Introduction
During the course of the 2005 college football season, GRA will follow the fortunes of two New Jersey institutions -- Monmouth University (West Long Branch) and Rutgers University (New Brunswick).
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Our two New Jersey teams came out with a split last weekend. Monmouth dropped a hard-fought contest to Central Connecticut State University by a 15-13 verdict, to drop to 5 and 3 on the season. Meanwhile, Rutgers improved to 6 and 2, with a 31-21 victory over the Naval Academy.
Rutgers
Rutgers' 31-21 win last Saturday over a good Navy team was one of the more important victories in the history of the RU program. With it, the Scarlet Knights assured their first winning season in 13 years, and with the sixth win, Rutgers became "bowl eligible." RU last participated in a post-season bowl game in 1978.
Saturday was Rutgers' homecoming. Just under 42,000 people were in attendance, a sellout and the second largest crowd to attend a game at Rutgers Stadium since the facility opened in 1994.
The key to defeating Navy was adequately containing its superb multiple-option offense, which the Scarlet Knights did. Navy entered Saturday's game with a 4-2 record, the losses having come by a total of six points: 23-20 to Maryland. and 41-38 to Stanford. Last Saturday, Maryland was ahead of #10 Florida State for much of that game, before bowing 35-27. Meanwhile, Stanford took #8 UCLA into overtime, before losing 30-27.
This Saturday, Rutgers returns to Big East competition with a home game against the University of South Florida Bulls from Tampa. USF is one of three new football members of the Big East this year, the others being Louisville and Cincinnati.
USF enters Saturday's contest with a 3-3 record overall, and a 1-1 record in conference. On opening day, the Bulls lost 23-13 to a very good Penn State team, at Happy Valley. RU can and should expect a tough game from the Bulls on Saturday.
At present, Rutgers is tied with Pittsburgh for second place in the Big East, each team sporting 3-1 conference records. The West Virginia Mountaineers hold down first place. WVU is 4-0 in conference, after last night's 45-13 drubbing of Connecticut.
Although now bowl eligible, there's no guarantee that Rutgers will be invited to a bowl on the strength of its current six victories. After USF on Saturday, the Scarlet Knights' remaining games are against Louisville (away) and Cincinnati (home). To be safe, Rutgers must win at least one of these three games to lock up a bowl invitation.
Kickoff Saturday is at 12:00 noon, and the game can be heard in much of the Northeast on WOR-AM radio, 710 on the dial.
Monmouth
Monmouth lost a 15-13 Northeast Conference heartbreaker last Saturday, on the road at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut.
Monmouth jumped out to a 10-0 lead, on the strength of a 16-yard touchdown run by Hawk quarterback, Brian Boland, just 1:23 into the first quarter, and a Fred Weingart 23-yard field goal with 2:09 left in the quarter.
CCSU got on the board with 1:48 to play in the first quarter, with a career-long 69-yard touchdown run by Blue Devil quarterback, Aubrey Norris, the only play of the drive. The extra point was no good, cutting the Monmouth lead to 10-6. CCSU kicker Derek Pearson kicked a 22-yard field goal with 1:04 to play before the half to make the score 10-9.
In the second half, Pearson struck again for the Blue Devils with 10:18 to go in the third quarter to give CCSU their first lead of the game. He capped a 15-play, 53-yard drive with a 35-yard field goal, giving CCSU a 12-10 advantage.
The balance of Monmouth's scoring came on a 32-yard field goal in the third quarter, making the score 13-12 in the Hawk's favor. However, CCSU's Derek Pearson came through again in the fourth quarter, with a 39-yard field goal that would turn out to be the game-winner.
Saturday's game may well have decided this year's NEC champion. The loss left Monmouth at 5 and 3 overall, with a conference record of 3 and 2. Meanwhile, CCSU went to 6 and 3 overall, with a conference record of 4 and 1. This left the Blue Devils standing alone in first place in the Northeast Conference.
Monmouth returns to NEC action on Saturday, with an away game against St. Francis College in Loretto, Pennsylvania. St. Francis enters the contest with overall and conference records of 2 and 6, and 2 and 3. Kickoff is 1:00 PM (ET).
The Monmouth-St. Francis game will be broadcast via the Internet on WMCX-FM.
The respective Monmouth/Rutgers 2005 schedules/results:
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Monmouth W - L Rutgers W - L
(Hawks) Score (Scarlet Knights) Score
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09/03 Lehigh L 26- 54 Illinois L#30- 33
09/10 La Salle W 65- 27 VILLANOVA W 38- 6
09/17 CALIF. (PA) W 16- 15 Buffalo W 17- 3
09/24 Open Open
09/30F --- PITTSBURGH* W 39- 29
10/01 Stony Brook* W 36- 7 ---
10/08 Sacred Heart* W 45- 14 WEST VIRGINIA* L 14- 27
10/15 WAGNER* L 20- 26 Syracuse* W 31- 9
10/22 ROBERT MORRIS* W 14- 0 Connecticut* W 26- 24
10/29 Central Conn.* L 13- 15 NAVY W 31- 21
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235-158 226-152
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Overall 5-3 Overall 6-2
Conference 3-2 Conference 3-1
11/05 St. Francis* SOUTH FLORIDA*
11/11F --- Louisville*
11/12 ALBANY* ---
11/19 --- Open
11/26 --- CINCINNATI*
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Home games in caps. *Conference game. #Overtime.
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