News:Gary Nova was 17-of-40 for 130 yards and an interception in the loss to Virginia Tech in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Friday.
Analysis:Gary Nova had a rough game and struggled with accuracy. In addition to his one interception, he had three passes dropped by Hokie defenders. The sophomore completed less than half of his passes in his last three games - all Scarlet Knight losses. It will be interesting to see if coach Kurt Flood opens the quarterback competition with Chas Dodd again in the offseason.
Rutgers' Nova Throws Two Long Touchdowns, Gets Picked Twice
News:Gary Nova was 13-of-28 for 284 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions Thursday against Louisville.
Analysis: In the first half, Gary Nova connected with Brandon Coleman (on the first play from scrimmage) and Mark Harrison for two long touchdowns that accounted for 153 of his yards. His first interception flipped up off the receiver's hands and the second was the last Rutgers' play. There was some miscommunication with the receiver who broke off his route. Nova has been picked off 13 times in his last six games.
Rutgers' Nova Hopes To Forget Last Year's Game Vs. Louisville
News:Gary Nova was picked off three times last year by the Cardinal defense.
Analysis:Gary Nova has improved as a sophomore, but has had a poor run. The Scarlet Knight quarterback has been picked off 11 times in the in his last five games, including the six-interception game against Kent State. He has thrown for 2282 yards with 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
News:Gary Nova was 18-of-37 for 157 yards with a touchdown and an interception Saturday against Pittsburgh.
Analysis:Gary Nova left the game briefly with a head injury after a hard hit. He returned after a series, but had his worst passer rating of the season. Nova has been picked off 11 times in his last five games. He completed less than 50 percent of his passes for the first time this season.
News:Gary Nova left during the first quarter of Saturday's game against Pittsburgh with a head injury, CBS Sports' Chip Patterson reports.
Analysis: Consider Gary Nova questionable to return. Chas Dodd took over for Rutgers.
News:Gary Nova was 11-of-19 for 186 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions Saturday against Cincinnati.
Analysis:Gary Nova hit Mark Harrison for a 71-yard touchdown for the only touchdown of the game. He was not very efficient against the tough Bearcat defense, but did a great job of handing off to Savon Huggins again and again.
News:Gary Nova was 14-of-17 for 123 yards Saturday against Army. He had a touchdown and one interception.
Analysis: After throwing six interceptions in the Scarlet Knights' last game against Kent State two weeks ago, Gary Nova bounced back and his lone interception popped off the hands of receiver Jeremy Deering. He managed the game nicely and looked like a starter again.
News:Gary Nova expects Army to blitz a lot after the quarterback through six picks against an aggressive Kent State defense two weeks ago, the Star Ledger reports.
Analysis: The Golden Flashes had a variety of zone blitzes, which were very effective against Gary Nova and the Scarlet Knight offensive line. Army also features a variety of defensive looks called "Desert Swarm."
News:Gary Nova will continue to start despite having a horrific six-interception game last Saturday, ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Coach Kyle Flood said that it was important for the team that starters are allowed to establish themselves and learn from their mistakes. Last year, the Scarlet Knights used both Gary Nova and Chas Dodd at quarterback. Nova only had three interceptions prior to last week's loss against Kent State. Rutgers faces a defensively porous Army team on Saturday, so Nova should bounce back.
News:Gary Nova had six interceptions on Saturday against Kent State. He did throw for 313 yards and two touchdowns.
Analysis:Gary Nova had only been picked off three times coming into the game, but accuracy issues and a ballhawking Golden Flash defense were apparent in the Scarlet Knights' first loss. Nova, a sophomore, took a major step back in the home loss.
Temple's Nova Breaks Out for Four Second Half Touchdowns
News:Gary Nova was 17-for-27 for 232 yards and four second half touchdowns on Saturday against Temple. He was picked off once.
Analysis: The Rutgers offense was shut out in the first half by the Owls, but Gary Nova came alive in the second half and hit four different receivers for scores. Nova will have a nice game now and then, but isn't consistent enough to be relied upon for fantasy purposes in most leagues.
News:Gary Nova was 14-of-23 for 152 yards and touchdown on Saturday against Syracuse.
Analysis:Gary Nova had one huge game this season against Arkansas, but has been a game manager for the most part. He has not thrown an interception in four games, but has only combined for 309 yards in the last two weeks.
News:Gary Nova was 18-of-27 for 157 yards and a touchdown in the win over Connecticut on Saturday.
Analysis: It looks like Gary Nova's 397 yards against Arkansas is the outlier in the season. He has three games of 159 yards or fewer. Nova has not thrown an interception in his last three games.
News:Gary Nova was 25-of-35 for 397 yards and five touchdowns in the Scarlet Knights on Saturday.
Analysis:Gary Nova is starting to take advantage of the receiving weapons at his disposal. He had a 60-yard touchdown pass to Mark Harrison to put the game away in the fourth quarter. After shuffling for the first couple of games in the season, Nova is starting to look very good.
News:Gary Nova was 23-of-42 for 277 yards and a touchdown on Thursday against South Florida.
