 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions through two games. Those aren’t awful numbers but when you consider who the Knights have played, those are definitely underwhelming. Daniels is coming off his fourth career 350-yard game and has 588 passing yards on the season.
Interestingly enough, Daniels doesn’t have a great track record against Rutgers. He’s just 1-2 against them and has completed just 45.6% of his passes against them. He’s averaged just 146 passing yards per game in those three outings and has been sacked 11 times.
If Daniels can move the Bulls offense, they should win this game rather easily. If not, look for this to be an ugly defensive showdown with both teams having about the same chance to win.
