The First BeatVisitor Poster of 2016

Now that the season is upon us tomorrow, it's time to keep an old BeatVisitor dot com tradition alive with this first Keep Calm and Chop poster for Rutgers' first meeting against the University of Washington in Seattle. Let's announce the start the Chris Ash era to the rest of the Big Ten with an unexpected win against a ranked (#14/#18) Pac-12 opponent.

Anyone have old "Huck the Fuskies" buttons or t-shirts left over from the UConn days?

The people of Connecticut are still patiently waiting...

... for Julie Hermann to retroactively apologize for all the years of "Huck the Fuskies" buttons and t-shirts, now that she has apologized to Penn State.

I guess boorish football fans don't fit into the plan to turn R House into an idyllic sanitized "Disney World Experience." 

Keep Calm and Huck the Fuskies

I'm almost glad that we're playing this one at Rentschler Field rather than at R House. In years past those Thanksgiving weekend "crowds" in the student section have been pretty anemic when the undergrads are all back in their Moms' & Dads' homes sleeping off turkey and pumpkin pie (and pumpkin ale) hangovers two days after our annual national all-you-can-eat family-style buffet.

After watching films of the Rutgers season so far, I'm sure the Huskies are hoping to see Gary Nova on Saturday. Our coach would have to be an idiot to oblige them.

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UPDATE @ 11am on 11/25:

As proof that the Rutgers coaching staff reads BeatVisitor.com religiously (more religiously than I write it), Chas Dodd has (finally!) been named the Rutgers starting quarterback for Saturday's game in Connecticut. This will be his first start since winning the Pinstripe Bowl against Iowa State in Greg Schiano's final game as head coach.

Going Beyond "Huck the Fuskies!"

Check out Bleed Scarlet's UConn Q&A this morning for an analysis of the upcoming Halloween game up in Connecticut that actually looks beyond #BeatUConn tags on Twitter and making fun of a mascot who would have been more at home in the Yukon than at UConn (get it? their mascot's based on a juvenile joke.)

Also, be sure to look for the other side of this serious football conversation, the follow-up Rutgers Q&A at The UConn Blog, which should be appearing soon.

Meanwhile, while the big boys are discussing actual football facts and prognostications, we're left with silly anagrams: UConn Huskies = Kiss No Eunuch and Connecticut Huskies = Chicken Scouts Unite or Hectic Sunken Coitus or Chicken Coitus Tunes. Have you got better ones?

Oh, and Huck the Fuskies!

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Update at 7:00pm on 27 Oct:
The follow-up Q&A with Jon of Bleed Scarlet is now appearing on The UConn Blog.
Who knew he was that Jon? And I thought all of his football expertise and fandom went into the Philadelphia Soul.

The Homecoming Victory Video

Sorry I've been away from this page for awhile, but here's a short video of last Saturday's game at the Stadium from my seats, including an ominous pregame warning and shots of UConn's missed field goal and the following celebration.
That's two in a row at R House!

Congratulations to the Rutgers Women on making it to the Elite Eight

It's just awful to have to lose to the UConn Huskies on the way to the Final Four (the game in Greensboro just ended -- 66-56 -- and On The Banks of the Old Raritan is being played by the band in the background as I listen to the game on WRSU through my computer speakers).
But thanks again for another great season from C. Vivian Stringer and her team!

This Week's Injury Report

According to all my sources, Mike Teel's thumb is hurting. Badly. He can play Saturday, and probably will play Saturday, but if it gets any worse, expect him to miss some time at some point. In the event of a blowout in either direction, expect Jabu to come in fairly early to give Mike some time to think about the next interception he's gonna throw. He is getting less reps in practice, as is Offensive lineman Jeremy Zuttah, who has an undisclosed injury. Ron Girault, who was in uniform but did not play against West Virginia, WILL play against UCONN, this according to a source close to the team.

In the good news department, though he will miss the rest of the season and post season, Kordell Young is off crutches and will begin running again soon, according to one of his teammates.

Huck the Fuskies.