By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — Show me the money.

That's the message Jim Harbaugh sent to Michigan in early December, and it paid off Monday when ESPN reported the two sides were close to a deal that would pay the San Francisco 49ers head coach near $48 million through six years.
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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — Rutgers has accepted an invitation to the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl, the Baltimore Sun Media Group reported Sunday..

The Scarlet Knights will face Louisiana Tech, the team's third Group of Five opponent in a bowl game since 2008.

Rutgers (7-5) finished the season with a 41-38 comeback victory against Maryland that all but secured the school's ninth bowl berth in 10 seasons. The Big Ten will have all 10 its eligible teams in bowl games.
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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

Kyle Flood's prophecy came true.

The third-year Rutgers coach long believed Big Ten affiliation would lead to a seat at the table in the College Football Playoff.

Thanks, partly, to a 59-0 route of Wisconsin on Saturday night in the Big Ten title game, Ohio State earned a No. 4 seed in the CFP, announced Sunday on ESPN.
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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second in a six-part entry series each day in which Rutgers players reflect on their first season in the Big Ten. 

Each post will cover a different topic of the season. Today, six review the toughest stretch of the season. See Part 1 here.

OK, this was an easy one. 
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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first in a six-part entry series each day in which Rutgers players reflect on their first season in the Big Ten. 

Each post will cover a different topic of the season. Today, six players compare their versions of the best game of the season.
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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — Following Rutgers' first 1,000-yard season for a receiver since 2011, Leonte Carroo earned All-Big Ten honors Monday from both the coaches' and media polls, the league announced.
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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — On the game-defining drive Saturday night, Maryland started with the ball at Rutgers' 45-yard line and 2:54 left.

Running back Brandon Ross rushed for a 7-yard gain on first down, then quarterback C.J. Brown kept on a zone read, bringing up a third-and-1 with Rutgers leading, 41-38.

The following are players' accounts of what happened on the final two plays and Rutgers' possession, giving Rutgers a season-ending victory and securing a bowl berth:
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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — Don't look now, but Rutgers' pass efficiency defense numbers are about 30 slots better this year than 2013's program-worst finish.

Part of it is conference culture — you wouldn't mistake the Big Ten for the gun-slinging AAC — but head coach Kyle Flood has a reason that's easier to quantify.

"I think having another birthday has helped the secondary," Flood said Tuesday. "I think that's always the case with a player. Guys like Anthony Cioffi, Nadir Barnwell, Delon Stephenson having another year in the system and being able to stay as healthy as you can. That year of experience and maturity helps them grow."

Rutgers' pass numbers are down across the board this season, when it has faced 100 fewer passes and surrendered 17 fewer touchdowns in the same span.

	Attempts	Completions	INTs	Pass yards	Touchdowns
2013	410	265	7	3,285	29
2014	306	178	7	2,260	12

Players say a simplified scheme and continuity in the back end have paid off. Eleven different players started in the secondary a year ago.

"You get a chemistry," corner Gareef Glashen said. "Guys are more comfortable with each other. We know what each other's going to do based on practice. It's just believing in the man next to you and behind you."

That same chemistry will be tested Saturday, when it's uncertain whether Barnwell, who has started six games, will play with an upper-body injury. 

That would leave Glashen, Cioffi and freshman Dre Boggs against future pro Connor Cook. Stephenson could slide down to the line of scrimmage if needed, Flood said.

Last year, Rutgers faced four NFL draft picks at quarterback, including Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr, who went in the first two rounds. 

By Saturday, it will have seen three QBs in the top 50 in passing efficiency in 2014. Starter Gary Nova ranks 19th nationally.

(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — As November drags on, more and more draft-eligible juniors or redshirt sophomores will gauge their stock to see if early entry is a viable option.

Leonte Carroo, arguably Rutgers' top candidate, hasn't spoken publicly about leaving early for the NFL Draft, but two analysts are lukewarm about his prospects this year.
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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto 
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — Kyle Flood thinks the issue is bigger than only one player, but he's moving freshman Josh Hicks back to running back to make sure.

Hicks, who spent the last month at safety, could be part of a four-back committee along with classmate Robert Martin, who led Rutgers in rushing and touches last week against Wisconsin.
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(Courtesy of the Yankovich family)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — Four cameramen, two audio technicians and a handful of producers and editors will bring you the story of Rutgers receiver Leonte Carroo, which airs on Big Ten Network's "The Journey" on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — The injury was clear. The insult came later.

Rutgers continued to stick with a visibly hobbled Gary Nova on Saturday despite an offense stuck in High Point Solutions Stadium’s rain-soaked turf.

But with backup Chris Laviano on the sideline until the third quarter, it didn’t matter who was under center in another lopsided loss, this time a 37-0 decision to Wisconsin, its first shutout since 2002 against Notre Dame.
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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — Two-plus weeks ago, Quentin Gause was third on the team in tackles and led Rutgers' linebackers with five tackles for loss.

After consecutive losses to Ohio State and Nebraska in which Rutgers' numbers against the run plummeted, few players have seen a dramatic uptick in game-changing plays, though Gause is now No. 2 in tackles behind Steve Longa.
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By Tyler Barto

Twitter: @Tyler_Barto

tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — Rutgers AD Julie Hermann met the media Tuesday to discuss the football team's trip to her native Nebraska, where she is also an alumna and volleyball letterwinner.

She is also encouraged by head coach Kyle Flood's 5-2 start.

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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — Before Kemoko Turay could make the game-saving play that preserved Rutgers' first Big Ten victory against Michigan, Rutgers' coaching staff had to settle on a field goal block formation.

It chose "house", an alignment that pitted 6-foot-6 Turay and Carlton Agudosi two yards in front of the line of scrimmage with everyone else on the ball.
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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — Leonte Carroo almost added prophet to his growing résumé Saturday against Tulane.

Before the game, Carroo posted a picture of the Big Ten's receiving yardage leaders (he was fourth) and captioned, "@c4rroonation: I'm sorry I promise after this weekend it will say #1 i will/we will #choptulane".
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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

Before I get to the hard numbers, some notes from Rutgers' third game of the season:
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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

Anyone looking for a decision on Rutgers' starting quarterback next week against Navy found it: Gary Nova will remain under center, head coach Kyle Flood said Sunday in his day-after conference call.
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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — Five sacks. Sixty-four rush yards. One sinking feeling.

That's what Rutgers' defense left with in a 13-10 loss Saturday to Penn State in its Big Ten opener.
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(AP photo)

By Tyler Barto

Twitter: @Tyler_Barto

tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — A head coach with a recently extended contract and $3.4 million in new money. A stadium expansion that revamped the south end zone. A promising training facility.

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