I have to laugh that we don’t have a grass field. It’s not like we don’t have a world renowned turf school. Our professors consult at the best country clubs/stadiums and venues throughout the country. Have developed the seeds for turf fields throughout the world. And Tuckahoe turf farm does not supply the surface to most of the MLB and NFL.
Mounting Injuries - A Pattern
- Thread starter Knight Shift
- Start date
If we lose to Minnesota and Washington , I would then just start playing the youngings - sam Robinson , new dbs and safeties as well
Football players prefer natural grass fields. The evidence is clear: NCAA football players suffer fewer injuries on natural grass.
Tiger Stadium at LSU has natural grass.
Keli, make the change. Greg, use natural grass as a recruiting advantage.
I believe the only players on the 2 deep that got hurt before the Opener and were out for the year were DT Blue-Eli and OT Langsdale. I don’t think WR Toure was on the 2 deep.
It really can’t be said that our starters are lessor athletes and we were losing them left and right
Yes you actually can. The primary injuries are lineman and lbs. Certainly lesser than Iowa in those areas.
We were not having wr or qb injuries, the areas that we have the most talent.
From Grok:
Utah State Aggies currently have the most injuries among college football teams in the 2025 season. As of September 15, 2025 (prior to Week 4 games), they lead with 22 players on the injury report, according to RotoWire's point-based system that factors in injury severity, position impact, and expected time missed. This edges out other teams like Nebraska (18 players) and Rutgers (16 players). While Week 4 updates (ending today) could shift this slightly, no comprehensive post-Week 4 rankings were available at press time, and individual reports show no team surpassing Utah State's count yet.
Utah State Aggies currently have the most injuries among college football teams in the 2025 season. As of September 15, 2025 (prior to Week 4 games), they lead with 22 players on the injury report, according to RotoWire's point-based system that factors in injury severity, position impact, and expected time missed. This edges out other teams like Nebraska (18 players) and Rutgers (16 players). While Week 4 updates (ending today) could shift this slightly, no comprehensive post-Week 4 rankings were available at press time, and individual reports show no team surpassing Utah State's count yet.
Oh, my bad…I didn’t realize we were comparing teams. We put athletes on the field now. If you want to say our linemen and LBs are not as good as Iowa, that is different.
I am worried about why we have been hit with so many injuries but I do not think it is because of being lessor athletes
Fwiw, Nebraska has a high number of injuries, and so does Michigan.
Bullshít. We used to have natural grass back in the Big East: I can remember how shredded the field would get by the end of October. And if I recall correctly, Greg was the one who had us go to field turf.
Minnesota has 4 players on the Injury Report … 2 are out.
Nebraska had 14 out and 6 “ Questionable “ before the Michigan game.
RU had 15 players out prior to Friday’s game. ….unfortunately that list will grow after Iowa….20 ?
Last edited:
I attended that game when I was a student. It was against #10 Miami in September 1996. The situation was so bad during Shea's days Rutgers started a walk-on quarterback, Mike Stephans, that day.
Check out the entire game here. Especially interesting are the 2:18:22-2:18:50 moments. The commentators discuss Rutgers facilities, recruiting, and the field is shown torn up outside the hash marks.
The field situation that day was an isolated incident caused by terrible turf management. Rutgers stuck with natural grass through several years of 1.0 then went to plastic grass in 2004. Not sure whether it was Greg or Mulcahy who led the change.
Last edited:
No, it was NOT an isolated incident. This goes back to the 80's from what I remember, there were problems back in the Burns/Anderson eras. I know, I marched on that damn field.
What kind of problems? Maybe the grass was not properly hydrated, and Chris Ash could have addressed that.
Except we were getting injured in the first 3 games as well.
I'd like to think we've learned a lot about turfgrass drainage techniques in 40 years
I'm still of the opinion we need a priest, a rabbi, an imam, a pujari, a shaman, etc to all perform a ceremony freeing Rutgers of the bad spirits that envelop the entire program.
There's a thread on this board that will tell the field manager everything he/she needs to know about turf care:I'd like to think we've learned a lot about turfgrass drainage techniques in 40 years
I'm still of the opinion we need a priest, a rabbi, an imam, a pujari, a shaman, etc to all perform a ceremony freeing Rutgers of the bad spirits that envelop the entire program.
