Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano and his Scarlet Knights couldn't celebrate their first victory in almost a year for very long. They knew well what was on the road ahead.
"We'll have to play well on Saturday at Michigan State," Schiano said Tuesday at a press conference. "It'll be a tough job going on the road for the first time with our team. Playing against MSU will be a real good indicator of our team."
Schiano, who took over the reigns at Rutgers in 2000, acknowledged MSU as a talented team and capable of using many weapons in its new spread offense.
"They have a physical offensive line, and they have size and speed at wideout," Schiano said.
But the Spartans won't be the only school toting talented threats this weekend. Rutgers will roll into town with arguably one of the most dangerous kick/punt return combos in the nation.
Junior punt returner/wide receiver Tres Moses was named Big East Special Teams co-Player of the Week after returning a punt for a 66-yard touchdown against Buffalo in the Scarlet Knights' season opener.
But Moses will be the second Knight the Spartans will be watching with weary eyes this weekend. Senior cornerback Nate Jones was named Big East co-Special Teams player of the year in 2002. He was named a preseason All-American by Athlon, a college football magazine.
Jones had two 100-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns and blocked two kicks in 2002.
"This year I want go out and be consistent," Jones said. "I don't have to go out and be Superman. As a senior, I have to be a leader."
Jones, who runs a 4.48 40-yard dash, also placed third on the team in tackles last season and along with his veteran core of defensive backs, will attempt to shut down MSU's spread offense.
"I'm going to work hard and get the job done," Jones said. "Right now we're an exciting team, capable of anything."
Spartan sophomore running back Jaren Hayes, who once attended a Nike football camp at Rutgers, said his teammates are ready to face off with the Scarlet Knights this weekend, and they won't be taking them lightly.
"They've gotten better," Hayes said. "They have a lot of athletes."
Junior linebacker and MSU co-captain Ronald Stanley said playing the Big East school won't be anything new for the Spartans.
"They like to run the ball like a Big Ten team," Stanley said. "They're a smash-mouth football team, which is a big difference from Western, but not hard to adjust to. We've just got to return to aggressive 'D'."
Rutgers opened the season with a win over a Mid-American Conference school just like MSU did. The Scarlet Knights defeated Buffalo to match their exact total of wins from last season.
Rutgers beat the Bison last week, 24-10. They allowed 232 rushing yards and only 60 passing yards, while gaining 181 on the ground themselves, to go along with 225 in the air. The rushing total was more than any single game last season and was five yards short of their game high last season in passing.
Rutgers leads the all-time series with MSU, in which the away team is undefeated, 2-1. They played for the first time in both schools' 1988 season opener, a Rutgers 17-13 win. Two seasons later, MSU defeated Rutgers 34-10 en route to becoming co-Big Ten champions. In their final meeting, the Scarlet Knights beat the Spartans 14-7 in a close, low-scoring contest.
Before Wednesday's practice, junior defensive end Clifford Dukes was so excited before the game, he was giving high-fives to reporters. But come this weekend, Dukes and his teammates will turn their first-win excitement into seriousness.
"This weekend is the real test," he said.
