With its offense struggling, NSU fires coordinator

NORFOLK, VA - The Norfolk State football team, struggling under the weight of a stagnant offense, replaced offensive coordinator Kirk Mastromatteo with tight ends coach Joe Blackwell on an interim basis Monday.

Mastromatteo will not coach in the Spartans' final four games and his contract will not be renewed. The Norfolk State offense has scored just two touchdowns during the team's four-game losing streak and the Spartans have just 39 points in those games, including two touchdowns scored by the defense.

"My job is to win games," Mastromatteo said. "My job is to score points. Of course it's frustrating. It's not a lack of effort, it's not a lack of experience or knowledge. In this profession, sometimes someone has to be the guy (to go). Right now, I'm the guy.... This is a great profession, but it's a nasty, nasty business."



NSU notes: It's 3,000 yards and counting for Branche

NORFOLK, VA - Norfolk State running back DeAngelo Branche, who needed 42 yards to reach the 3,000-yard mark for his career, finished with 89 yards on 26 carries. The Maury graduate is just the second Spartan to hit the milestone and the first to do it at the FCS level.

"It was one of my goals," Branche said. "You can enjoy it a little. Even after a loss, an achievement is still an achievement. My name's in the record books. When I leave here, it'll still be here." Doing it on homecoming made it extra special.

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NSU notebook: Spartans stand 6th in FCS in home attendance

By VICKI L. FRIEDMAN , The Virginian-Pilot

Saturday's crowd of 27,756 was the largest at Price Stadium since the inaugural game was played there in 1997. Before Saturday's total, the crowd of 26,970 that watched the Spartans defeat Virginia State 33-7 in the Labor Day Classic on Sept. 1 was the second-largest.

Norfolk State is sixth nationally in Division I-AA with an average attendance of 19,920. Ahead of NSU: Montana, Delaware, Appalachian State, Youngstown State and Southern University. North Carolina A&T is the closest MEAC school at No. 11, averaging 12,803 fans.

Not so special

Daryl Jones described Saturday's victory against Hampton as "extra special," but one area where the Spartans weren't clicking was special teams. Particularly abysmal was NSU's coverage on punts and kickoffs, which almost cost the Spartans the game.

Among the blunders:

Maury grad James Butts recovered an onside kick that allowed Hampton to attempt a field goal in the final seconds.

Before that, Hampton scored its final touchdown after a 28-yard punt by Brian Jackson allowed the Pirates to start the drive at the NSU 41.

After Jones' second touchdown put the Spartans ahead 20-10 in the fourth quarter, Dennis McPhearson returned the following kickoff 48 yards to the NSU 20. That led to a Hampton field goal.

"Our special teams stunk," NSU coach Pete Adrian said. "Our kickoff coverage was horrendous. Our kickoff returns weren't very good. We made some crucial mistakes that could have cost us the ballgame.

"But the nice thing about our football team is nobody complains. They just say, 'Let's go to work.'"

One game at a time

Spartans fans might be riding high with dreams of a playoff bid after knocking off Hampton and preseason favorite South Carolina State, but Adrian and the NSU players refuse to entertain the notion.

"If you're focusing on something like playoffs, that's basically distracting you," senior linebacker Maguell Davis said. "I'd rather keep playing hard and we'll look back - and then I think we'll be pretty happy with the results."

Rutgers Rolls Over Norfolk State 59-0

Rice runs for 3 TDs as Rutgers piles it on Norfolk State

PISCATAWAY, N.J.-- No. 13 Rutgers produced the biggest second quarter in the school history, and all it needed was 11 plays and 91 seconds to amass 277 yards and score 42 points.

Ray Rice ran for three touchdowns and Mike Teel threw for three more in the lightning-quick outburst that carried the Scarlet Knights to a 59-0 victory over Norfolk State on Saturday.

While the result wasn't surprising, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano raised some eyebrows just before the half by calling three timeouts in an attempt to get the ball back with the Scarlet Knights (3-0) ahead 45-0.

A roughing the kicker penalty allowed the Spartans (1-1) to keep the ball, but Norfolk State coach Pete Adrian seemed to stare at the Rutgers' bench when he went on the field to help punter Brian Jackson, who suffered an Achilles' tendon injury.

The two coaches shook hands after the game ended and spoke for about a minute, patting each other on the shoulders.

Schiano rested Teel, Rice and most of his skill players on offense in the second half.

The 59 points and the margin of victory were the biggest for Rutgers since a 59-0 win over Buffalo in 2000.

Teel started the biggest second quarter at the birthplace of college football (1869) with touchdown passes of 43 yards to Kenny Britt and 28 yards to Tiquan Underwood on consecutive plays from scrimmage for the Scarlet Knights.

Rice, who now has nine touchdowns this season, scored on runs of 22, 7 and 4 yards, before Teel ended the offensive fireworks with a 34-yard scoring pass to Britt.

