For the first time since Nov. 6, 2004, Rutgers and Boston College, two old Big East Conference rivals and still regional rivals, will meet for the 26th time at noon on Saturday inside SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.

Boston College currently holds a 19-6-1 record against the Scarlet Knights, including 9-3 with Rutgers has the home team. In their last meeting, Boston College won, 35-25, in Chestnut Hill, Ma. The last Rutgers win came at Rutgers Stadium on Aug. 31, 1991 by a score of 20-13, the inaugural league game for the Big East.

The Scarlet Knights won the first-ever game between the two programs way back in 1919, 13-7.

“Just looking ahead to our next opponent, Boston College comes to town. It's really an old-school rivalry renewed. Really excited about this game,” Rutgers head coach Chris Ash said on Monday. “I think it's a great game for this region two, teams fairly close together, Power Five conferences, old-school rivalry. Got a lot of respect for their program and what they have done over the years and mostly recently with coach Steve Addazio, he does a great job. I just like the style of play. They want to run the ball, stop the run, play good special teams. They play hard, physical team and well-coached and they don't beat themselves.

“But it's a great opportunity for us to play a quality opponent here at our stadium, and with that, I hope the fans will show up. In our last home game, the fans as we talked about were an X-factor in that game, especially the student section. They showed up with great energy and passion and cheered throughout the game and really made the difference in that game and I'm hoping we can get that energy here on Saturday against a good opponent.”

With Rutgers sitting at 1-1 after two games and the fans being dissatisfied of the product on the field and the job Ash has done, the game against the Eagles has become a big one, especially for Ash, who is proverbially on the hot seat.

The win over UMass is looking worse and worse judging by the Minutemen’s opponents and how Rutgers and UMass has played in the weeks since. The loss at Iowa just showed the little amount of progress the team has made.

Boston College just fell this past weekend to Kansas. Rutgers, no doubt, can’t lay another egg.

And while he says he is excited, the coach is downplaying the importance of the contest. Ash said in the past he treats every game the same, and he just wants to get back to work.

“We're just trying to get better every day. That's our focus is just to keep improving,” Ash said. “You know, our last game out, we didn't play the way our team is capable of playing and we're just trying to get back to that, that's it.

Though Rutgers and Boston College haven’t played one another on the field in 15 years, the two teams have battled plenty off the field in terms of recruiting.

The Eagles have 17 players on the roster from the Garden State including 10 on the two-deep.

Saturday marks the first of four scheduled games between the pair of programs with Rutgers making a return trip on Sept. 3, 2022 while another home-and-home will place in 2026 and 2027 in Massachusetts and New Jersey, respectively.

A win for Rutgers could help sway prospects into staying home.

But Ash doesn’t see it like that or think that way.

“No. Our focus is on our improvement, that's it. This is a big game and like we've said -- I've said since we started, every game's a big game for us and our focus is just on our process of trying to improve every single day. Every team we play pretty much recruits in the State of New Jersey,” Ash said. “Boston College because of proximity recruits here a little bit more because it's so close. But every game is a big game and our focus is not on the game right now. Let's try and have a great Monday and go have a great Tuesday practice.”

If Rutgers wants to win, it’s going to have to stop the Eagles’ rushing attack of AJ Dillon and co. But it’s just him. Boston College has a number of reasons to cause concern for Ash and his staff.

“A couple things. You all look at personnel first and foremost and he's the one that jumps out. I think they have a good running back unit overall. It's not just the AJ Dillon show, although he's a really good running back. They have some other good quality backs, as well. (Anthony) Brown at quarterback is a very good player. A couple of their wide-outs can get-up-and-go and they have had some explosive pass plays down the field so far this year. They can run the ball effectively. They are a play-action pass team. When you combine those two, you have to have great eye discipline on defense, and you have to have great gap integrity and you have to pursue the ball and tackle well against a back that's 250 pounds.

“They present a lot of problems. Their schematics, they are comfortable living in condensed sets. It's a little bit different and unique to college football where everybody is spread out. Some of the motions they do put stress on you defensively for alignments and communications. So it's a combination of some good players, I think a good scheme for what they have with their personnel and I think they do it exceptionally well.”

Through the years, the Scarlet Knights have had four 100-yard rushing performances against the Eagles. Bruce Presley rallied 151 yards on the ground in 1995. There has also been four 100-yard receiving games. In 1984, Andrew Baker led the way with 141 yards on 12 receptions against the then-ranked 11-ranked Eagles. Quarterback Ray Lucas threw for 327 yards on 26-of-44 passing in 1995 for one of Rutgesr’ two 300-yard games through the air. Ryan Hart totaled 302 in 2004.

If Rutgers could get any offense like those games, it would be a long time coming. The good news is though, Boston College allows 29 points per game on defense, 234 yards passing, and 217 yards rushing.

Getting running backs Raheem Blackshear and Isaih Pacheco involved early and often could be a recipe for success.

“They are obviously two of our best players and they are going to be a focal point for our offense, and we need to get some other guys in the mix, as well. But they should always at the end of the game be two of our leading guys in terms of touches offensively,” Ash said. “At the Iowa game, we just didn't have enough plays overall to increase those potential touches in that game, where there might have been some plays that they were targeted on and it just never developed the right way because of pressure or something within the call. But yeah, I'm pleased with what we are doing with him and where we're headed with him.”

Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisWasky.