How to End the Rutgers Homecoming Curse

What curse, you ask? Well, here are the results of the last eight Homecoming games at R House:

• Homecoming 2014 - Wisconsin 37 - Rutgers 0 (1st shutout since posting a zero on the scoreboard at Notre Dame in 2002)
• Homecoming 2013 - Houston 49 - Rutgers 14 (1st 2013 home loss)
• Homecoming 2012 - Kent State 35 - Rutgers 23 (1st 2012 loss; Kent State was a 13.5-point underdog against an undefeated and 15th-ranked Rutgers)
• Homecoming 2011 - The last Homecoming win at The Birthplace of College Football was the 21-20 squeaker over Navy that required a blocked field goal to seal the win.
• Homecoming 2010 - Tulane 17 - Rutgers 14 (Tulane was a 17-point underdog)
• Homecoming 2009 - Rutgers beat an FCS opponent, Texas Southern, by a score of  42-0 for the 600th victory in the program's history.
• Homecoming 2008 - Another close win over UConn requiring a late missed field goal.
• Homecoming 2007 - Another victory over an FCS opponent, 59-0 over Norfolk State.

So, you get the idea. Short of scheduling FCS opponents for Homecoming, how can we combat this obvious curse? Simple.
End Homecoming Games.
Read this. It's a silly tradition from the South and West anyway that only started between Missouri and Kansas in  1911. We won't miss it, and it doesn't encourage more alumni and students to show up anyway if there's a little bit of cold rain.

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." 

BeatVisitor Dot Com Cleans House and Prepares for the B1G Time

On this day after the Pinstripe Bowl loss to the team with the most obnoxious drunken fans in college football (some Golden Dome supporters in section 322 provided a strong argument against ever serving beer at R House), I decided to refresh the BeatVisitor dot com sidebar to your right (if you're viewing this on a non-mobile device). I've removed the links to the USFs and UConns and Temples and replaced them with links to the Ohio States and Penn States and Michigan States on our football schedule for the foreseeable future. If you know of any strong or humorous Big Ten blogs that I haven't included in this first pass, please suggest them in the comments.

I was thinking of mentioning the interim conference we're leaving, which I've never mentioned by name here in this blog, to complain about their bad officiating and petty money grubbing, but I won't bother naming them now; they're in our past. Rutgers should post a picture when their ugly logo is removed and the B1G logo is painted on our field. That will be a day to celebrate.

I've also placed the 2014 schedule high on the sidebar. 2013 is over. Life begins again in Seattle on August 28th. Keep Calm and Chop Cougars.

Exorcising the Curse

Along with the many ridiculous reasons being given for the second-half collapse of Rutgers' football fortunes in 2013 -- Players? Coaches? Fans? -- the obvious cause keeps getting neglected, the curse of Howard N. Fuller. When the glee club changed his classic 140-year-old lyrics "My father sent me to old Rutgers / and resolv'd that I should be a man" to an anodyne politically-correct "From near and far we come to Rutgers / resolved to learn all that we can" before the Arkansas game, the curse began.

With the score of today's UConn debacle at 14-7 in favor of the Huskies, I plugged in my SG and attempted to drive the curse away.


Surprisingly, it didn't work. The Huskies won 28-17.

Obviously, I can't exorcise this curse all by myself.

The 1873 Lyrics

I.
My father sent me to old Rutgers,
And resolv'd that I should be a man;
And so I settled down,
In that noisy college town,
On the banks of the old Raritan.

II.
As Fresh, they used me rather roughly,
But I the fearful gauntlet ran,
And they shook me so about
That they turned me inside out,
On the banks of the old Raritan.

(Chorus)
On the banks of the old Raritan, my boys,
where old Rutgers ever more shall stand,
For has she not stood since the time of the flood,
On the banks of the old Raritan.

