Rutgers Football started off the season with a 44-7 win over Howard on Thursday behind a near-career day from running back Kyle Monangai and a dominant defensive performance.
The Scarlet Knights' defense got off to a blazing start, as Eric Rogers intercepted a third-down pass from Bison quarterback Ja'Shawn Scroggins and took it 52 yards for a pick-six to open the scoring. Rutgers methodically added to the lead as the game went on with another efficient performance on the ground.
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Monangai tied his career high with 165 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown, with 124 of them coming in the first half. He was able to spring off multiple big runs bouncing off of tacklers. Following Monangai's third-quarter touchdown, Samuel Brown V took over and had plenty of success on his own. He carried the ball 14 times for 68 yards. In all, the team finished with 329 yards on the ground, and 476 total yards on offense. With the game well in hand, true freshman Antwan Raymond got 6 carries for 49 yards and a touchdown as time expired, in his first career game after reclassifying from the class of 2025.
In his first game leading the Rutgers offense, quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis was solid in multiple facets, throwing for 147 yards and three touchdowns. He also had a solid day using his legs, with 6 carries for 43 yards. Dymere Miller and Kenny Fletcher led the way in the receiving game, with Miller scoring a second-quarter touchdown along with 3 other catches for 37 yards in his Rutgers debut and Fletcher catching four passes for 31 yards and a score in his first game after fully transitioning to tight end.
Defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak's unit had a banner day, limiting Howard to 261 total yards and 7 points. Even with starters Wesley Bailey and Flip Dixon out for the game, the depth performed well. True freshman Kaj Sanders got the start in his collegiate debut, performing well in pass coverage with multiple high-effort plays. Linebacker Dariel Djabome, starting with Moses Walker in place of the injured Tyreem Powell and Mohamed Toure, racked up 14 tackles with a QB hit on Ja'Shawn Scroggins.
Despite a shaky first half on offense, the Scarlet Knights came out of the locker room and imposed their will in the trenches. The running game was extremely efficient in the second half and Scroggins was under pressure for much of the game despite having a strong day running the ball. Plenty of young players contributed as well, leading to an all-around successful day for head coach Greg Schiano and his staff.
UP NEXT....
Rutgers Football will welcome Akron to town next weekend for a Saturday afternoon matchup with kickoff set for Noon ET and the game will once again be televised on the Big Ten Network.
RFOOTBALL PLAY OF THE DAY
Eric Rogers kicks off the scoring with a 52-yard interception returned for a touchdown helped by a big block from true freshman Kaj Sanders.
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