Analysis:Gary Nova had some accuracy issues in the game, but had a string of third down conversions that must have frustrated the Bull defense. The sophomore came through when he needed to, but he is not a great fantasy option.
News:Gary Nova was 15-of-27 for 130 yards and two touchdowns in the Scarlet Knights' win over Howard on Saturday. He was picked off once, but did have two carries for 19 yards.
Analysis:Gary Nova has led Rutgers to a pair of wins despite mediocre numbers. He can hoist the ball and let Brandon Coleman go get it, as Coleman has snagged all three of Nova's touchdown passes this season. Nova is a lower-tier Big East quarterback.
News:Gary Nova was 11-of-20 for 158 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the Scarlet Knights' win over Tulane.
Analysis:Gary Nova struggled for most of the game, but hit Brandon Coleman for a 43-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to account for than a quarter of his yardage. Nova will need to improve because Chas Dodd could replace him.
News:Gary Nova was named the starting quarterback by Coach Kyle Flood, according to the Star-Ledger.
Analysis:Gary Nova beat out Chas Dodd in a quarterback competition that spanned the offseason. Flood said, "This has been an excellent competition but Gary's body of work ultimately earned him the job." Nova has good receivers to throw to, but with a questionable skill level he makes for a risky investment outside of Big East-only leagues.
News:Gary Nova was 7-of-13 for 180 yards and three touchdowns in Rutgers' intrasquad scrimmage, according to the Star-Ledger.
Analysis:Gary Nova is competing with Chas Dodd to be the starting quarterback for the Scarlet Knights. Coach Kyle Flood is expected to name the starter this week and his decision was not made clear by this scrimmage in which both quarterbacks looked good. Nova did not seem hurt by the dead arm that slowed him down earlier in fall practice.
News:Gary Nova was suffering from a slight case of dead arm, according to The Star-Ledger.
Analysis: Coach Kyle Flood lightened Gary Nova's throwing load in practice, but seemed to downplay the injury. Flood said, "He's had a lot of throws. We're trying to save his arm a little bit." Nova is competing with Chas Dodd for the starting role, but the starter won't be named until ten days before the September 1 against Tulane.
News:Gary Nova looked good running the first-team offense in an intra-squad scrimmage, according to The Star-Ledger.
Analysis:Gary Nova threw the only interception of the scrimmage, but generally looked in command of the offense. Unofficially, he completed 70 percent of his passes and threw a seven-yard swing pass to Jawan Jamison for a touchdown. If Nova can win the job, he could be a decent bye-week replacement as a fantasy quarterback.
News:Gary Nova will split reps with the starting team with Chas Dodd, according to ESPN.com.
Analysis: Coach Kyle Flood said that if neither quarterback was a clear winner in camp, he would wait until about a week before the season before naming a starter. Gary Nova appeared in ten games for the Scarlet Knights in 2011 and threw for 1553 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine picks. He completed just 51.1 percent of his passes.
News: Rutgers needed a spark in the fourth quarter, so quarterback Chas Dodd was replaced by Gary Nova. Nova completed 11 of 18 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns but also threw a pair of interceptions. Dodd completed 11 of 22 for 141 yards and an interception.
Analysis: This will be an interesting position to watch, not only in the spring but also in the practices leading up to Rutgers' bowl game. Open competition seems likely at this point.
News: Two bits of news came from Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano on Monday morning. Quarterback Chas Dodd will get the start on Saturday against Army, replacing freshman Gary Nova. And running back Savon Huggins is out for the rest of the regular season with a knee injury. He could be back for the bowl game.
Analysis: Nova had issues with decision-making the last three games, so the switch back to Dodd isn't a surprise at this point. And the loss of Huggins means more work for Jawan Jamison and Jeremy Deering.
News: Rutgers may have a quarterback controversy on their hands after Saturday night, with freshman Gary Nova being benched in favor of Chas Dodd in the fourth quarter. Down 17-3, the Scarlet Knights came back to beat USF 20-17 in overtime. Dodd completed 11 of 17 for 125 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.
Analysis: Nova didn't throw an interception but that was due in part to USF dropping a pair of passes that should have been caught. Nova's decision-making of late has left something to be desired, ultimately resulting in the change. No word as to who will start against Army, and don't look for anything until later in the week.
News: Even with his struggles in Rutgers' losses to Louisville and West Virginia, quarterback Gary Nova doesn't need to look over his shoulder in fear of a quick hook. Head coach Greg Schiano says that Nova, who has performed well in practice according to reports, won't be pulled quickly if he struggles.
Analysis: The words were a bit of a departure from what Schiano said on Monday with regards to Nova's decision making, leading some to believe that Chas Dodd could be called upon quickly.
News: Rutgers wide receiver Mohamed Sanu was kept quiet but the West Virginia defense, and the snow didn't help matters for the passing game either. Sanu caught five passes for 48 yards and a touchdown in the 41-31 defeat. He's now got 70 receptions on the season.
Analysis: One of the main issues for Sanu was the fact that Gary Nova completed just 18 of 46 passes. The lack of accuracy eventually caught up with Rutgers, who has now dropped their last 17 games in the series.