III.
I passed through all these tortures nobly,
And then, as Soph, my turn began,
And I hazed the poor Fresh so,
That they longed for Heaven, I know,
On the banks of the old Raritan.
(Chorus)

IV.
And then I rested at my pleasure,
And steered quite clear of Prex's ban,
And the stars their good-bye kissing
Found me not from euchre missing,
On the banks of the old Raritan.
(Chorus)

V.
And soon I made my social entrée
When I laid full many a wicked plan,
And by my cunning art
Slew many a maiden's heart,
On the banks of the old Raritan.
(Chorus)

VI.
Then sing aloud to Alma Mater,
And keep the Scarlet in the van;
For with her motto high
Rutgers' name shall never die
On the banks of the old Raritan.
(Chorus)

UConn vs. Chas Dodd 10/8/2010

I'm so glad to see Chas Dodd finally getting the start he has deserved this whole season. Here's a repeat of his first start against the Huskies in 2010 and video evidence of why the state of Connecticut was hoping to see the Gary Nova show this Saturday.


Note especially at the 2'46" mark when the ESPN announcers explain how Chas Dodd uses something called a "second read", which Gary Nova doesn't seem to understand.

Oh, and as long as we're bringing back Chas Dodd to close out the 2013 Rutgers football season on a higher note, please bring back these 2010 uniforms too.

And the correct opening words to our Alma Mater.

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.

~~~~~~~~~

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.

Two Days To Go Until the 2013 Season Begins in Fresno

Here's an immortal play to get Rutgers fans psyched from Number 2, Tim Brown, receiving a pass from (Pitt's new starting quarterback) Tom Savage in 2009 to come from behind against UConn with seconds remaining:

Why the Huskies need to massacre the Leprechauns on Saturday

In his most recent prediction of the 34 2009-2010 bowl matchups, Stewart Mandel presents the possibility of this outrage, a mediocre Notre Dame stealing the 2nd Big East bowl slot in the Gator Bowl on New Year's Day. The "other" Big East teams are allocated to the following bowls:

• Pittsburgh as Big East champs in the Sugar Bowl against Florida.
• Cincinnati as the "3rd place" Big East team in the Muffler Repair Shop Bowl against North Carolina.
• West Virginia in the Pizza Bowl of Birmingham against South Carolina.
• Rutgers in the St. Petersburg Bowl against Southern Miss.
• USF in the International Bowl against Temple.
• UConn in the Pizza Bowl of Detroit against Central Michigan (because the Big Ten won't have enough bowl-eligible teams for all their bowl slots).

As much fun as it would be to see Notre Dame lose to Virginia Tech by five touchdowns in the Gator Bowl, I'd much rather see that bowl slot go to a worthier Big East team, and see the Dames blown out by the University of Connecticut this weekend. I hope the Huskies' football players get a cathartic release of every bit of frustration they have felt in this season's close losses to Pitt, UNC, Rutgers, and Cincinnati.

6-2 (1-2). What a Game.

Those last few minutes of today's 28-24 win over Connecticut have to have been some of the most nerve-wracking I've ever spent as a fan of Rutgers football (or of any sports team). I was watching on the radio, and in the fourth quarter I started commenting on Twitter by writing, "I wasn't nervous about typing #BeatUConn all day yesterday, so why am I nervous about it now with Rutgers having an 11-point lead in the 4th?".


Here are the last few minutes and last two touchdowns of the game as I typed them on Twitter:

UConn 1st and goal. Fuck. Come on defense! That missed two-point conversion of UConn's looks major now. #BEATUCONN
42 minutes ago from web
COME ON DEFENSE! #BEATUCONN
38 minutes ago from web
4th Down & Goal. ONE MORE STOP!
38 minutes ago from web
fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck now we need mccourty to end the game the way he started it. #BeatUConn
37 minutes ago from web
33 seconds and a time out. Let's go Offense. #BeatUConn
34 minutes ago from web
TIMMMY TIMMY TIMMY TIMMY TIMMY TIMMY TIMMY
34 minutes ago from web
FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!
33 minutes ago from web
For that to have been done by Jasper Howard's friend is just awesome. This is the kind of game that turns around a season.
32 minutes ago from web
Although, 22 seconds left is a lifetime in this game. come on defense. Just one more stop. #BeatUConn
31 minutes ago from web
"I'm rarely speechless, but I think right now I am." Ray Lucas
30 minutes ago from web
8 seconds left. Come on Defense.
29 minutes ago from web
The "Let's Go Rutgers" chant is loud on the radio. 3 seconds left with that last incompletion. #BeatUConn
28 minutes ago from web
That's the win. This is Tom Savage's coming out party.
28 minutes ago from web
That was one of the most nerve-wracking two minutes of my life.
19 minutes ago from web
If someone had to #BeatUConn today, I'm glad it was Jasper Howard's friend. Tim Brown sounded very emotional in the short postgame chat.
18 minutes ago from web
I hope lots of former Knights were watching the new Knights #BeatUConn. RT @CGreene36 Yes Tim Brown... 80yd Td Catch To Win Da Game.
12 minutes ago from web

I have nothing else to add right now about a game that's going to be written about widely, not just during the coming week, but for years. The story of Jasper Howard and Tim Brown's friendship has all the makings of a television movie. You wouldn't believe it if it weren't true.

West Virginia and Virginia Tech have already lost this weekend. How many more top 25 teams will have to lose before I consider putting the 6-2 Scarlet Knights onto my BlogPoll ballot?

#BeatUConn is just a warmup for the big game on November 21

#BeatUConn is gaining some traction as a hashtag at Twitter today (and if you are on Twitter and use #BeatUConn in your tweets today or tomorrow, @BeatVisitor will start following you -- yes, it's come to bribery), but there aren't a lot of #BeatRutgers responses from UConners.

Orange Tweeps are already looking forward to taunting Rutgers on 11/21.

That will change as November 21 approaches and the game with the Syracuse Orange Tweeps begins. Say what you want about their football prowess (and I'll expect you to in the third week of November), but there is no doubt that Syracuse currently rules the world of Big East Twitter taunting. Check the #BeatCincy hashtag today to see how it's done -- quantity and humor are both very important. We've got some work to do people, so let's practice by beating up on UConn today and tomorrow (online and on the field).

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!

