Ash unsure if Grant is eligible for redshirt
PISCATAWAY >> Rutgers players insist they’ve been trained to go to war like this.
Head coach Chris Ash confirmed Monday that seniors Janarion Grant and Quanzell Lambert, two requisite starters through four games, are out for the season with leg injuries.
Pressing onward will be a task in itself, but it was business as usual Monday at the Hale Center following Rutgers’ 14-7 loss Saturday to Iowa.
“The mood of the team is the same as it was last week before the guys were hurt,” cornerback Blessuan Austin said. “We definitely have those guys in our prayers and things of that nature, but it’s on to the next man. The next man has to step up and make plays for us. I really wish those guys didn’t get hurt, but it’s the nature of the game.”
Nothing is certain this early in the week, but two players who figure to see an uptick in snaps as a result of the injuries are John Tsimis and Darnell Davis.
Tsimis, a senior from Harrington Park who attended Bergen Catholic, was listed as a starter at wide receiver on Monday’s depth chart. Tsimis hauled in a 19-yard catch in the second half Saturday, his first reception of the season, and was targeted two other times. One was an incompletion and the other was an 8-yard catch negated by pass interference.
Redshirt freshman Jawuan Harris, a twosport athlete who also plays baseball, could also see more time in the slot and in the split backs formations as a rusher. Speedy freshman Dacoven Bailey, recently practicing with a cast on his hand, is also in the fold.
Harris, who has scored two touchdowns thus far, said the coaches intend to delve Tuesday into new offensive wrinkles.
“Now since Janarion’s gone, we just have to emphasize our opportunities,” Harris said. “We can’t go out there and just say, ‘Oh, we’ll get it next time.’ Once your opportunity is called, once your number is called, you’re going to have to make that play.”
Davis, a Union native, is currently listed as the new starter at right defensive end in place of Lambert. Myles Nash, Jimmy Hogan and Ron’Dell Carter also figure to be in the mix.
Ash said Davis has “played outstanding snaps of football already,” which include eight tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a forced fumble. Davis said he is confident and has his teammates’ trust. Yet he also realizes how hefty of shoes Lambert leaves to fill.
“In my opinion, he’s probably the most versatile player on our defense. He’s an unsung hero,” Davis said. “He might not have 10 to 15 tackles (per game), but he’s easily setting the edge, he’s pass rushing great ... and I try to emulate of the things he does. He’s taught me a lot of things, even the small details, not just on the field but off the field. He does everything right.” *** Ash said he is unsure if Grant is eligible for a medical redshirt in order to potentially return to the program next season.
Per NCAA rules, a player cannot participate in more than 30 percent of his team’s season in order to qualify. Rutgers is onethird of the way through its 12-game schedule, but Grant has technically only played in 14 of 16 quarters, which would come out to 29.2 percent of 48 quarters.
So would Rutgers’ speedy receiver/return specialist make the cut for a gray area exception? The school will file the paperwork, but Ash noted the decision is ultimately in the NCAA’s hands.
“It’s not up to me, the AD or anybody here at Rutgers,” Ash said. “We’ll submit the necessary documents to try to petition for it, but it’s up to somebody else to make that decision. And you know, you see it all the time in college football. Some people get it, some people don’t. You’re never really sure.”