[TomWilkinson]

Rutgers (7-4) face high-scoring Arizona State (6-5) in the Insight Bowl tonight and one of the best receivers in the country in Derek Hagan.

"Whenever corners press and play man coverage, you've got to get excited," said ASU wide receiver Derek Hagan, a third-team all-American. "You're definitely looking for the ball."

"We're going to do our best to maintain possession of the football," Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano said. "It doesn't mean just running the ball, but being efficient in our passing game and play a little keep away. That is part of our plan. But when push comes to shove, we need to play defense against a very good offense, and our guys are ready to do that."

The Sun Devils, playing 10 miles from their campus, are a 10-point favorite. That is down from the opening number of 13.5, as many of the wise guys jumped all over Rutgers plus the points. ASU players have also had the flu, but all of them are back and healthy for the game.
"Last night, after that day and a half off, we really looked like we had our legs back," Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter said. "Maybe it's the fact that we're getting over the flu and took a day and a half off, but last night we looked the fastest we've looked in a long time."

The big part of Rutgers’ success this season has been the play of their defense. "The film doesn't lie," Koetter said. "You turn on the film and watch Rutgers play and you have to be impressed. I don't care if you're playing Alameda Junior High, it's hard to get 46 sacks in a season." Leading the way is all-Big East defensive end Ryan Neill, who had 13 tackles for loss and eight sacks. The Scarlet Knights had nine sacks in their regular season finale, a 44-9 victory over Cincinnati.

"They're very solid up front, one of the best we've played against this year as far as the offensive line," Neill said. "But they're going to throw the ball a lot. I think I'm going to get an opportunity to rush the passer. For us to have success in this game, our defensive line is going to have to do a very good job of getting pressure on the quarterback."

The bowl will be played for the final time at Chase Field, formerly Bank One Ballpark, home of baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. Next year, it moves to Arizona State's home field, Sun Devil Stadium, which is losing the Fiesta Bowl to the Arizona Cardinals' new stadium.