Rutgers Football: Rutgers vs. North Carolina Central Preview

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights kick off the 2011 season at the newly anointed High Point Solutions Stadium when they take on North Carolina Central. 

The Knights had an exceptionally tough 2010 season, going 4-8, and not winning a game after defensive tackle Eric LeGrand was paralyzed during the Knights' game against Army. 

The typically very stout RU defense was the only unit that played halfway decent last season, finishing with a rank of 62 overall, allowing 26.5 points per game. 

Every other unit fell into the bottom half of Division I NCAA schools, finishing with rushing yards and points scored at 110th and 101st overall, respectively. 

Super senior Manny Abreu should make a big impact on the defensive line, particularly against the run. 

Don’t be surprised if freshman Max Isaaka makes an immediate impact this year—he was simply a tackling machine in high school.

Linebacker Steve Beauharnais has always been solid against the run, and could be a reliable force for getting pressure on the quarterback this season. 

Fifth-year player Mason Robinson has made the transition from running back to defensive back, so while quickness should not be a problem, seeing how he reacts to the ball will be interesting.

Expect Robinson to be a major contributor in the Knights return game, though.

Meanwhile, North Carolina Central had an even worse 2010 than the Knights, finishing 3-8, and going 0-2 in the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference (MEAC). 

The Eagles have been upgraded to 1-AA status, but there is little reason to believe they have the firepower to hang with Division I schools.

Preseason reports indicate that new head coach Henry Frazier III will implement a spread offense that likes to utilize a no-huddle set up.

Senior quarterback Michael Johnson will head this offense, with his favorite target likely to be wide receiver Geovonie Irvine. 

Due to their MEAC status the past few years, it has been quite difficult to obtain statistics on this squad.

They have also been fairly secretive heading into September, although offensive coordinator Michael Bryant expects short and intermediate passes mixed up with a “straight-ahead running scheme.”

This team focuses on quickness and efficiency for moving the ball, boasting to be able to get off 12-14 plays in a two minute offense. 

Essentially no information pertaining to Eagles defense was readily available as of this writing.

Offensively, sophomore quarterback Chas Dodd has arguably the best receiving core in the Big East.

Mr. Everything Mohamed Sanu is still a wide receiver first, and Mark Harrison showed great potential in 2010 when he amassed 829 yards and nine touchdowns.

Brandon Coleman has looked impressive in training camp this summer, so he could have a breakout year in 2011 after missing last season due to knee surgery.

Also, don’t forget about the impact freshman Miles Shuler will have on this offense. 

The former high school star has been moved to wide receiver due to his speed, so his ability to run the Wild Knight offense and catch the long bombs makes him a unique threat for defenses. 

Finally, highly touted prospect Savon Huggins will play his first official game in a Rutgers uniform as well on Thursday.

Huggins was an absolute beast in the preseason, so perhaps the Ray Rice comparisons are not all that ridiculous.

He will likely lose at least a few carries to Jeremy Deering, but Huggins will be a work horse this year and many are optimistic that he will surpass 1,000 yards on the ground as a true freshman. 

Interestingly, Stephen Belichik, son of New England Patriots head coach, has transferred over from lacrosse to football and will serve as a long snapper for Rutgers. 

Many fans and analysts are predicting a massive blowout by RU, but as sports fans know, anything can happen.

Kickoff begins at 7:34 pm sharp (Eastern Time) on Thursday, September 1, at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.