The Scarlet Knights are ready for their closeup; you know, again.
The No. 22 Rutgers football team, which earned national recognition after breaking into the polls with a victory over Arkansas two weeks ago, will once again be center stage as they faceoff against Big East rival Connecticut Saturday at noon with the game broadcast nationally on ESPNU and streaming via watchESPN.com.
It's another week on the gridiron for the Scarlet Knights and yet another chance for the flood of success the team has experienced early on this year to continue as Rutgers looks to start their season 5-0 for just the third time in the past 36 years.
Going into this afternoon's game, Rutgers holds the 21-10 series advantage of the Huskies, but Connecticut maintains the most recent victory, earning the 40-22 win last season.
With the game expected to be a defensive slugfest, the Scarlet Knights are hoping to have a slim advantage thanks to their blossoming offense, who, under the leadership of quarterback Gary Nova, have racked up more and more yardage with each passing game.
In the Scarlet Knights' last game, a 35-26 victory over Arkansans, Nova finished the game with a season-high 397 yards and five touchdowns, going 25-for-35.
Today's Big East matchup is the perfect setup for another strong performance from Nova, although, the QB may be without one of his options in sophomore wide receiver Miles Shula.
Shula, who also doubles as a punt returner for the Scarlet Knights, injured his lower leg in practice earlier this week. Despite a lack of stats for the sophomore, the injury is still a blow to the Rutgers offense, as the squad is starting to carve out a deep corps of passing options for Nova.
As Rutgers preps for another big test against Connecticut this afternoon, players and coaches are anticipating another hard fought battle on the field, but they aren't afraid to sound at least a little confident when it comes to the outcome they're hoping for.
The Scarlet Knights have had solid early-season performance before, but this time they're simply determined to make sure that success lasts until the very final snap of the very final game; and today's matchup against Connecticut is another test along the way.
As of Saturday morning Rutgers was favored by seven over the Huskies as the Scarlet Knights play at home for the second time this season.
Rutgers officials also announced earlier this week that only 2,000 tickets, in the High Point Solutions Stadium's 52,454 seat capacity, remained. Tickets were being sold through Friday night, but the possibility for a sold out crowd is almost guaranteed..
Apparently word's gotten out in New Brunswick that Rutgers is breaking into the national football scene, and if the Scarlet Knights have their way this afternoon, they're ready to stay that way for awhile.