News: Wyoming true freshman quarterback Brett Smith is one of only two true frosh quarterbacks in the nation that have led their teams to winning records. Smith is 4-2 as the Cowboys starter, just behind the 5-2 mark of Gary Nova of Rutgers.
Analysis: Smith is No. 2 in the MWC in passing at 255 yards per game and has played well beyond his years so far. However, he faces a tough task this weekend at San Diego State. Look for the ball to be in the air a lot, however, and that could add up to some good numbers for Smith.
News: Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova had the worst game of his young career on Friday night, throwing for 207 yards and three interceptions with just one touchdown pass. That makes five interceptions over the last two games for Nova, who didn't turn the ball over in his relief appearance against Rutgers on October 1st.
Analysis: This is part of the process that most young quarterbacks go through. As Nova become more experienced he'll get better at reading defenses, but as of right now he's not a viable fantasy option.
News: Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova got the second start of his young career on Saturday, and he played reasonably well in the 21-20 win over Navy. Nova completed 23 of 31 passes for 271 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also throwing two interceptions.
Analysis: On the season Nova's thrown six touchdown passes and two interceptions, and it seems as if he's got a firm grip on the starting job.
News: Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano has announced that freshman quarterback Gary Nova will start Saturday's game against Navy. Nova threw two touchdown passes in the Scarlet Knights' 34-10 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Analysis: Nova struggled in the first half but Schiano stuck with him and it paid off. Not much of a surprise that he'll remain the starter over Chas Dodd.
News: Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova didn't have the best game from a completion standpoint, as he completed just 11 of 24 passes for 174 yards. But the freshman threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter as Rutgers woke up offensively, whipping Pitt 34-10.
Analysis: The fact that Greg Schiano didn't go back to Chas Dodd after a poor first half from Nova shows that the freshman may be the starter for the long haul. And he rewarded that confidence in the second half, which is a good sign for the Scarlet Knights.
News: Rutgers will start freshman Gary Nova at quarterback in today's game against Pittsburgh, replacing Chas Dodd.
Analysis: Nova performed well in last week's win over Syracuse, and obviously he did enough in practice to convince head coach Greg Schiano that he should make the change.
News: On Monday, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano made it known that he won't announce his starting quarterback until game-time against Pittsburgh on Saturday. Chas Dodd is the incumbent but was ineffective against Syracuse, resulting in Schiano turning to freshman Gary Nova. Nova helped lead the Scarlet Knights to the 19-16 double overtime victory.
Analysis: Just because the decision won't be made public until Saturday doesn't mean that Schiano won't know his guy before then. Both will prepare as if they're the starter, but from a fantasy standpoint it may be better to leave both on the bench.
News: Rutgers performed so poorly on offense in the first half that head coach Greg Schiano made a change at quarterback. Chas Dodd (14-31, 166 yards 1 INT) was replaced by freshman Gary Nova, who completed 14 of 22 passes for 122 yards and a score in the 19-16 double overtime win. But in a sign of his inexperience, Nova was sacked four times for minus-47 yards.
Analysis: The question now is whether or not the change will reopen the job. Coach Schiano stated after the game that he and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti will evaluate the position and make a decision next week. So it's probably best to not start either quarterback until it's known for sure who will get the nod.
News: Rutgers wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, who was banged up for much of last season due in large part to overuse, played well in the season opener. In Rutgers' 48-0 win over North Carolina Central, Sanu caught seven passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Coleman also scored, catching a 44-yard scoring pass from Gary Nova.
Analysis: The new pro-style attack should be good for Sanu from a health standpoint. And if the quarterback play improves he should be one of the players able to cash in from a receiving standpoint.
News: After yesterday's reports on the play of freshman quarterback Gary Nova, incumbent Chas Dodd put forth his best performance of fall camp on Wednesday.
Analysis: While all programs welcome competition it's very difficult to see Rutgers not going with Dodd (injury notwithstanding) as its starter. He's the only quarterback with college experience, but it's encouraging to see him perform as he did on Wednesday.
News: Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano isn't ready to make a decision on who will back up quarterback Chas Dodd just yet, but freshman Gary Nova is more than ready to make the move. According to Keith Sargeant of MyCentralJersey.com the freshman from Don Bosco Prep looks to have the early edge on Mike Bimonte for the job.
Analysis: Whoever wins the backup job will be a freshman, making it important that Dodd remains healthy. But Nova is a winner, having won a state title at Don Bosco, and that should help some should he have to take the field.
News: With the losses of Tom Savage (transfer to Arizona) and Steve Shimko (career-ending shoulder injury), Rutgers will have a freshman backing up sophomore quarterback Chas Dodd. But who will it be? Head coach Greg Schiano is looking forward to the battle between freshmen Mike Bimonte and Gary Nova, as the winner will be one play away from having to take the field.
Analysis: How big of an impact this battle has on Rutgers will depend on the improvement of the offensive line, which allowed an NCAA-record 61 sacks in 2010. If Dodd is kept upright, the freshmen may not be needed much, but you never know.
