It doesn't take much of a dare devil to predict that Rutgers is going to beat Norfolk State tonight quite convincingly. My prediction was 52-3. It might be more lopsided or slightly less lopsided, but the Knights could play their worst game of the year and still win by several touchdowns.

Even some individual statistics can be misleading given the level of competition -- and that's not even really a knock on Norfolk State. The Spartans, as a handful of people have pointed out, are more than respectable by MEAC standards. They're just not good enough to compete against a team from the Big East.

So other than the fact that football is finally upon is, what can fans take from tonight's game?

Here are three areas that could provide glimpses of what's to come:

1. Rutgers' true freshmen. 

We know what Tom Savave and Mohamed Sanu can do -- and we know what we've seen from players like Joe Martinek, who have been steady but far from spectacular over the course of a full season.

But a pair of scrimmages are the most formal settings in which people have gotten a chance to watch players like wideout Jeremy Deering and tailback Jordan Thomas, both of whom should see action tonight.

Deering is listed on the 2 deep behind Sanu and Mark Harrison, while Thomas -- who entered camp as a wideout -- moved to running back and is listed as Martinek's top backup.

Though Norfolk State is hardly Pitt, the setting will be more telling than a Rutgers-on-Rutgers scrimmage. That means big games from Deering and Thomas -- even if they don't break any records -- would be reasons for optimism.

On the same note, it'll be at least somewhat telling if those guys find it hard to get going.

2. Special teams 

Though punter Teddy Dellaganna is coming off an impressive season, the same can't be said about place kicker San San Te, who has fallen short of the expectations that confronted him when he took over for Jeremy Ito in 2008.

Greg Schiano has repeatedly said he's expecting big things from Te, who's leg strenth has never been in doubt but who hasn't always met the challenges that games have presented him with. Booting a couple long field goals could be the start of something very encouraging.

Meanwhile, this will be the Knights' first game without Devin McCourty, who's on a very short list of the best special teams player in school history. I'm interested to see how Joe Lefeged and Co. do attempting to fill his shoes.

3. The offensive line. 

If Martinek, Thomas and Co. can drive a Hummer through the holes being plowed tonight, that doesn't mean there's no reason at all to be concerned about the Knights having zero starters in the same spots they occupied last year.

But getting through the game without allowing a sack is an achievable -- and meaningful -- goal.