This is TSU – not TCU, so don’t worry Rutgers fans, this game should be a nice, easy win on what should be a wonderful Homecoming weekend. We should view this game as a way to get an easy win as well as creating momentum and improving on all facets of our team, with Pittsburgh looming ahead.   We got off to a slow start and were sloppy against Maryland, lets try to improve on these mistakes, create some identify and show that we’re a team to be reckoned within the Big East. Cincinnati has proved that they are the class of the league, but Rutgers has a very good shot of claiming that #2 spot – WVU and Pittsburgh are certainly winnable games.

Will Tommy Savage suit up for the Knights on homecoming?

The main question of the week – is Tom Savage going to play??  From what I’ve heard, Tom is practicing and doing well and will be playing on Saturday.  This is great news, we need Savage to get game experience and show improvement week by week and TSU is the perfect opponent for a true Freshman quarterback.  I would play him at least the first half and if we have a large lead, take him out and put in Natale and any other quarterbacks if we want.  This is essentially a bye week, so we need to make sure we play the young guys, get them experience as well keeping our starters fresh and ready to roll against Pitt and Army.  Other injury of note is George Johnson – his ankle is feeling better and will be playing on Saturday as well.  Lets hope we don’t need him for more than a quarter and he can rest it up.  On a different note, change of pace running back Mason Robinson is doing well after his season ending back surgery, lets hope he has a nice recovery and gets ready for next year.

Quick hits on Texas Southern – TSU has struggled this year big time.  They are 1-3 which includes a 58-0 loss against Louisiana – Monroe – this isn’t the LSU Tigers by the way. At the same time, we can’t take them for granted and need to iron so many little things on our team with the tougher schedule about to start.  TSU does have some talent as they try to attract division 1 players that transfer and want playing time.  Keep an eye out for some unknown potential.
All in all, lets hope for the best case scenario – a sunny Homecoming Saturday filled with a nice tailgate and a 45-7 win against Texas Southern.  We see some improvement from Savage and the receivers and gain some momentum and confidence to play against Pitt.  Also, would be nice to get some of the young guys some playing time as we need to continue building depth.  One thing to watch is to see if any true Freshman are playing – or any redshirts that get burned - too late for that in my opinion. 

Interesting tidbit – former NY Giants Michael Strahan is a TSU alum!

Stay tuned next week for more analysis of Rutgers football!