The scoring drives covered 52, 28, 92, 46, 42 and 53 yards and lasted two, one, two, two, three and two plays. The total elapsed time for the six drives was one minute, 31 seconds, which is all the time Rutgers had the ball in the quarter.

Remarkably, the big quarter came after Norfolk State forced Rutgers to punt on its first two possessions and then settle for a 30-yard field goal by Jeremy Ito with 4:45 left in the first half for a 3-0 lead.

Defensive tackle Eric Foster intercepted a Casey Hansen pass late in the quarter and Rice ran nine yards to give Rutgers a second-and-inches at the Spartans 43 as the quarter ended.

Norfolk State, a championship subdivision team playing its first bowl subdivision opponent, had to feel good at that point.

The optimism didn't last long for the Spartans, who have yet to produce a winning season since joining then Division I-AA in 1997.

Teel and Britt connected on a deep post on the opening play of the second quarter for a touchdown. After Norfolk State came up short on a fake punt deep in its own territory, Teel found Underwood on a sideline fly pattern on the next play for a 17-0 lead.

Rutgers got the ball back at its own 8 after a punt, and Teel and Underwood hooked up on a 65-yard pass play to the Norfolk State 27 on first down. An illegal substitution penalty moved the ball five yards and Rice, who carried 12 times for 72 yards, scored on a great cutback run from the 22-yard line.

A short punt, a 32-yard pass from Teel to Underwood and a personal foul set up Rice's 7-yard TD run. A 23-yard pass to Underwood, who had four catches for 148 yards, and a pass interference paved the way for Rice's final score.

Teel, who was 8-of-15 for 269 yards, covered the 53 yards on his final drive with passes of 19 and 34 yards to Britt, who had four catches for 121 yards.

Backup quarterback Jabu Lovelace scored on a pair of 16-yard runs for Rutgers in the second half.

ATTENDANCE: 43,712

Big Game: Rutgers vs. Norfolk State University

by Star-Ledger Staff

We gave our Rutgers writers six questions heading into Rutgers' game tomorrow against Norfolk State. Here's what they had to say:

1. Is there any cause for concern with Norfolk State? What can you tell us about them?

TOM LUICCI: Cause for concern? Norfolk State lost 13-10 to Howard last year -- a Howard team Rutgers beat 56-7. Norfolk State hasn't had a winning season since 1996 and has never faced a 1-A team before. This is Norfolk State, not Appalachian State. But why hear it from me? Take it from Spartans coach Pete Adrian.

"We're talking apples and oranges here," Adrian said of the Appalachian State comparisons. "Appalachian State won two national championships back to back, they've played a Division 1-A team for the last 20 years, every other year or whatever, and this is our first endeavor in playing a Division 1-A team. Like I've said, we haven't had a winning season in 10 years. There's a lot of Division 1-A teams that don't want to play Appalachian State with the speed they have."

STEVE POLITI: The only concern is a Rutgers injury. Norfolk State is 289-288-12 since 1938 in football, and this game will drop the Spartans to .500. Rutgers is past the days where it has to worry about Division 1-AA teams. Just make sure Ray Rice gets 200 yards and gets off the field without hurting himself, and this will be a successful day.

ALEX DELANIAN: I don't know how to be polite with this question. I think we all learned a nice lesson from Appalachian State never to underestimate, but this is going to be like a New Rochelle High School gym class and you just happen to have Ray Rice, Glen Lee and Courtney Greene on your side. With the wind at your backs. And you get to wear cleats while the other team plays barefoot. And their quarterback, a natural lefty, broke his hand and has to throw righty. And the cornerbacks are only named that because they prefer to sit in the corner and watch than play. I told you I didn't know how to be polite.

2. Assuming the game is a rout and leads to more reps for backups, who plays more: Young at RB or Lovelace at QB?

TL: I asked Rutgers coach Greg Schiano after practice on Thursday if there was any chance we would see redshirt freshman Chris Paul-Etienne, the No. 3 QB, if the game gets out of hand. Paul-Etienne hasn't played a down yet. Schiano indicated he wanted to get Jabu Lovelace as much work as possible. "We need to get him ready," he said. Kordell Young will get plenty of time at tailback, but I also think the coaching staff wants to see a little of true freshman Mason Robinson there. So Robinson could be in most of the fourth quarter -- working with Lovelace.

SP: I think you'll see more Lovelace, because they're more likely to work him earlier to use his speed against the Norfolk State defense. Here's one thing Rutgers fans should want to see: Lovelace throw some passes. Much like the Jets and Giants this weekend, the Scarlet Knights do not want to find out what life is like without their starting (and red hot) quarterback in a season like this.

