By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

PISCATAWAY — Dressed in a red pullover windbreaker and shorts, Rutgers' Darius Hamilton made a strong statement Thursday as he reported to training camp.

"You can definitely sense that nobody's giving us a chance, that they really feel like we're a doormat to just be stepped on," Hamilton said of the Big Ten. "We're taking that as a challenge. We're going to be ready."

Hamilton, who finished with 4.5 sacks last year, had just returned from Big Ten media days in Chicago. He has emerged as one of Rutgers' most vocal leaders.

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"No one comes in here blindfolded," Hamilton said. "We knew we were coming into the Big Ten. We knew we had to get bigger, faster, stronger, and that's exactly what we did this offseason.

"You can't be awestruck by it. You have to take it one game at a time. I think that's when people blow things out of proportion. There's a lot of history, of course. They have a lot of great teams and history, but we know what we've been working to do and we're really excited about the way this team's going."