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Rutgers At Tulane: Scarlet Knights Defeat Green Wave, 24-12, In Season Opener

In his head coaching debut, Rutger Scarlet Knights head coach Kyle Flood helped his team earn a 24-12 victory over the Tulane Green Wave.

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6 Total Updates since August 28, 2012
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Rutgers At Tulane: Game Time, TV Schedule, Streaming, Odds

Game time.

The weather may have been a question mark only a few days ago, but with the threat far gone the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Tulane Green Wave are set to take the field at the Superdome tonight for the opening game of their 2012 football seasons.

Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m. with kickoff scheduled three minutes after, to be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.

Both teams will also stream the game audio on their respective websites – ScarletKnights.com and TulaneGreenWave.com. As of Friday, odds projected Rutgers with the season opening win; a 20.5 favorite. The over/under on Saturday night’s matchup was 47.5.

[Related: Check the SB Nation NCAA Football Odds page for the latest info]

The game is projected to be a strong offensive showing by both squads, with plenty of returning talent at the helm of both the Scarlet Knights and the Green Wave.

Khaseem Greene has the chance to be a real difference-maker on Saturday night though, as the Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year makes his return to the gridiron. He’s big, he’s strong and he’s ready to tackle people. Greene’s presence alone could give the Scarlet Knights the upper hand on Tulane from the opening whistle.

[SU Faces Northwestern | Remaining Big East Schedule]

It’s also important to keep in mind that the Green Wave had a disrupted practice schedule this week, as Hurricane Issac forced the squad to evacuate to Birmingham. At first glance, that might not seem like much, considering Tulane was still able to get in the necessary reps before their season opener.

The thing is though, Tulane – just like Rutgers – opens the season with a first-year coach and in that kind of situation consistency is key. It will be interesting to see how rookie coach Curtis Johnson has prepped his team with all the movement between states and cities and football fields.

At this point, give the win to Rutgers, a team that had its moments in 2011 and a first-year coach who is already familiar with the program after spending the past seven seasons as an assistant.

Kyle Flood understands his team already and sometimes in sports, simply having that knowledge is enough.

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Rutgers At Tulane: Getting To Know The Green Wave

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are still on schedule to start their season in the Superdome, as they plan to take on Tulane on Saturday evening.

Hurricane Isaac, which is now classified once more as a tropical storm, did about $40,000 worth of damage to the stadium, mostly damaging signs and landscaping.

"Right now everything is on," said Tulane head coach Curtis Johnson in a press conference on Tuesday. "We are still planning on playing Saturday night."

Weather aside, the Scarlet Knights still face a formidable opponent in the Green Wave, who finished the 2011 season ranked 97th in total offense across the country.

Although Tulane didn’t present a dominant record last season, finishing the year at 2-11, the Green Wave bring some new and old faces to the field this year and, they hope, new success as well.

Johnson, who spent the last six seasons as the wide receivers coach of the New Orleans Saints, enters his first year with Tulane, making Saturday evening’s game a battle of the freshman coaches.

It’s Ryan Griffin though, a three-year starter returning for his final season of college football, who will present the biggest challenge for the Scarlet Knights.

Over the course of his career, Griffin has thrown for 6,163 yards and 36 touchdowns, making him not only an experienced QB, but a prolific one.

The Green Wave also return an impressive 15 other starters for the 2012 season, giving them considerable experience on the field, but nothing that the Rutgers squad can’t match.

For almost all intents and purposes, these two squads, who are meeting for the first time since 2010, are incredibly similar on paper, with a handful of returning starters and brand-new coaching systems to work with.

Both teams do present their own strengths and weaknesses, as every team does, and it’s those strengths that have Curtis preparing his squad for the best the Scarlet Knights have to offer.

"They run the ball as good as anyone in the country," Curtis said of the Rutgers offensive attack. "I think they really lean on their run."

-- Check back here on Friday morning for a final preview on both squads before they take the field on Saturday evening.See On The Banks for more about the Scarlet Knights.

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Tulane Vs. Rutgers: Hurricane Isaac Will Not Postpone Season-Opening Contest

Hurricane Issac is pounding the city of New Orleans, but the severe weather is not expected to delay or postpone Saturday's season opener between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Tulane Green Wave, Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti told the Star Ledger's Tim Luicci Wednesday evening.

A final update on the situation should come later tonight, around 9 p.m. ET, but so far there's no indication that the 8:30 p.m. ET kickoff time at the Mercedes-Benz Superdowme is in jeopardy.

"I've been talking to Rick pretty frequently," Pernetti said. "I spoke to him just a little while ago and as of right now nothing has changed. Rick and I did talk about how it would be important to have a decision -- if something is going to change -- as soon as possible. But they've got all hands on deck between the Superdome and the energy company down and the city and the hotels. They feel comfortable right now with where they are.

According to nola.com, Issac has not caused any major interior or exterior damage to the Superdome.

"Overall, we seemed to fair very well," Thornton said. "Nothing that can't be repaired pretty quickly or that will prevent us from playing the Tulane game this weekend."

For more on the Scarlet Knights, check out the SB Nation blog On The Banks.

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