AD: Lovelace. If only because if both of them are in the game, Young might not see the ball. From what we saw against Buffalo, the offensive package when Lovelace is in the game consists of snapping the ball to him and getting out of the way. Young can't catch a break, whether it's Rice in front of him on the depth chart or Tim Brown stepping in front of him on kickoff returns. We will see more of Lovelace, but it'd be nice for the backup running back to get some reps, just in case.

3. There's a fine line between getting your stats and running it up. What should be the goal of Rutgers for Ray Rice (100, 150, 200 yards) and how long should he play?

TL: The score and the tenor of the game -- not Rice's rushing yardage -- will dictate how long Rice plays. The fine line really is between getting your starters enough work to stay sharp, especially with a bye week coming up, and making sure you get out of a game like this healthy. Rice may play the first series of the second half if the games goes as I expect it will. Then he will get a nice ovation and take the rest of the day off. He may not need 20 carries to pile up solid rushing numbers.

SP: I'd say go for 200. There's no reason Rice shouldn't play well into the third quarter no matter what the score is. Look around the country -- these games are getting out of hand everywhere. The big boys in college football, a club Rutgers belongs to now, pay for the right to beat up on 1-AA teams. As long as Rutgers isn't throwing into the end zone in the fourth quarter, there won't be any hard feelings. Norfolk knows the drill.

AD: The goal is to get him a few carries and get him out of there. I can't fathom the backlash if Rice stays in one series too long and gets even a minor injury that keeps him out for one game.

4. The defense didn't bring its 'A' game in either of the first two games - though you could excuse both (they didn't force a turnover against Buffalo but held them to three points and Navy is Navy - an offense you only see once a year). Give me a way to measure their success in this one; should we look at points, total yards, turnovers ... you tell us.

TL: We will probably only be able to judge the defense off the first half, because that's as long as most of the starters figure to play. You want to see dominance in a game like this. You want to see some turnovers, but sacks and stuffing the run and making it nearly impossible for Norfolk State to function is what you want to look for. If Norfolk State has more than 140 yards of offense in the first half, the defense probably won't be happy. I think Rutgers will welcome the change back to a more traditional offense.

SP: This is another tough one to measure, but I'll throw one criteria out there: Get a shutout. Rutgers narrowly missed one last year against Howard, and playing a complete game (even if it's against an overmatched team) would be a confidence builder heading into the bye week.

AD: Keep an eye on penalties. There's no doubt that this is a talent mismatch, but stats can pile up in weird ways in a blowout. These guys are human, they will inevitably let up a little bit if they're winning by 30-40 points. You'll have a good idea of whether the players are doing their respective jobs the right way if the yellow flags stay in the referees' pockets. The 20 penalties accumulated in the team's first two games are very uncharacteristic, and not a good sign for tougher opponents. If we see the disciplined Rutgers again, it bodes well for the future.

5. Scrimmages (and games against 1-AA teams) are chances to work on different things. Anything we should look out for?

TL: The Norfolk State band. Rutgers' band has a score to settle after being soundly whipped by Howard's band last year. Reports are this was a good recruiting year for Norfolk State in brass section.

Injuries will be one thing to monitor. Seeing some backups get extensive time is another. It will be interesting to watch MLB Ryan D'Imperio if he plays for the first time since breaking his leg in three places in the spring. If he shows the mobility he needs, he could wind up as the starter by mid-season. Try not to blink too much in the first half. Rutgers should be able to break off some big plays that fans will not want to miss.

SP: For starters, look for more players to rotate in and out of this game than anyone all year. This is a good chance for the third stringers to get some valuable time on the field. If there's a starter who I'd like to see get passes thrown his way, it's Tim Brown, who is still recovering from a broken hand. He would have had his first touchdown against Navy if not for pass interference -- look for him to get his first this weekend.

AD: I've heard people questioning how "for real" Mike Teel's first two games were, playing against lesser defenses and throwing to superior talent. If it's smoke and mirrors, then that's fine, but every statistically impressive game he puts up can only help his confidence. If Teel and his crew of receivers continue to put up big numbers, even against this defense, it's a good sign.

6. Give us a score: at the half ... and a final.

TL: Rutgers 45, Norfolk State 0 at the half; Rutgers 62, Norfolk State 7 as the final.

SP: I'll go with Rutgers 31-7 at the half and Rutgers 52-7 final.

AD: Halftime: 35-0. Final: 45-0. Um, I'm picking Rutgers, by the way.

NSU hits paydirt - and it hopes more - with Rutgers game

By Vicki L. Friedman, Virginian-Pilot

Rutgers will pay Norfolk State $275,000 for coming on the road for Saturday's game.

NORFOLK - The idea that Norfolk State might be overmatched against nationally-ranked Rutgers on Saturday doesn’t concern wide receiver Dario Walker.

“They bleed just like we bleed,” he said dismissively.

To Walker, this weekend’s game is about opportunity.

