Rutgers secondary praises new defensive mind

After biding his time for three seasons, Brandon Jones finally earned his opportunity last year. The senior cornerback on the Rutgers football team once waited behind a pair of NFL regulars and another on an NFL practice squad.

“You just get to learn from them and see the right way to do things — not having to learn on the fly,” Jones said. “When I got out there, I was able to take what they taught me.”

His position coach, Robb Smith, is trying to do the same as the Scarlet Knights’ defensive coordinator. He watched in the wings as former head coach Greg Schiano split play-calling duties with former assistant Bob Fraser.

Jones worked with Smith when Smith was special teams coordinator last year and cornerbacks coach in 2010. Now, Smith returns to a capacity he held during his tenure at Maine.

“He’s done a tremendous job no matter what position, no matter what team he’s coached,” Jones said. “[In] special teams, he’s a mastermind. He’s doing the same thing at [defensive backs] right now.”

Schiano, who coached the Chicago Bears’ defensive backfield in 1998, always concentrated on secondary play. The Knights’ new defensive coordinator holds the same distinction.

“It’s something we had last year with Schiano, and it’s something we’ve been spoiled with,” said junior cornerback Logan Ryan. “You know exactly what he’s expecting from your position to the whole defense.”

Jones called Smith a “player’s coach.” He said Smith kept the Knights’ defensive philosophy intact, something head coach Kyle Flood likely wanted in the defense’s heir.

Rutgers returns eight starters on defense, including a number of rotational players. But it does not stop Smith from making a point, Ryan said.

“He gets fired up,” he said. “Sometimes he loses his emotions. We have to be like, ‘Coach, calm down.’ I think he’s a fiery coach and he gets us going.”

The Knights scrimmage for the first time tomorrow at High Point Solutions Stadium. Flood said he planned to talk with his coaching staff about the number of plays and players’ health before coming up with a plan today.

“When you go in the stadium, it’s different because … it’s a different venue,” Flood said. “With the players, I think that’ll amp up the intensity a little bit.”

The first-year head coach said he plans for both junior Chas Dodd and sophomore Gary Nova to earn first-team reps at quarterback. Each will have an opportunity to play against Rutgers’ first-team defense.

“I want to see the quarterbacks run the team,” Flood said. “I want to see them put us in situations where we can be successful. As always, anything on offense starts with taking care of the ball.”

He stressed ball security with the Knights’ running backs, as well. Sophomores Jawan Jamison and Savon Huggins will split reps in the backfield, but working another back — redshirt freshman Paul James — into the rotation will be difficult, Flood said.

“He’ll get opportunities. I don’t know if those opportunities will be with the ones just yet,” he said. “It’s hard to get three backs reps with the ones in a controlled scrimmage. I don’t know if it’s realistic to do that.”

Junior wide receiver Quron Pratt remains a “Saturday decision” after nursing an injury in practice.

“Quron did some stuff today. I don’t know yet,” Flood said. “But we’re optimistic because of what he was able to do today.”

Pratt caught 32 passes last season — second on the team — for 327 yards and a touchdown. Six of those came in an Oct. 1 comeback victory at Syracuse.

A number of receivers, arguably the Knights’ deepest position, could see increased time should Pratt sit out the scrimmage.