Rutgers football: ‘The Dark Side’ believes they can get even better over the next four Big Ten games
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The Rutgers football defense, self-proclaimed as ‘The Dark Side,’ has certainly lived up to its billing this season as an elite unit. But the players on the defense believe that the defense can take yet another step forward with four games remaining in the season.
While the revamped offense has taken a fair share of the credit for the improvement of Rutgers (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) this season, the defense has very quietly taken a step forward. They are fifth-best in the Big Ten in scoring defense and have played well against all six opponents from the Power Five this year.
Rutgers has beaten four of their Power Five opposition this year in large part due to this defense.
Veteran linebacker Mohamed Toure, however, said that ‘The Dark Side’ can and should be able to grow with one-third of the season still remaining. He believes that the best is yet to come.
“We’ve been performing very well, but I feel like there’s still another couple of levels that we could take it to, honestly cuz you know, there have been some players that we missed out there. And like I said, we just got dogs all around the board. I feel like there’s a level another level that we could take it to and I feel like we’re gonna get it there,” Toure told Rutgers Wire.
“Honestly just cleaning up things, communicating better and everybody just…we’re always on the same page but just you know, being on the same page times ten. Studying more together just overall just being better. You know being sound, being complete a complete defense.”
Rutgers will need the defense to step up considerably. Ohio State (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten), the top team in the College Football Playoffs rankings this week, comes to town on Saturday. In two weeks, Rutgers plays at No. 11 Penn State.
Toure is having a strong season with 50 total tackles. He is just one tackle shy of tying his career-best in total tackles.
The task for this defense was made taller last week with the news that Tyreem Powell, a standout linebacker, is out for the season following surgery. Powell was a strong leader on this defense and was playing at an All-Big Ten caliber level.
Toure, who suffered a serious knee injury last spring that cost him the 2022 season, can feel the pain of his teammate and fellow linebacker.
“When I heard he got hurt it felt like I got hurt too because I went through an injury and I know how he feels and it just sucks to see someone like your brother – you know somebody that you call your brother – I actually treat him like family,” Toure said.
“I look at him like family…and go down in a situation like that hurts but he knows we’re here for him and he’s still here for us. He comes out to practice, supports us, talks to us. Talk to us through practice and everybody on defense knows like, we had to take it to that next level because he played a big portion in our defense so we’re all just communicating better and playing better – just trying to play together.”
On Monday, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said that with Powell out for the year, his team is going to rely more heavily on Toure and Deion Jennings to step up at linebacker.
“We had a three-way rotation going there with Mo and Deion and Tyreem,” Schiano told reporters.
“Now Tyreem is no longer in the rotation. So it will be probably more of a two-man rotation.”
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