Last season, quarterback Mike Teel threw more touchdown passes than any quarterback to ever play at Rutgers. Teel connected with Kenny Britt for the record breaker in the International Bowl and tacked on one more to finish the year with 20 scores.

This year the quarterback has only three touchdowns and Rutgers (1-5, 0-2 Big East) seems far from a bowl. Teel is struggling to lead an offense missing the presence of All-American running back Ray Rice, who has moved on to the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL.

Two years ago Rutgers started its season 9-0. Now, the Scarlet Knights are tied for last place in the Big East with Syracuse.

‘Things are not going our way right now,’ Rutgers’ head coach Greg Schiano said Monday during a teleconference. ‘But we rely on him. It’s not just Mike struggling without Ray Rice, it’s our entire team.’

Schiano said Teel has ‘built up equity’ with the team, and Teel’s past success is what they hope will pull the Scarlet Knights out of its drought.

Earlier this season, Teel’s leadership and team commitment were cast into question.

During Rutgers’ game against Navy on Sept. 20, Teel threw a punch at senior safety Glen Lee’s helmet after the two had a verbal exchange on the sideline. The altercation occurred after Teel threw his only interception of the game. The Midshipmen defeated the Scarlet Knights, 23-21.

Schiano, his staff and the players internalized the event, calling it a ‘family affair.’ The Scarlet Knights refocused after the incident with Teel still at the reins. Teel was not suspended and started the following weekend against Morgan State. Rutgers went on to beat Morgan State 38-0 for its only win of the season.

Teel, a redshirt senior, has completed 102-of-184 passes this season, but has thrown seven interceptions. Three of those came in Rutgers’ 44-12 loss to North Carolina on Sept. 11. Rutgers currently has the lowest-average scoring offense in the conference at 17.5 points per game. Despite the lack of production, Teel still ranks fourth in the Big East in passing yards per game.

The decline is due in part to the departure of Rice. Last season, he led the Rutgers’ offense with 24 rushing touchdowns.

‘We’re fighting through some change here,’ Schiano said. ‘It’s hard to replace a guy of Ray’s caliber. But we have a great group of guys who are pulling through.’

Rutgers lost a close game to Cincinnati Saturday, 13-10 after the Bearcats shut out the Scarlet Knights in the first half. Teel completed 19-of-35 passes, was sacked three times and failed to throw a touchdown pass.

‘Mike was under a lot of pressure in that first half against us,’ Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly said Monday during a teleconference. ‘We did a good job of making him throw the ball quickly, and that made the difference.’

Kelly, whose team currently starts a freshman at the quarterback position, praised Teel’s decision making and playing ability.

‘He’s a guy I would still put on the football field, because he has great experience,’ Kelly said. ‘He didn’t turn the ball over against us once.’

Still, Teel’s experience doesn’t appear to translate to wins for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are getting outscored by about five points per game. The margin is slim, but the victories still aren’t coming.

Schiano is going to stick with his quarterback.

‘Mike is a leader,’ Schiano said. ‘He is respected on our football team, and he’s earned that respect, and we rely on that.’

Patrick paces Louisville

Louisville cornerback Johnny Patrick was named Big East defensive player of the week after scoring the game-winning touchdown in the forth quarter against Memphis. Patrick recovered a fumble and returned it 19 yards for the score. Louisville (3-2, 0-1 Big East) defeated the Tigers, 35-28.

‘Johnny’s improved dramatically as a player this year,’ Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe said Monday during a teleconference. ‘He’s done a nice job of being a consistent performer for us, not only on the defensive side of the ball but on special teams for us, too.

‘He makes the big plays in the game. He decided the game for us. He did a great job tackling, and this is really great for him to earn the Big East honors.’

Patrick made six tackles in the game against Memphis and has 25 tackles so far this season.

Noticed Nationally

South Florida and Pittsburgh both remained in the AP Top 25 poll after having a bye week. Pittsburgh moved up to No. 23, and South Florida remained at No. 19.

The Panthers currently sit above the Bulls in the Big East rankings. Pittsburgh defeated South Florida, 26-21, in the Bulls conference opener on Oct. 2.

South Florida (5-1, 0-1 Big East) hosts Syracuse (1-5, 0-2 Big East) at home Saturday for a noon kickoff. Pittsburgh (4-1, 2-0 Big East) travels to Navy at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

mkgalant@syr.edu

Published on October 15, 2008 at 12:00 pm