~~~~~~~~~~~
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.

Which Big East teams to root for in Week Seven

There are four games this week that will involve Big East teams. If you're a fan of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights who is unsure of how to root in any of these contests, we'll be glad to give you guidance.

~~Thursday, October 15, 7:30pm
The 5-0 (1-0) Cincinnati Bearcats will be visiting the 5-0 (1-0) South Florida Bulls for the marquee Big East matchup of the weekend. One of them will leave Raymond James Stadium with their first loss and the other will be the favorite to win the Big East's BCS Bowl bid. So, for whom should we Friends of Rutgers root? It's easy. As annoying as they are, we need to root hard for USF (aka, South Florida, Ponce de Leon University, Flamerica University, Sunshine State University, Citrus State University, etc.). There are two reasons for this. 1) Cincinnati will need to lose twice if Rutgers is to have any chance of winning the Big East, and 2) the higher USF is ranked when they visit Rutgers Stadium in November, the more of a bump it will give to the Scarlet Knights' national ranking and recognition when the Knights win that game on November 12th.

~~Friday, October 16, 8pm
The ferocious 5-1 (2-0) Pittsburgh Panthers (see illustration to the left for identification purposes) head to Piscataway, New Jersey to take on the 4-1 (0-1) Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. If you have any doubt as to which way you're rooting in this one, then you are reading the wrong blog. One of these two teams will be ranked by many poll voters at the end of the night. If you are lucky enough to have tickets for the game and you feel that you are not willing to stand and yell loudly enough to damage to your vocal cords whenever the Knights are on defense, then you should stay at home, watch on ESPN, and give your tickets to someone louder and more rambunctious. The only words that should not be allowed on Friday night? That's easy: "Down in Front!"

~~Saturday, October 17, 12pm
The 2-3 (0-1) Louisville Cardinals will be visiting the 3-2 (0-1) University of Connecticut Huskies. This is a pick'em in which Beat Visitor dot com is taking no formal position. As long as the Scarlet Knights beat both teams later this year, you can root based on which of your personal hatreds is greater.

~~Saturday, October 17, 3:30pm
The 4-2 Marshall Thundering Herd will be thundering into Morgantown to meet the 4-1 (1-0) West Virginia Mountaineers. This one is easy not only for Rutgers fans, but for all fans of Big East teams. Let's Go Mountaineers! The Big East should not be dropping any games to non-conference foes as long as sportswriters and fans of other conferences are questioning our conference's legitimacy and ownership of an automatic BCS Bowl bid.

Syracuse is the only Big East team to have the coming week off. There will be no Crying Child next weekend.

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!

Has the Big East hired any officials in the off season?, or Can you imagine this call being made IN Louisville?

