Can Scarlet Knights go to 3-0 for first time since 2012?
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Can Rutgers make it three in a row?
The Scarlet Knights won their first two games to go to 2-0 for the first time since 2014, and now a win over Delaware on Saturday at SHI Stadium (3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network) would send Rutgers to 3-0 for the first time since 2012.
After that? The Big Ten gauntlet begins with a trip to Michigan before a home game against Ohio State.
So a victory over the Blue Hens would put the Scarlet Knights in good position before conference play starts — especially for the possibility of Rutgers playing in a bowl game in December.
A win over Delaware would mean the Scarlet Knights need to earn three Big Ten victories to secure a bowl bid, not an easy challenge but it's certainly within the realm of possibility.
The Blue Hens, though, are a solid team, even at the FCS level (FBS schools have higher game attendance requirements and distribute more athletic scholarships). They made it to the FCS semifinals in the spring, and returned almost the entire team this fall.
So far this season, eight FCS teams have beaten FBS opponents, including just last week when Jacksonville State pulled off a stunner against Florida State.
Does Greg Schiano discuss that with his team?
"We don’t need to talk about it. If you watch college football, which our guys do, it’s very clear," Schiano said earlier this week. "Delaware, they were one of the best two teams in the whole country last year, that’s why they played in that game."
This will be the first time that Rutgers and Delaware have met since 1973. Until that point, a fierce rivalry existed between the programs.
Rutgers leads the all-time series 15-13-3.
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