OT: Eternal Lawn Care Thread - Forums
It's back-the greatest thread on Knight Report. Just figured out the Spyker spreader I bought from Amazon is an Ice Melt Spreader. I bought the right one, but the vendor sent the wrong one. I was going to ask for a refund, but realized the Ice Melt spreader is more robust and has more...
Fair enough. I was on campus late 1990s. Hopefully Rutgers can do better at turf management in 2025 than the 1980s. Or did you march in the 1880s at the Neilson Field - just joking.
Yurcak and the two natural grass football practice fields seem to perform well.
More from Grok:
2024:
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team suffered 8 season-ending injuries during the 2024 season, as reported in late-season availability reports. These included:
The team also dealt with numerous other injuries causing missed games or limited participation (e.g., Kyle Monangai, Tyreem Powell), but the 8 above were explicitly season-ending. No additional season-ending injuries were reported after late November, including during the Rate Bowl on December 26.
2023:
In 2023, the Rutgers football team dealt with a notable number of injuries among starters and key contributors, resulting in a total of 35 games missed due to those injuries. This figure highlights the season's injury toll, as reported in post-season analyses looking back at the Scarlet Knights' challenges that year.While exact counts of individual injury incidents vary by source (with at least 8–10 key players like wide receiver Chris Long, linebacker Tyreem Powell, running back Kyle Monangai, and cornerback Robert Longerbeam confirmed to have missed time), the 35 games-missed metric provides a standardized measure of impact from outlets covering the program. No official comprehensive tally of total injuries (minor or major) was published by the team, but the season was described as "injury-riddled" in multiple reviews.
2022:
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team suffered 11 season-ending injuries during the 2022 season, a major factor in their 4-8 record. This included key players like running backs Aaron Young and Rene Konga (both sidelined late in the year after procedures), freshman RB Sam Brown (foot injury in October), TE Victor Konopka (missed final nine games), OL Reggie Sutton (knee injury from prior fall, ruled out for 2022), and DE Mohamed Toure (post-surgery absence). Other unnamed players contributed to the total, as reported by head coach Greg Schiano. While additional minor injuries occurred, the 11 season-enders were the most notable issue.
2021:
Based on reports from Rutgers football's 2021 season, at least 11 players suffered injuries that affected their availability or performance. These included:
These came from weekly injury reports, coach updates, and season recaps, showing injuries as a key challenge, especially on defense and the line. No official total was released, but these are the documented cases.
2019--Ash Error:
In 2019, the Rutgers football team had 2 season-ending injuries, according to a comprehensive tracker of college football injuries that year. These included tight end Johnathan Lewis, who suffered an Achilles tear on August 27, and wide receiver Monterio Hunt, who tore his ACL on August 10. While other players like quarterback McLane Carter dealt with injuries (such as a concussion that led to his medical retirement), the tracker specifically focused on those ending the season, and no additional ones were noted for Rutgers.
2024:
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team suffered 8 season-ending injuries during the 2024 season, as reported in late-season availability reports. These included:
| Player | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Toure | LB | Torn ACL in training camp |
| Bryan Felter | OL | Season-ending during the campaign |
| Kenny Fletcher | TE | Season-ending during the campaign |
| Victor Konopka | TE | Season-ending during the campaign |
| Samuel Brown V | RB | Lower-body injury in October |
| Abram Wright | DB | Season-ending during the campaign |
| Tyler Needham | OL | Season-ending during the campaign |
| Wesley Bailey | DE | Season-ending during the campaign |
2023:
In 2023, the Rutgers football team dealt with a notable number of injuries among starters and key contributors, resulting in a total of 35 games missed due to those injuries. This figure highlights the season's injury toll, as reported in post-season analyses looking back at the Scarlet Knights' challenges that year.While exact counts of individual injury incidents vary by source (with at least 8–10 key players like wide receiver Chris Long, linebacker Tyreem Powell, running back Kyle Monangai, and cornerback Robert Longerbeam confirmed to have missed time), the 35 games-missed metric provides a standardized measure of impact from outlets covering the program. No official comprehensive tally of total injuries (minor or major) was published by the team, but the season was described as "injury-riddled" in multiple reviews.
2022:
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team suffered 11 season-ending injuries during the 2022 season, a major factor in their 4-8 record. This included key players like running backs Aaron Young and Rene Konga (both sidelined late in the year after procedures), freshman RB Sam Brown (foot injury in October), TE Victor Konopka (missed final nine games), OL Reggie Sutton (knee injury from prior fall, ruled out for 2022), and DE Mohamed Toure (post-surgery absence). Other unnamed players contributed to the total, as reported by head coach Greg Schiano. While additional minor injuries occurred, the 11 season-enders were the most notable issue.
