QB Art Sitkowski recaps first start, Rutgers' win over Texas State
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers true freshman quarterback Artur Sitkowski started in his first ever game on Saturday as the Scarlet Knights defeated Texas State, 35-7, in the 2018 season opener at HighPoint.com Stadium.
Sitkowski threw for 205 yards on 20-of-29 passing with one touchdown and three interceptions. Before kickoff and his first snap, he had nerves and butterflies flowing through his body.
“Of course,” Sitkowski said of the nerves. “First college start, of course there will be butterflies. It was good to get out there and get a ‘W’, so it was awesome.
“I played alright. The most important thing is we got the win. I got things that I’ve got to work on and I’m excited for that.”
After the game, head coach Chris Ash offered his first impressions of his performance.
“I think Art did a really good job for a true freshman playing quarterback in his first game,” Ash said. “It's been a while since he played in a game. Some of the things we were concerned about, how is he going to handle contact, he did that. How is he going to handle negative plays. He did that. Not all the negative plays were his doing. There were some things that other guys on offense needed to do and didn't.
“Overall I'm pleased with what Art did. He's got to get better. He will get better after this game. But very pleased.”
Even though he threw his share of interceptions, his ability to bounce back was noted.
“That was a big unknown with Art,” Ash said. “How is he going to respond to negative plays. He's very hard on himself, he has a lot of pride. Takes a lot of pride in his performance, wants to be perfect. We knew true freshman playing in his first game, he wasn't going to be perfect. But he responded well. He did it a couple times. Very pleased with that. He'll learn from the film. He's probably watching it now, to be honest with you. That's just the way he is. He'll learn from it. He'll get better from it, move forward.”
Rutgers scored three of its first four possessions of the game, including a 9-yard touchdown pass from Sitkowski to running back Raheem Blackshear.
“It was awesome. I appreciate all the fans coming out today and supporting us in the home opener. It felt great. It was a culmination of a lot of hard work and to score on those first couple drives was special,” Sitkowski said.
Heading into the contest, Sitkowski said redshirt senior Gio Rescigno played a huge part in helping me get prepared.
“Gio has been amazing for me. He’s truly pushed me every single day,” Sitkowski said. “He’s been in my ear and I couldn’t ask for anyone else to be in that quarterback room and I mean that. He’s a true definition of a leader. He’s selfless, a motivator, and a lot of credit goes to Gio. Without him, I would not be doing what I’m doing right now.”
Sitkowski, who went to Old Bridge High School his first three years, grew up going to Rutgers games. Being able to go through all the pregame festivities as a player was a sight and feeling to behold.
“It was a dream come true. I grew up coming to these games. I was one of those kids (at the Scarlet Walk) asking for high-fives. You sit back and you’re like, ‘Wow, that was me a couple years ago’. So, it was awesome. I really enjoyed today and enjoyed the experience.”
Although Sitkowski and his teammates have a 24-hour rule of celebration, he said after he visited his family he was going to watch some film. Heading into next week’s matchup at Ohio State, he offered some things he needed to clean up before the Scarlet Knights meet the Buckeyes at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 8
“(I need to) be more comfortable with the football definitely,” he said. “Keeping the ball out of harm’s way is a big thing. The biggest thing is being safe with the football and completing third downs. You can’t throw interceptions.”
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