Deangelo Smith ends Rutgers pefect season in 2006.....

The Game:  Cincinnati Bearcats at Rutgers Scarlet Knights

The Location: Rutgers Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey

The Date:  Monday, September 7th, 2009 @ 4:00 PM (National television coverage on ESPN)

Love me some Labor Day!

Why to Watch:  Because it's Labor Day and you're off from work (hopefully with a beer and a burger in hand).  And if you're any kind of Rutgers fan at all, this is the game to be at.  Rutgers will unveil it's stadium expansion with a late afternoon tussle against the defending Big East Champion Bearcats, a team that many think could repeat and head back to a BCS bowl game.  Five years ago this game would have been an absolute dud with two struggling programs that no one cared about.  But now, Rutgers/Cincy is a marquee match-up with two teams on the fringe of the Top 25, looking to take an early lead in the race for the Big East title.

Check out the team previews and predictions after the jump....

History:  Rutgers and Cincinnati have met 14 previous times with a pretty even result.  The Scarlet Knights lead the series 7-6-1, but the Knights are only 1-3 against the Bearcats in league play.  Rutgers beat up UC in every possible way in 2005 (44-9) to become bowl-eligible but since then Cincinnati has won 3 straight against RU, and they have become the proverbial thorn in RU's side.  Cincy spoiled Rutgers perfect season in 2006, and dropped them from the national rankings in 2007.  Last year in an offensively challenged game, Cincy held off a late Rutgers rally to win 13-10, and would end up finishing one game ahead of the Knights in the final Big East standings.  Take heed though Rutgers fan, as RU is 6-1 at home against Cincinnati and has outscored the Bearcats by 18+ points in those games.

The Breakdown:  If you're a frequent visitor of ProtectRturf you know all about the Scarlet Knights.  After starting last season a disappointing 1-5, Rutgers rallied to win their last 7 games of the season, including a come-from-behind victory over NC State in the PapaJohns.com Bowl.  That's the good news.  Now the bad news:  Rutgers lost most of it's offensive playmakers off of that 8-5 team, and needs to establish an identity for this year's O.  Senior Dom Natale remains the most likely option to replace Mike Teel under center.  Natale provides an element of mobility that Teel lacked, but has almost no experience as QB1.  Look for Tom Savage and Jabu Lovelace to give Natale a run for the starting job during summer camp, but for now the job remains his to lose.  The passing game also lost it's 2 biggest threats in Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood (both gone to the NFL), and will rely heavily on Tim Brown to carry the air attack.  Brown is a small speedster who has shown deep play capabilities, but his role as a #1 receiver remains in question.  Expect Rutgers to rely mostly upon it's stable of running backs (Young, Brooks, Martinek) and it's experienced offensive line (led by preseason All-American Anthony Davis), especially early in the season.  The defense will be solid again, especially the front 7.  The secondary loses Courtney Greene, but should still be fairly strong with Devin McCourty and Joe Lefeged.  Rutgers special teams will need to improve especially in the return game (both kicks and punts), but can rely on San San Te who was 12-17 on field goals last year (but missed 3 extra points).  If Greg Schiano can figure out the pitching and catching part of his offense, this team has the makings of a Top 25 team that can challenge for the Big East title.  But it all starts with the game against......

Flashy Tim Brown looks to light it up for RU in '09

The defending Big East Champion Cincinnati Bearcats come into 2009 looking to prove that last year was no fluke.  Sound familiar Rutgers fans:  an unheralded team that goes completely overlooked, gets hot early, and starts rolling off win after win.  With no real stars, and a one play at a time mentality ("keep choppin"), the players follow their hot-shot coach to the best season in school history, and sky rocket into the Top 15 in the nation.  Basically Brian Kelly and the Bearcats did exactly what RU did in 2006, but they were able to knock off West Virginia to clinch their 1st Big East Title and BCS bid.  With the 1st game of their season being against Rutgers, and not a 1-AA cupcake, the Bearcats defense will need to gel, and gel quickly.  The defense lost 10 starters from last season, including QB-terrorizing Connor Barwin who went off to the NFL.  The defensive line will be key against an experienced and at-times dominant Rutgers front.  If they can stuff the run, and force Rutger's QB (Natale/Savage/Lovelace?) into beating them through the air, it could be a solid season-opening win for the Bearcats as they look to defend their Big East title.  (For more Cincy analysis click here as we've already previewed them in game #22: Cincinnati at Oregon State)  

Brian Kelly hopes to add to his trophy case in 2009...

Fun/Interesting Stats:  Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano currently holds the top spot for a dubious honor.  Schiano is tied for 1st as the longest tenured head coach without a BCS bid.  UC head coach Brian Kelly earned in a BCS bid in just his 2nd season on the job.

Fun/Interesting Stats #2:  Did you know that Cincinnati plays 3 trophy games each season against their rivals.  The Bearcats play for the Keg of Nails (vs. Louisville), the Paddlewheel Trophy (vs. Pittsburgh), and the Victory Bell (vs. Miami (OH).

Prediction:  It's not exactly ideal to be playing a conference game as your opener, but if there is any time to catch the Bearcats, this might be it.  Cincy basically turned over it's entire defense and will have no game action under their belts.  Tony Pike proved last year that he is no fluke, but the inexperience of the defense, plus the Labor Day home crowd push RU to a narrow 24-20 victory.

Game #19 coming tomorrow....

Most Anticipated Games of 2009 (so far...):

#25:  Army vs. Navy

#24:  USC vs. Notre Dame

#23:  Ohio State vs. Michigan

#22:  Oregon State vs. Cincinnati

#21:  Oregon vs. Boise State