Before I-AA/FCS upstarts Jacksonville State and North Dakota State brandished their upset swords Saturday at Ole Miss and Kansas, respectively, there was Norfolk State, which kept heavily favored Rutgers out of the end zone for the entire first half Thursday night and was beginning to make the home crowd – along with more than a few bookies – sweat with a meager 6-0 lead in the third quarter. And what better time, really, for the underdogs to go down en masse with a sudden plague of cramps?

The Spartans, forecasting North Carolina’s plight Saturday night against LSU, lost six defensive players to cramping in less than three minutes on a seven-play, 75-yard drive that finally produced Rutgers’ first touchdown of the night. From there, the Knights poured it on with a touchdown return of a blocked punt, another lengthy touchdown drive in the fourth quarter and another pair of extended drives to run out the clock on a 31-0 win only Tony Soprano could love. At least they didn’t have to shut the lights off.

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Hat tip: The Wiz. Note to the NCAA: We keed! Gambling references are for entertainment only.
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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