Get lost, Notre Dame. Rutgers/Army will be the first ever college football game in the new Giants Stadium next year, aptly matching up the two NYC-area teams. I was lukewarm at best about this idea, but the news that Rutgers could make up to $2.7 million off the game (as opposed to $1.5 m off a regular home game) makes it an absolute slam dunk. Is the higher figure because of the larger stadium capacity, potentially higher ticket prices, a large guarantee, or what? For that kind of money, all options have to be on the table if it's just a quick drive up the Turnpike. Coach Schiano also said at practice yesterday that the program has had discussions about playing in Philadelphia.
Lots of good stuff in Keith Sargeant's scrimmage recap from yesterday. I'm starting to feel good about the receivers, even if Sanu can't take a pounding like Britt could. His explosiveness makes up for that. Greg Schiano says Natale is probably going to start at QB (good decision, can't throw out a week of practices because of one scrimmage), and Jabu will get looks at receiver. Looks like Edmond Laryea is back at fullback (I'm assuming we'll keep seeing moves here and there until camp ends).
Jim Dumont is the momentary starter at MLB while Ryan D'Imperio battles ankle trouble. Abreu has been subbing for Munoz too. It's a big problem if Ryan misses any time. There's decent depth with Legrand and Vallone behind Bines at DT (who'll be out "a while"), but that position is suddenly much thinner as well if Blair misses any time. Timmy Brown too, cross your fingers.
Swing lineman Howard Barbieri does it all for Rutgers on offense. The Targum also posted an interview with Alex Silvestro.
Cincy kicker Jake Rogers will punt at least for the Rutgers opener.
The Bills cut Ryan Neill. They can't buy a sack, and don't even give Neill a chance to see time at end?
Pro Football Weekly named Gary Brackett the recipient of its annual humanitarian award for community and charitable work.
Looks like Rutgers fell from 64th to 66th in the new U.S. News rankings. Rutgers is a strong academic school hurt by its longstanding fiscal problems, and the rankings are very easy to manipulate with various non-academic factors (for instance, drumming up applications to reject more people and increase yield, hiring grads part-time, creating dummy sections to lower average class size, playing paper budget games, etc...) If you're an alumnus and care about Rutgers, you should donate even a miniscule amount, because 5% of the rankings are based on alumni giving rates. No, really: U.S. News does not distinguish between large and small gifts. Rutgers football fans need to show that a successful football program can help the university on a whole. So, let's game this stupid ranking that a lot of high school students unfortunately do blindly follow.
It took forever, but the new expanded Route 18 is finally completed.
New Jersey reportedly added jobs in July, even though the unemployment rate continued to rise.