PISCATAWAY, NJ -  Sophomore Ray Rice (New Rochelle, N.Y.) rushed for 190 yards and two touchdowns to lead Rutgers (3-0) to a 24-7 victory against Ohio (2-1) Sept. 16 as the Scarlet Knights celebrated Homecoming at Rutgers Stadium.

With the victory, Rutgers started the season 3-0 for the first time since 1981, and for the 18th time in program history.  The Scarlet Knights also improved their all-time Homecoming record to 48-25-1.

Ohio scored first with a one-yard touchdown pass 4:37 into the first quarter, marking the first time this season Rutgers trailed its opponent.  However, that score would be the only time the Bobcats would see the end zone on the bright and seasonal day in Piscataway, as Rutgers scored the game's final 24 points.

Junior Ron Girault (Spring Valley, N.Y.) sparked RU with an interception and 39-yard return at the 5:37 mark of the first stanza, starting Rutgers' third possession at the Ohio 31-yard line.  Senior Shawn Tucker (Parkland, Fla.) made an outstanding play to come back against his body and haul in a Mike Teel (Oakland, N.J.) pass for an 11-yard gain on third-and-two, setting up a Rice four-yard touchdown two plays later.  Jeremy Ito's (Loma Linda, Calif.) extra point tied the score at 7-7 with 3:14 remaining in the first.

Junior James Townsend (Delran, N.J.) forced a fumble on a punt attempt late in the first quarter and it was recovered by freshman Kordell Young (Westville, N.J.), giving the Scarlet Knights possession inside the Bobcat 20-yard line.  Ito later connected on a 29-yard field goal just 11 seconds into the second quarter to give RU a 10-7 edge.

Rutgers made it a 10-point advantage (17-7) thanks to another Rice four-yard touchdown plunge at the 10:52 mark, and extended that lead to 24-7 only 46 seconds before halftime when Quintero Frierson (Coral Gables, Fla.) sacked Ohio quarterback Austen Everson on the goal line, jarring the ball loose and allowing Brandon Renkhart (Piscataway, N.J.) to recover it for another Rutgers touchdown.

The Bobcats threatened to get on the scoreboard twice in the second half, but each time Rutgers came up with a stellar defensive play.  Girault blocked a 29-yard field goal attempt late in the third quarter, and sophomore Courtney Greene (New Rochelle, N.Y.) came up with an acrobatic interception in the end zone two minutes into the fourth.

Teel completed six of 16 passes for 83 yards while directing the offense, while Rice carried 29 times for 190 yards and two touchdowns, his fifth straight 100-yard effort.  All-American Brian Leonard (Gouverneur, N.Y.) had four carries for 19 yards and four catches for 64 yards, including a screen pass he turned into a 45-yard gain early in the first quarter.  Senior Joe Radigan (Hoboken, N.J.) was again outstanding, punting four times for an average of 49.8 yards, including a long of 66.

Girault's interception and block of a field-goal attempt, along with Green's fourth-quarter INT, helped spur the stout RU defense.  Ohio rushed 26 times for -6 yards, the lowest total on the ground allowed by the Scarlet Knights during the Greg Schiano era (11 yards; vs. Pittsburgh; Sept. 30, 2005).  All told, the OU offense gained just 119 total yards and was held scoreless for the final 49:37.

Frierson (six solo, two assisted, one sack) and Greene (three solo, five assisted, one interception) each had eight total tackles to lead Rutgers.  Senior Devraun Thompson (Piscataway, N.J.) added seven stops, including 2.0 sacks.

The Scarlet Knights will play their finish a three-game homestand next weekend, hosting Howard Saturday, Sept. 23, at 2:00 p.m. (MSG TV).

With the 24-7 victory against Ohio, Rutgers opened the season 3-0 for the first time since the 1981 season. It marked the 18th time in program history (137 years) that RU started a year with three straight victories (1918, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1931, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1969, 1970, 1980, 1981, 2006).

The Rutgers defense limited Ohio to -6 rushing yards on the day, marking the lowest rushing total by a Scarlet Knight opponent in the Greg Schiano era. The previous low was 11 yards against Pittsburgh (Sept. 30, 2005).

The RU defense also limited Ohio to 119 total yards, marking the lowest offensive output by a Scarlet Knight opponent since Oct. 2, 1993 when RU held Temple to 118 total yards in a 62-0 victory over the Owls. In RU's last two games, it has surrendered a combined total of 244 yards (126 against Illinois last week).

With the victory against the Bobcats, Rutgers is now 48-25-1 all-time in Homecoming games, including victories in its last three Homecoming contests.

After allowing one touchdown to the Bobcats, Rutgers extended its streak to three straight home games allowing fewer than 10 points.

The Ohio touchdown 4:37 into the game marked the first time this season (124:37 total minutes) that Rutgers has trailed.

With interceptions by junior CB Ron Girault (Spring Valley, N.Y.) and sophomore S Courtney Greene (New Rochelle, N.Y.) against Ohio, Rutgers has registered two interceptions in back-to-back games. The two interceptions against the Bobcats give RU six in its first three games, equaling its total in all 12 games of last season.

Today's attendance of 41, 102 was the fifth highest in Rutgers Stadium history, surpassing last week's total of 41,036. The attendance against Ohio marked the first time since 1999-2000 that RU has had consecutive crowds of more than 40,000 at Rutgers Stadium. The last time was the end of the 1999 season (40,011, Notre Dame, Nov. 18) and the start of the 2000 campaign (41,511, Texas, Sept. 11).

