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Following the disappointing but encouraging loss against Washington, Rutgers Football (0-1; 0-0) will host the Eastern Michigan Eagles (1-0; 0-0) on Saturday at 3:30PM in Piscataway. According to VegasInsider.com, the Scarlet Knights have opened as 3.5 point favorites with the line quickly moving to 4 points in favor of Rutgers. The Knights have faced the Eagles once, winning 28-10 on September 14, 2013.
EMU's head coach Chris Creighton has the Eagles headed in the right direction following the first bowl bid in 29 years. A total of 16 starters return for the Eagles including arguably the MAC's best quarterback, Brogan Roback. In 2016 Roback threw 18 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, while amassing 2,694 yards.
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It's difficult to label the second game of the season as "must-win", but with the second year of the rebuild underway, and the start of difficult conference play only a few weeks away, the Scarlet Knights need to win this game.
The loss against Washington showed that the Scarlet Knights are much improved from last season. The defense played a great game despite wearing down in the second half and were able to apply pressure the entire game. Jake Browning was uncomfortable all night, including the infamous hit that resulted in a fumble. The offensive line also played very well allowing Kyle Bolin to complete over 70% of his passes.
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Let's hope the Scarlet Knights continue to improve and take down Eastern Michigan!