NSU graduate Curtis Hodge plans to be among the half-dozen busloads of fans who will make the seven-hour trek from Norfolk to Piscataway, N.J. He will be showing his colors – “I’ll be wearing green and gold from head to toe,” he said – and hopes the university will benefit, whether it be recruiting athletes or just students.

But the bottom line is the bottom line: More than anything, Saturday’s game at Rutgers Stadium, before a sellout homecoming crowd, is about money.

Rutgers rakes it in from being able to fill its stadium . Norfolk State collects $275,000 from Rutgers for being willing to play a I-A team on the road.

And while $275,000 isn’t exactly big bucks to the folks at major-college programs – Rutgers’ football budget exceeds NSU’s by $11 million – that kind of money is a windfall for I-AA teams like the Spartans.

NSU has struggled to meet the financial demands of Division I since it made the move up 10 years ago from DivisionII. Just as Murray State’s season-opening 73-10 loss to Louisville translated into a weight room , NSU athletic director Marty Miller has his own wish list. Some of them can be checked off through the added revenue this week.

And more is on the way . NSU has scheduled a game at Kentucky for next September, with the financial details similar to the ones with Rutgers.

The money from these games will go into the general athletic fund, but Spartans coach Pete Adrian had two requests for football and was granted both.

For one, the Spartans will not have to bus to Tallahassee, Fla., for next month’s game at Florida A&M or to next fall’s game in Daytona Beach, Fla., to play Bethune-Cookman. That’s good news considering Adrian’s bad memories from the 13-hour road trip the Spartans made two years ago to Tallahassee.

“It was 17-10 in the fourth quarter and we died,” Adrian said. “And I know why.

“It wasn’t that we couldn’t fly, but if we did, then I’d have to take $40,000 from somewhere else and say, 'We can’t do this.’”

Adrian also wanted to make sure enough money is available to cover tuition if his players choose to take summer school.

“We’ve been able to do that for the two years I’ve been here, but it puts a strain on other things,” he said. “This is more like a guarantee.”

Fifth-year seniors will also benefit from the money, Miller said.

“This game will help us with those students who come back, whether it be to finish up one semester or 23 hours or even three hours,” Miller said. “Those student-athletes are very valuable to us, and I wanted to be able to provide a way they could finish their education.”

No renovations are planned “this go-round,” said Miller, though the wish list includes upgrading NSU’s track facilities and improving all the locker rooms. Revenue from the Kentucky game may be able to provide that next fall.

So while it’s a no-brainer to figure out why I-AA schools would seek this type of payday, it is curious why NSU would be so ambitious with its first foray into I-A football. The Scarlet Knights are ranked 13th in the country, after all.

“We weren’t supposed to play this Rutgers,” Adrian said with a laugh, explaining that talk of an NSU-Rutgers game came when the Scarlet Knights weren’t so successful.

The Rutgers team the Spartans face is fresh off its first bowl appearance in 27 years and is led by running back Ray Rice, whose Heisman candidacy is touted at the university’s SeeRayRun.com Web site. More than 6,000 names are on a waiting list for tickets to home games.

The Rutgers that Adrian initially had in mind to play was a far different team. After going 7-3 in 1984, Rutgers’ next 20 years produced three winning seasons. Greg Schiano took over as coach in 2001, and the Scarlet Knights were 3-20 in his first two years. In 2004, they closed with five straight losses.

It wasn’t unusual for marketing folks at Rutgers to give tickets away to Pop Warner groups and senior citizens so the stadium didn’t appear quite so empty.

Adrian wanted a I-A game, so he started making phone calls. Flipping through a notebook recently, he reviewed some of the contacts he made:

“I was calling everybody. UCF, Wake Forest, Cincinnati, Northeastern, Ohio U., UNLV, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, SMU, New Mexico, North Carolina. Those are all people I had conversation with.”

Along with Rutgers, fresh off a 7-5 season in 2005.

Any coach will tell you the trouble with scheduling is matching up dates that work for both programs.

“You latch on to somebody and bingo!” Adrian said.

Howard played the Scarlet Knights last season with Rutgers initially asking for a two-year agreement, Adrian said. When Howard didn’t want that, Adrian asked if NSU could have it and eventually ended up with Saturday’s date.

And given the attention the game is bringing to the program, he isn’t complaining.

“From a media standpoint, from a national standpoint, we heard all summer long from our boosters up there,” Adrian said. “There’s a lot of hype.”

All 1,000 of NSU’s tickets sold almost instantly, and the game is on ESPN’s Game Plan package.

As far as the X’s and O’s, despite the mismatch in budgets, size of linemen and depth, Adrian likes to remind his Spartans that they play 11 guys at a time, just like the Scarlet Knights, and that Rutgers Stadium is still 100 yards from goal line to goal line.

“You prepare the best you can,” he said. “We’re going to give it the best shot we’ve got.”