On Tuesday, Rutgers football announced that the October 14 meeting against Michigan State will be the annual Homecoming game. Kickoff time to be determined.
It’s the 89th Homecoming game in program history. Rutgers is 54-33-1 all-time.
The Scarlet Knights are 4-10 all-time against Michigan State. In five meetings before becoming Big Ten foes between 1988 and 2004. Rutgers won three times. The 19-14 nationally televised win in 2004 in Piscataway is generally thought of as a sign early on in head coach Greg Schiano’s first tenure that the program was moving in the right direction.
Since joining the Big Ten, Michigan State has won eight of nine meetings. The only time RU won was in 2020 at East Lansing. It was Schiano’s first game back and the Scarlet Knights stunned the Spartans 38-27. Last season, MSU won 27-21.
The series has become more intense since the return of Schiano at Rutgers and arrival of Mel Tucker at Michigan State. Both programs actively use “the chop” mantra, which has caused some friction with both fan bases in recent years.
Both programs are looking to improve in 2023. Rutgers finished 4-8 last season and aim to outperform expectations this fall. Michigan State fell back to 5-7 last season and Tucker has had several high profile players transfer out since spring camp ended. This matchup is key for both programs and critical for where both finish in the Big Ten East standings.
The home schedule gives Rutgers plenty of opportunities to take advantage in this coming season. While playing Michigan State on Homecoming is arguably its toughest home game to that point in the season, it’s a game RU can win if they play to their potential. More to come on this series and the growing intrigue between the two schools.
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