The folks over at Card Chronicle have named Larry Taylor of Connecticut the least cool person of 2007-2008 for the fair catch that he turned into a 74-yard return for a touchdown. Watching this replay on video is still unbelievable; if I were a Louisville Cardinals fan, I'd surely use a stronger word or two to describe my feelings about it.
The real question is not about Taylor though. He didn't hear a whistle, so he ran; he was probably as surprised as anyone that he scored. The real question is whether or not the Big East has hired any officials to take the field in September.

This is why you don't throw your white uniforms in the same washer with the scarlet ones!

The Rutgers women will be playing their rematch of last year's NCAA Championship game against Tennessee on Monday, February 11 down in Knoxville. Our team will be wearing the outfits to your left, not because of a foul-up in the laundry, but to support a cause.

Let's hope that Imus & Friends think that they look pretty in pink (though we don't really give a fuck what that old fart thinks).

Seriously though, with Rutgers having beaten #1 Connecticut this past Wednesday, Tennessee will move up into the top spot by the time Epiphanny Prince and friends travel south. Can the Scarlet Knights knock off the #1 team in the country two weeks in a row?

With Three Minutes Left, I'm Glad I Can't See it on TV

Mike Teel has just thrown his traditional game- ending interception with 3 minutes left according to the internet gamecasts I have on my screen, so we'll be lucky if it's "only" a 38-19 loss tonight.

I don't know what to say, maybe the Huskies really are a good team, having beaten Louisville, USF, and the Knights in successive weeks. If they do represent the Big East in a BCS bowl, I hope they do us proud (so why do I have this sneaky feeling that they're going to lose to Syracuse on November 17).

It's official, the game's over with no change in score. Teel ended up passing for 343 yards, but the important stat is the Zero TDs/One Pick statistic. The team seemed to be moving the bars on the GameCast and the GameTracker well until they got within striking distance of an end zone.

At The Half in Storrs

At the Half, all I have is stats

Passing Yards
RU 179 UConn 77
Rushing Yards
RU 128 UConn 73
Total Yards
RU 307 UConn 150
Time of Possession
RU 20:41 UConn 9:19
Score
UConn 25 RU 16

Those 9 points scored by UConn on Special Teams, 2 on a blocked punt safety on the first possession of the game, and 7 on a kickoff return, are the difference as halftime comes to an end.
It looks like the Knights just have to move the ball like they moved it in the first half (though they need to stop settling for field goals once they drive into the red zone).

Reason #16 for the Knights to Beat the Huskies Tonight

REASON #16: They are in our spot!
The Scarlet Knights started the year at number 16 in both the AP poll of August 18 and the the Coaches Poll of August 3. They also spent a week at 15, 13, 11, 10, 21, and 25 this fall, but now some usurping puppies from Storrs, Connecticut, have come from nowhere to take our number 16 in week 10 of the AP poll (and 20 in the Coaches, and 13 in the BCS[!]), so we're coming up there tonight to take it back.

REASON #15: The man in green to your left.
I have a feeling that if Mike Teel gets into any trouble with overthrowing the ball tonight up in the Nutmeg State, then this might be the night that the football world (or at least that miniscule part of it that receives ESPNU) will get its first real glimpse of Jabu Lovelace in something more extended than a one- or two-play appearance or in a mopping up role in a blowout (though that would be nice too). I still can't help thinking that, given the chance, the backfield of Lovelace and Rice could look very similar to the backfield of White and Slaton.

As annoying as it is to see the Huskies leaping up the rankings and holding tenaciously to the Big East lead as we enter November, it is great to see the Scarlet Knights in the thick of the national football picture, with a chance to play a nationally-ranked team for the third week in a row. If our team can end this stretch winning two of those three games (and then keep it up against Army, Pittsburgh, and Louisville), we'll be playing someone more impressive than Kansas State at a location more impressive than the Texas Bowl at the end of the year.

Big East Champs!

A laugher became a nail-biter over the last few minutes as the Connecticut Huskies scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning. I felt hopeless and helpless just watching the score from KeySpan Park change on GameTracker.

But all's well that ends well, as some bard once said. The Scarlet Knights of Rutgers now have a Big East Tournament Championship to go along with the season championship they shared with St. Johns. Now it's on to the World Series.
Go Knights!