T minus three days to gameday. Here's the latest headed into the long weekend....

- Injuries: As expected, both Blair Bines and George Johnson will be at full strength on Monday. However, Bines appears to be locked in a fierce battle for the starting DT job with redshirt freshman Scot Vallone. According to Schiano Kordell Young will only be available for emergency situation. In other words, only if Martinek, Brooks and Rocket all simultaneous go out.
- QB Situation: Still nothing official from Schinao, but it seems like a foregone conclusion that Natale will get the starting nod followed by a bit of the Jabu run-gun sprinkled in. I'm guessing that Schiano wont' wait long to pull Natale for Savage if the offense sputters out of the gate.
- Attendance: A quick check at the RU ticket office on Thursday on the ticket situation for Monday: Much like Pernetti reported earlier in the week, limited numbers of tickets are still available, mostly in the corners of the upper deck and in the expanded end zone.
- Stadium Update: Did a quick drive by on Thursday and was nearly blinded by gigantic Brothers paper shredder advertisements beaming from the scoreboard. Talked to one of the workers who told me that the jumbotron was fully tested successfully on Wednesday. The River Road side of the expansion seems to be the primary area of focus right now to make sure it's ready for Monday.

Some very encouraging news from the practice fields today.

• Ryan D’Imperio (leg), Blair Bines (ankle), Jonathan Freeny (ankle) and Tim Brown (ankle) all appear to be OK and practiced today to varying degrees
• Other good news…Scott Vallone and Justin Francis both appeared to pass the doing more then adequate jobs filling in for Bines and Freeny
• Some bad news…..Kordell Young just can’t seem to shake this knee thing. Has a few good days followed by a few bad ones. Hope to see that he can be more then just a roll player during the season. Only rest will tell.
• Rutgers is close to inking a deal to play a 2010 home gain against Army in the new Meadlands. The potential matchup would be the first college game at the new complex and could net Rutgers $2.7 million in the process.

In a move that has been widely anticipated for the past week, Darrell Givens officially became a Scarlet Knight this afternoon as announced by the Rutgers Athletic Department and is immediately eligible to participate in practices when the team opens camp on Tuesday. The team also announced several other surprising personnel changes this afternoon:

• OL Keith Newell has transferred to FCS Delaware State
• DB Davon Smart has transferred to FCS Norfolk State
• DE Gary Watts has given up football due to a reaggrevated knee injury

Promising red shirt freshman Marquis Hamm has given up football all together to pursue his degree. Coach Greg Schiano also announced that true freshman Paul Carrezola (TE) and Mohamad Sanu (WR) will be limited at the start of camp due to separate hamstring and mild head injuries suffered during summer workouts. Kordell Young who it was announced had reaggrevated a knee surgery from 2008, will be limited as well and is hoped to return to full contact for the second scheduled scrimmage.