Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood announced that Gary Nova would be the starting quarterback for their opening game against Washington State on August 28.
Gary Nova, a senior, has started 28 games over his first three season at Rutgers. The biggest concern about Nova is his tendency to throw interceptions. In 2011, Nova threw for 1,553 yards (51.1%), 11 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. In 2012, Nova threw or 2,695 yards (57%), 22 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. 2013 was similar to 2012 with 2,159 yards passing (54.5%), 18 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Nova was benched for the last three games of Rutgers 2013 season, which included games at Connecticut, South Florida, and the bowl game versus Notre Dame.
Competing with Nova were junior Mike Bimonte, Chris Laviano, and Devin Ray. Laviano and Ray are both redshirt freshmen. None of the three quarterbacks have thrown a pass at Rutgers. Now, all three will battle for the chance to backup Nova. It is not out of the realm of the possibility that one of the three may end up seeing significant playing time, especially if Nova throws a lot of interceptions.
To help rid Nova of his interception problems, Rutgers brought in former Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen as the new offensive coordinator. Friedgen is known for his work with quarterbacks over the decade he spent at the helm of the Maryland Terrapins.
2014 will be the inaugural season for Rutgers in the Big 10.