Rutgers Football moved to 3-0 following a 35-16 victory over Virginia Tech.
Here are three thoughts after the game….
Kyle Monangai does it again
It was a déjà vu all over again for Rutgers as it found itself in a one-score game following a Virginia Tech touchdown that made it 21-16 early in the fourth quarter. Similar to last week though, the Scarlet Knights answered the bell with a six-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a career-long 55-yard rushing touchdown from Kyle Monangai.
“I think today the whole day was chopping,” head coach Greg Schiano said. “It was all about whether things go good, whether things go poorly, you can't be thinking about the past and you can't be focusing on the future. You got to stay right here and chop the moment, and that's what our guys did.”
Monangai has been the undisputed MVP for Rutgers’ offense through the first three weeks as he has garnered 357 yards on 58 carries and five touchdowns, including three in this game. He has also provided back-to-back sparks for a unit that has had its share of ups and downs a quarter of the way through the season. If the Roseland native continues playing like this though, there is reason to believe the ups will outweigh the downs and the Scarlet Knights can make a bit of noise in the Big Ten.
A rough outing for Gavin Wimsatt
Although it is hard for one to complain following a 3-0 start where Rutgers has outscored its opponents 95-30, it has to be said this was Wimsatt’s worst showing so far this season. There are not many instances where a quarterback finishes with seven completions for 46 yards and their team comes away with the victory, but this game was the rare exception.
“I thought Gavin did exactly what we needed to win to be 1-0,” Schiano said. “He ran the ball really well and, most of all, he protected the football. When we don't turn it over we're tough to beat. He did a very good job.”
Despite Wimsatt’s struggles through the air, offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca seems to have unlocked something on the ground for the Owensboro, Kentucky native as he finished with 11 carries for 87 yards and a score. Now, it is all about Ciarrocca figuring out how to put both pieces together for Wimsatt because, although they were able to get away with it in this game, chances are another performance like this will not end with the same result.
Streak Broken
Although this game will not likely be remembered in the pantheon of Rutgers and Virginia Tech matchups, it represented the first victory in the series for the Scarlet Knights since their classic 50-49 win in 1992. It also marked the first time the teams met since the (less classic) 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl when the Hokies won 13-10.
“Our goal was to be 1-0 at the end of this Virginia Tech season,” Schiano said. “I know there are people that say ‘Oh, well that's coachspeak again’ but here is the deal, I want everybody to understand the amount of effort that goes into one game. If you had to think ‘I have to do this 12 times’ you would psych yourself out. That's why we say it's a Virginia Tech season. You pour so much into that week, that season, and now tonight you got to take a break and start over and do it again into the Michigan season.”
Although Rutgers will hope it ends up just being a footnote in the 2023 season, it is worth noting as Schiano and Co. continue trying to bring the program back to where it once was and perhaps a game in December.
Rutgers will return to action next Saturday when it travels to Ann Arbor to take on No. 2 Michigan at noon (ET).
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