The Rutgers defense scored its second touchdown in as many games when senior LB Quintero Frierson (Coral Gables, Fla.) hit Ohio QB Austen Everson in the end zone, resulting in a fumble, which junior LB Brendan Renkart (Piscataway, N.J.) scooped up for the touchdown. The last time Rutgers scored defensive touchdowns in back-to-back games was during the 1994 season under head coach Doug Graber. The Scarlet Knights scored on a 28-yard interception by Curtis Tribbitt in a 28-6 victory over Kent on Sept. 3, 1994, in the first game in the 'new' Rutgers Stadium. The following week, Alcides Catanho scored on a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown in Rutgers' 17-12 home victory over West Virginia on Sept. 10, 1994.

Player Notes

Sophomore RB Ray Rice (New Rochelle, N.Y.) finished with 190 yards, marking the fifth-straight game he has surpassed the 100-yard mark. He is the fifth Scarlet Knight to run for at least 100 yards in five consecutive games. Rice is the first RU player to achieve the feat since Jacki Crooks did the same during the 1998 and 1999 seasons.

RU Consecutive 100-Yard Games

Player Number of Games Year(s)

1. JJ Jennings 7 Nov. 25, 1972-Nov. 7, 1973

2. Ray Rice 5 Nov. 26, 2005-present

Jacki Crooks 5 Oct. 31, 1998-Sept. 4, 1999

Bryant Mitchell 5 Oct. 26, 1968-Nov. 23, 1968

Curt Edwards 5 Nov. 1, 1975-Nov. 29, 1975

Rice's performance against Ohio marked his eighth 100-yard rushing total in 15 career games. Rice has topped the century mark in four of the six games Mike Teel has started at quarterback for the Scarlet Knights. His two touchdowns against the Bobcats marked the fourth multiple rushing-TD game for Rice. He had a pair of two-touchdown games as a true freshman last season, while rushing for three TDs in the 2006 season opener at North Carolina. He has six touchdowns in RU's three games this season.

Junior CB Ron Girault's (Spring Valley, N.Y.) first-quarter interception marked his seventh career pick.

Sophomore safety Courtney Greene's (New Rochelle, N.Y.) fourth-quarter interception in the end zone against Ohio marked his first career interception.

Seniors FB Brian Leonard (Gouverneur, N.Y.) and TE Clark Harris (Manahawkin, N.J.) each extended their reception streaks against Ohio. Leonard has caught a pass in 37-straight games, tying former Miami wide receiver Reggie Wayne (1997-2000) for the second-highest total in BIG EAST history. Harris extended his streak to 33 games, tying former West Virginia wide receiver David Saunders (1995-96, 98) for sixth place on the league charts.

POSTGAME QUOTES

Head Coach Greg Schiano

On the play of Ray Rice: I think the way he's been able to perform well is a positive response to how big of a role he plays offensively. I didn't know Ray was that close to having 200 yards. We're not about the statistics. I just wanted to make sure we got everyone through the game injury-wise.

On the Ohio defense: Their defense played very well. They took some chances and were successful in some of those, but that also gave Ray some chances to create opportunities if they missed.

On the play of Mike Teel: Mike didn't have his best game, but as a whole, the offense couldn't find a rhythm. We thought about putting Jabu Lovelace into the game and get him some playing time, but, because of where Mike is in his development, I wanted him to play through. After the interception we could have put Jabu in, but Mike needs to be able to make changes and play through those situations.

On which game Rutgers' defensive effort was more impressive: I think they were both very impressive. Most things really went our way last week, so if you're factoring in handling adversity as a part of playing well, than today's game was more impressive.

On the Rutgers defense: Today our defense was in some tough spots. I'm really enjoying what I'm seeing in them. Even when they went out on the field in a bad spot, they have this look in their eyes when we send them out there. They're just ready to go out and do what they have to do.

Rutgers Players

#14 Mike Teel, Jr., QB

"It was good to get the win today. I did have some mental mistakes and felt I had a bad day. But I plan to watch the game film this week and learn from my mistakes. I did feel very confident today, but I just made some mistakes. I learned a lot from today's game, and I will take that and learn from it, in preparation for next week's game."

#27 Ray Rice, So., RB

"Overall, I felt we played well today. Ohio was a very tough team physically. They kept pushing us and fighting us. I give them a lot of credit."

"Even after the mistakes we made on offense, we just moved on and kept playing. Every team goes through its ups & downs in a game. Today our offense made some errors, but our defense really stepped it up. We are all playing like a team and I feel we have a very strong chemistry here."

"Next week we play Howard, and we'll approach that game just like every other game. We'll approach it as if it were the national championship game. This team is very focused on each and every game."

#36 Courtney Greene, So., DB

 "It feels great to win, and having two straight games where we've played so solid on defense is very rewarding. Ohio had our backs against the wall today. But we were able to make the plays to stop them. We did what we had to do"

"Regardless of what happens on offense, our defense has to do its job as unit. And I really feel we're getting better as a unit. We have a lot of trust in each other and feel very comfortable playing together."

#23 Brian Leonard, Sr., FB

"Even though Mike Teel had a tough day, we all know he will bounce back. He is a very tough player and we have no doubt he will be back next week. This team has a lot of confidence in Mike."

"While our offense struggled at times today, we still were able to win the game, which says a lot. We have a good team here, and we're only getting better. We prepare so hard each and every week."