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PISCATAWAY, N.J. – In North Carolina Central University’s first game as a full NCAA Division I program, the Eagles got a dose of Big East football as Rutgers blanked NCCU 48-0 on Thursday night in front of 40,061 fans inside High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.

It’s the first time NCCU has been held scoreless since Oct. 25, 2003, when the Eagles suffered a 47-0 setback at Winston-Salem State.

The game itself remained scoreless for most of the first quarter. Rutgers was held to a three-and-out on its first possession and NCCU senior corner back David Ingram intercepted a pass to end the second drive.

Rutgers finally posted points on the board with 38 second left in the opening quarter when rookie running back Savon Huggins spun into the end zone from a yard out, capping a 12-play, 52-yard drive.

Huggins struck pay dirt again on the next drive when he sealed a 9-play, 40-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown scamper at 8:58 of the second quarter, providing the Scarlet Knights with a 14-0 lead.

Rutgers made it a three-score game when sophomore quarterback Chas Dodd found Mohamed Sanu for a 13-yard score with 1:30 left in the first half.

NCCU threatened to score just before the break when senior quarterback Michael Johnson connected with Jonathan Nicely for a 29-yard gain down the sideline, pushing the Eagles into Rutgers’ territory for the first time at the 29-yard line. The treat ended two plays later when Johnson’s pass sailed over the middle and was intercepted by safety Duron Harmon.

Rutgers strolled into the locker room with a 21-0 halftime advantage.

The third quarter belonged to the host Scarlet Knights.

On third down and 12 yards to go on the Eagles’ own 5-yard line, Johnson lost the ball in the end zone when he was sacked by David Milewski. Scott Vallone pounced on the fumble for a Rutgers touchdown at 9:04 of the third quarter to push the margin to 28-0.

Just two plays into NCCU’s ensuing drive, Johnson was intercepted again by Harmon, who raced 37 yards for another defensive score.

When Rutgers got the ball back, receiver Brandon Coleman broke away from the Eagles secondary and back-up quarterback Gary Nova tossed a 44-yard strike for a back-breaking score at 6:07 of the third quarter. The Scarlet Knights’ third touchdown in less than three minutes provided a 42-0 cushion.

With 3:11 remaining in the third quarter, Rutgers kicker San San Te booted a 36-yard field goal to cap a 24-point quarter.

The final score of the night hit the scoreboard with 5:40 left in the contest when Te hit a 22-yard field goal to bring the final tally to 48-0.

Rutgers finished with 347 yards of total offense, with 137 on the ground and 210 through the air. NCCU managed 120 total yards, including 112 yards passing.. The Scarlet Knights recorded nine sacks to keep NCCU’s rushing total to just eight yards.

NCCU signal caller Johnson completed 10-of-25 passes for 88 yards and was sacked six times. Back-up quarterback Jordan Reid connected of 4-of-5 pass attempts for 24 yards.

Redshirt freshman Andre Clarke topped the NCCU ground game with 28 yards on 14 carries. Junior receiver Geovonie Irvine tallied a team-best five receptions for 37 yards, while Nicely ended with four catches for 52-yards.

Senior linebacker Brandon Outlaw sparked the Eagles defensive effort with a game-high 14 tackles. Marc Lewis, James Reese and Chris Drew contributed eight stops each for NCCU.

NCCU returns to action on Sept. 10 when the Eagles travel to Ohio to play Central State in the “Cleveland Classic” inside Cleveland Browns Stadium. Kickoff is 12 noon.