SHI STADIUM—-Rutgers coach Greg Schiano is clearly transforming the culture at the university. After hearing him speak at the press conference following his team’s hard-fought 21-18 victory over a tough Washington squad in front of a crowd of 54,079, I found myself wishing I still had some eligibility left to play.
Since taking over in 2020, Schiano has made a significant impact. As a New Jersey native, he understands the local dynamics well. Student-athletes who arrive on Rutgers’ campus fully embrace his program, and this buy-in is a key reason for the success he’s been able to achieve with the team.
With the win Rutgers now is (4-0, 1-0) and Washington drops to (3-2, 1-1).
“Our guys are learning how to do it,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. “We’re learning one step at a time. They (Washington) are a good offensive football team and they’re hard to tackle. We missed a boatload of tackles, but we made them when we needed to. So, really happy for our guys. I’m proud of the way they fought.”
The Huskies had a 521-299 advantage in total yards, but missed three field goals, was penalized six times for 69 yards and went 2 for 12 on third downs. The red zone was their achilles heel, they couldn’t punch it in on Rutgers’ tough defense.
Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis completed 14 of 24 passes for 115 yards. Running back Kyle Monangai led the ground attack with 25 carries for 133 yards and a touchdown, while his backfield partner, Samuel Brown V, contributed 45 yards on five carries. Brown’s 37-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter extended Rutgers’ lead to 21-10.
Monangai gave RU a 7-3 lead with a 1-yard TD run early in the second quarter and the Scarlet Knights took a 14-3 advantage going into the locker room.
The Huskies cut it to three points with 1:40 left on Will Rogers III’s 12-yard touchdown rope to Denzel Boston and a 2-point conversion pass to Keleki Latu. Washington received the ball back with 35 seconds left in the game but Gross’ 55-yard field goal attempt to force overtime sailed wide left.
Despite a strong performance from Washington’s running back Jonah Coleman, who rushed for 148 yards on 16 carries, Rutgers’ defense prevented him from reaching the end zone.
UP NEXT:
Washington: Plays the defending national champion Michigan next Saturday at home.
Rutgers: At Nebraska next Saturday.
