Rutgers @ Tulane preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 2, 2010 ) Tulane 17, Rutgers 14

Rutgers and Tulane will break in new coaches when they open the season in New Orleans. Kyle Flood is the new leader at Rutgers after Greg Schiano departed for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Curtis Johnson is the head man at Tulane after serving as receivers coach of the New Orleans Saints the past six years. Tulane’s preparation for the contest experienced some challenges as Hurricane Isaac hit the Gulf Coast and the Green Wave fled inland to Birmingham, Ala., on Monday to avoid interruptions. Rutgers is seeking its third nine-win season in four years. The 41-year-old Flood has been an assistant for the Scarlet Knights since 2005. Tulane lost its final 10 games last season.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network. LINE: Rutgers -20.5.

ABOUT TULANE (2011: 2-11, 1-7 C-USA): Senior quarterback Ryan Griffin passed for 2,502 yards last season and enters his third season as a starter. He has thrown 36 career touchdown passes. Junior running back Orleans Darkwa tweaked an ankle in fall camp and could be limited in the opener. That’s a concern after Darkwa rushed for 924 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. Defensively, senior linebacker Trent Mackey leads the charge. Mackey had a team-leading 145 tackles last season while earning first-team all-conference honors. Senior cornerback Ryan Travis had four interceptions in 2011.

ABOUT RUTGERS (2011: 9-4, 4-3 Big East): Sophomore Gary Nova won the quarterback job in a tightly contested battle with junior Chas Dodd. Nova threw 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions while sharing time with Dodd last season. Sophomore running back Jawan Jamison (897 yards in 2011) is solid and the Scarlet Knights are counting on sophomore Brandon Coleman to emerge as their top receiver after he averaged 32.5 yards on 17 receptions last season and scored six touchdowns. Senior linebacker Khaseem Greene has 251 career tackles and leads an aggressive defense that forced 35 turnovers (19 interceptions, 16 fumbles) in 2011. Senior safety Duron Harmon had five interceptions and junior cornerback Logan Ryan added three picks.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Rutgers leads the series 3-2 but Tulane has won the past two meetings, including a 17-14 victory in 2010.

2. Tulane allowed 37.5 points per game last season and gave up 30 or more points 11 times.

3. The Scarlet Knights are 40-4 since 2000 when keeping opponents below 300 yards of total offense.

PREDICTION: Rutgers 24, Tulane 14