2021:
Based on reports from Rutgers football's 2021 season, at least 11 players suffered injuries that affected their availability or performance. These included:
| Player | Position | Injury Details | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reggie Sutton | OL | Knee | Season-ending |
| Shawn Munnerlyn | WR | Knee | Season-ending |
| Bo Melton | WR | Shoulder | Missed games; questionable status |
| Aron Cruickshank | WR | Shoulder | Missed games; out for key matchups |
| Raiqwon O’Neal | OL | Leg | Missed games; questionable status |
| Tyreek Maddox-Williams | LB | Undisclosed | Missed games; game-time decisions |
| Olakunle Fatukasi | LB | Undisclosed | Missed games, including vs. Penn State and Maryland |
| Tyson Fogg | LB | Undisclosed | Played only 9 games |
| Noah Vedral | QB | Arm | Left game early but returned quickly |
| Christian Izien | S | Leg | Left game early but returned quickly |
| Patrice Rene | DB | Undisclosed | Missed first three games |
2019--Ash Error:
In 2019, the Rutgers football team had 2 season-ending injuries, according to a comprehensive tracker of college football injuries that year. These included tight end Johnathan Lewis, who suffered an Achilles tear on August 27, and wide receiver Monterio Hunt, who tore his ACL on August 10. While other players like quarterback McLane Carter dealt with injuries (such as a concussion that led to his medical retirement), the tracker specifically focused on those ending the season, and no additional ones were noted for Rutgers.
Worked at a local golf course at the time (mid 90’s while attending Rutgers) post construction and they called in the superintendent to consult on the grass. The issue was they compacted the sub layer mainly sand and soil substrate to a cement like consistency because they relied on general Rutgers maintenance professionals versus turf specialist maintain. When the people that installed told the maintenance team to roll the field to help with maintaining the surface the maintenance team used a “steam roller” and compacted the material and drainage system rendering it useless. Rather than ripping up the field and starting over they put a band aid on it. Thank you Gruninger.What kind of problems? Maybe the grass was not properly hydrated, and Chris Ash could have addressed that.
From OnTheBanks:
"Although injuries are much more frequent in football due to the nature of the sport, the Scarlet Knights are getting injured at a concerning rate. With the change in Rutgers’ strength and conditioning coach, it is fair to question if something is off with the way the team is practicing that is resulting in all of these injuries."
www.onthebanks.com
"Although injuries are much more frequent in football due to the nature of the sport, the Scarlet Knights are getting injured at a concerning rate. With the change in Rutgers’ strength and conditioning coach, it is fair to question if something is off with the way the team is practicing that is resulting in all of these injuries."
Arnav’s Analysis: Takeaways From Rutgers’ 38-28 Loss To Iowa
Special Teams Miscues, Poor Defense, and Costly Penalties Derail What Could Have Been A Night To Remember
www.onthebanks.com
Purdue
Michigan State
Penn state
USC
Ucla
According to this site.
https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com...ge-football-stadiums-by-capacity/78953339007/
Iowa,Michigan and Ohio State have converted from turf to natural grass multiple times. Heard that Michigan and Ohio State may be going back to grass.
Was/is there a presser today for the Minnesota game, where maybe he will be asked about injuries?
Presser is up and probably posted (or will be) on this forum. He would not address injuries.
You guys should really look around the league first. Here's the B1G availability reports from every game.
https://bigten.org/fb/availability-reports/
Please take a look at Michigan and Nebraska's reports. Wisconsin, Illinois, Oregon and Washington also have a decent list. Play contact sports, get hurt. Stuff happens.
OK.
Rutgers 18
Wisconsin 12
Oregon 12
Michigan 21
Nebraska 20
Illinois 11
Washington 10
Puts Rutgers firmly in the upper quartile. Also, it would help to know which players were starters or on the 2 deep. Rutgers can't afford to lose any more linebackers or OL players
Penn State has nobody Out for the season { although many Questionable}
Rutgers has at least 8 players { and most likely higher} out for the season.
Penn State plays on a Grass field.
Not the stance I would take as an organization.
I guess Pittsburgh and Philly don’t have concerts?