R.U. Rah Rah! The Rutgers University football team is off to a great start in the 2012-2013 season. They are led by sophomore quarterback, Gary Nova, who went to high school at Don Bosco in Ramsey, N.J. Standout senior players include: linebackers, Khaseem Greene and Steve Beauharnais, defensive tackle Scott Vallone, and wide receiver Mark Harrison. Rutgers started off their season with a 24-12 win against Tulane, in Louisiana. Their home opener was against Howard University, and they shut them out 26-0.

 Subsequently, their following game was in Tampa, Florida, against the University of South Florida. This game was nationally televised on ESPN and Rutgers showed the country that they meant business by beating USF 23-13. This was a step in the right direction, starting 3-0 and being on top of the Big East Conference. The next game was played against Arkansas University, a Southeastern Conference team which Rutgers usually doesn’t play. This game was one of the biggest challenges for Rutgers this year, and they also had to do it in Arkansas.

Rutgers prevailed with a win of 35-26. This was an excellent showcase of quarterback Gary Nova’s skills. He threw for 397 yards, 5 touchdowns, and no interceptions. He was named the Big East offensive player of the week, and really showed Rutgers’ fans that he was serious about winning. Rutgers is now ranked #23 in the nation, which is astounding. This is the first time Rutgers has been ranked in the top 25 since 2009.

According to The New York Post, Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood stated, “I really don’t have a reaction to it. The fans will probably enjoy it, but for us it’s only four games in. It’s great to be in the position we’re in right now, but the most important thing we can do is do a great job on the bye week and get ready to win another Big East game the following week.”

Rutgers plays the University of Connecticut, at home in Piscataway, New Jersey, on October 6th. If Rutgers keeps this up, they may be looking at a Big East Championship.