Sep 12, 2007, 14:53 GMT
Piscataway, NJ - The 13th-ranked Rutgers Scarlet Knights try to stretch their home winning streak to 10 games, as they host the Norfolk State Spartans in non-conference play from Piscataway, New Jersey.
In the midst of a season-opening five-game homestand, Rutgers has had no trouble with its first two opponents, easily defeating Buffalo (38-3) and most recently Navy (41-24) on September 7th. With the triumphs, the Knights now own the nation's sixth longest home winning streak at nine games. Following this game, Rutgers will have a week off before hosting ACC foe Maryland on September 29th.
As for Football Championship Subdivision member NSU, it has played just one game thus far, recording a 33-7 triumph over Virginia State on September 1st. The Spartans, who lost 27 seniors from last year's team that finished 4-7, have never faced a Football Bowl Subdivision member in the program's history.
NSU had little trouble with Virginia State in its opener, racking up 493 yards of total offense in a 33-7 win. The team displayed a good deal of balance between the run (232 yards) and pass (261 yards), although the Spartans were guilty of four turnovers. Daryl Jones paced NSU in the victory, as he rushed for 125 yards and a pair of scores on 23 carries. Vince Hicks also got into the mix, rushing 15 times for 82 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Casey Hansen threw for a solid 245 yards against Virginia State, but he completed just 22- of-42 tosses with no touchdowns and one interception. His main target was Dario Walker, who pulled down six balls for 70 yards in the winning cause.
Defensively, the Spartans were just as dominant last weekend, as they held Virginia State to only 154 total yards. The unit was especially tough against the pass, allowing Virginia State to complete just 6-of-32 throws for a mere 62 yards. NSU recorded three turnovers and two sacks in the contest, in addition to forcing Virginia State into eight punts. The Spartans also stepped up on third downs, allowing Virginia State to convert just 3-of-16 attempts. Maguell Davis put forth a tremendous all-around effort in the win, as he posted 10 tackles, two TFLs, an interception and sack.
For the second straight game, the Knights topped the 200-yard mark on the ground, as they rushed for 210 yards on 43 carries in a win over Navy. Leading the way was none other than Ray Rice, who rushed for 175 yards and two scores on 37 carries, in addition to catching three balls for 40 yards and another touchdown. Rice, who gained 184 yards and three touchdowns in the team's opening win over Buffalo, now has gone over the 100-yard mark 17 times in his career. In the win over Navy, Rice also set a new Rutgers career rushing record (3,273 yards), as he surpassed Terrell Willis' mark of 3,114 yards set during the 1993-1995 seasons. Quarterback Mike Tell also put forth a solid effort last week, completing 14-of-19 throws for 266 yards and three touchdowns. It was the second straight solid performance by Teel, who threw for 328 yards and a pair of scores in the team's opener. After setting a new school single-game record with 248 receiving yards in the opener, Tiquan Underwood posted six catches for 104 yards versus Navy last week.
On the defensive side of the ball, Rutgers allowed 254 rushing yards last weekend, but that wasn't a big surprise considering Navy runs an option attack. The Knights, who gave up just 70 rushing yards to Buffalo, limited Navy to only 35 passing yards in the win. The unit also recorded three interceptions against Navy and that was a nice follow up to a zero-turnover showing in its opener. Kevin Malast posted 13 stops last week, marking his second straight double- digit tackle performance.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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