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Game at?Yankee Stadium excites RU

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Junior defensive tackle Scott Vallone always dreamed of playing at Yankee Stadium. But the Central Islip, N.Y., native did not know he would get the chance as a football player.

“Growing up as a kid, you thought it was going to be playing baseball,” Vallone said. “Obviously it’s not the old Yankee Stadium, but it’s such a historic place where so many great players have played before.”

Vallone and the Rutgers football team earn their first chance to play at the venue tomorrow, when they take on Army to close their non-conference slate.

The 6-foot-3 Vallone grew up a New York Yankees fan on Long Island, about an hour’s drive from the Bronx “on a good day.”

While he makes his first appearance on the stadium’s famed grounds, it is not the case for head coach Greg Schiano.

The 11th-year head coach threw out the first pitch at the original Yankee Stadium in 2007 and attended games at its rebuilt version.

Schiano, a Ramapo High School graduate, grew up idolizing the New York pinstripes.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “Now, to be playing a traditional team like Army and playing them at Yankee Stadium is something that’s exciting for me and our football team.”

But the Scarlet Knights’ (6-3, 3-2) trip to the Bronx is not only for the sights.

Army (3-6) must run the table in its final three games to become bowl-eligible, and the process starts against Rutgers.

Black Knights quarterback Trent Steelman’s status for tomorrow’s matchup remains a game-time decision, but he will likely play given the team’s predicament.

Steelman rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown against Rutgers last season at New Meadowlands Stadium, chipping in 115 yards through the air, as well.

Vallone remains the only starter along the defensive line from that contest, although the Knights faced Navy’s triple-option attack earlier this season.

“The experience is always a big factor,” he said. “I think we have the experience now, and hopefully we’ll be able to put on a better performance than we did against Navy.”

Rutgers eked out a 23-20 victory against the Black Knights after Eric LeGrand suffered a paralyzing injury on kickoff coverage duties.

The impact still weighs heavily on senior defensive tackle Justin Francis, also eager to make his first appearance at Yankee Stadium.

“It’s going to mean a lot. Growing up, I never thought I’d play a football game at Yankee Stadium,” Francis said. “Now I get the opportunity. I’m going to soak it all in, but I’m still going to be on point with everything I have to do.”

The Opa-Locka, Fla., native played in high school at the Orange Bowl, the Sunshine State’s equivalent to the hallowed ground in the Bronx.

While he understands the significance of a football game at Yankee Stadium, Francis has Miami in the back of his mind — with good reason.

The Big East’s regular season winner punches its ticket to the new Orange Bowl, home to a BCS matchup with the Atlantic Coast Conference victor.

The Knights’ outcome against non-conference foe Army holds no bearing on their conference standing, but it is a starting point. Rutgers plays three more league games after matching wits with the Black Knights, two of which are at home.

“We’re just trying to get there,” Francis said. “It’s a race to the Orange Bowl.”


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