North Carolina Central @ Rutgers preview

THE STORY: Major off-field changes were made at Rutgers after an absolutely miserable time on the field in 2010. Rutgers lost a team leader to a nearly fatal injury, lost quarterback Tom Savage via transfer and lost the last six games of its season. That forced Greg Schiano, who not long ago was among the most coveted head coaches in America, to take back play-calling duties on defense while new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti will try to turn around a unit that ranked 114th in total offense. There figures to be ample time to experiment with the playbook against North Carolina Central, which will play its first game as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in the FCS.

TV: ESPN3.com, Sportsnet New York. LINE: N/A

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL (2010: 3-8): New head coach Henry Frazier installed a run-and-gun spread offense that aims to snap the ball in 20 seconds or less with packages of as many as five wide receivers. The Eagles return nine starters on that side of the ball, including senior quarterback Michael Johnson. At just 5-foot-7, junior receiver Geovonie Irvine is NCCU’s top playmaker from the slot, where he caught 53 balls for 759 yards last season.

ABOUT RUTGERS (2010: 4-8, 1-6 Big East): Quarterback Chas Dodd somehow managed to survive eight starts as a true freshman behind an undersized offensive line that gave up an FBS-high 61 sacks last season. Dodd will once again be working from a pro-style offense that desperately needs receiver Mohamed Sanu to stay healthy. The junior had 112 yards receiving in RU’s final scrimmage and earned MVP honors in Rutgers’ bowl win two years ago but missed significant time last season with shoulder and ankle injuries. He will likely see a lot of man-to-man coverage as teams stack the box against freshman tailback Savon Huggins, the top-ranked recruit from New Jersey. Linebacker and leading tackler Steve Beauharnais is one of five returning starters on the defense, which surrendered 144 points in the final three games. That end-of-year slide is a major reason why the coaches picked Rutgers to finish last in the Big East.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Rutgers is 7-0 against schools from the MEAC, including a 31-0 shutout of Norfolk State in last season’s opener.

2. Huggins is receiving all the praise at the position, but the Scarlet Knights could use as many as four running backs by committee, including Jeremy Deering, who had a 166-yard game last season.

3. Despite his shuffling, Schiano’s defensive line remains undersized. That was the biggest reason why RU finished dead last in the Big East with just 17 sacks.

PREDICTION: Rutgers 45, NCCU 17 --The Scarlet Knights’ offense might look good on this day, but there won’t be too much to take away from a blowout victory.