Rutgers Football's 2024 campaign came to an end on Thursday after the 44-41 loss to Kansas State in the Rate Bowl. The Scarlet Knights finished 7-6 for the second straight season, but the Scarlet Knights had a much more up-and-down season on the gridiron compared to 2023.
Despite one of the easier schedules in the Big Ten and one of the biggest rates of returning production in the conference, Rutgers stumbled midseason and could not reach the expectations of fans predicting a year of new heights on the Banks.
Still, the high points of the 2024 season were quite high and gave optimism for the future, given some of the contributors returning.
Here are the top five moments of the Scarlet Knights' 2024 season.
No. 5 - Kaliakmanis leads a go-ahead two-minute drill against No. 24 Illinois
This moment would likely have been higher on the list had the game ended differently. Still, quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis finished this game with one of the finest crunch-time signal-calling performances Rutgers had seen in multiple years. He only threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the game through the air, but he set a career high with 84 rushing yards and two scores with his legs.
The Scarlet Knights' defense had struggled down the stretch, as Kaliakmanis watched an eight-point lead evaporate as Luke Altmyer scrambled 30 yards down the sideline to give the Illini a 30-24 lead with 3:07 to play. The program's first ranked win in 15 years and a potential trip to the Citrus Bowl hung in the balance.
Kaliakmanis and the offense moved into Illinois territory with relative ease in three plays on two passes to Dymere Miller and Ian Strong, but the drive stalled as the two-minute timeout came and went. Two more incompletions found the Scarlet Knights in a fourth-and-10 with 1:47 left.
Kaliakmanis stepped up amid the pressure, rolled to his right, and scrambled for 15 yards to keep the drive alive. A deep shot to Strong fell short, but Kaliakmanis on the next play escaped an all-out blitz and found some open rushing room, picking up another first down and stopping the clock. The very next play, the quarterback found star running back Kyle Monangai in the flat, and the engine of the Scarlet Knights' offense did the rest himself for his first career receiving touchdown on his Senior Day to give Rutgers a 31-30 lead with 1:08 to play.
Obviously Rutgers did not wind up winning the game in the end. The Illini marched down the field to stun the Scarlet Knights and the SHI Stadium faithful with a last-second touchdown by Pat Bryant, following an ill-fated timeout by head coach Greg Schiano before a shanked 58-yard field goal attempt by Ethan Moczulski.
Even factoring in the loss, Kaliakmanis had his signature moment leading the Scarlet Knights offense, showcasing his ability under pressure amid a November surge for the team.
No. 4 - Rutgers drops the hammer in snow-filled road rout of Michigan State in regular season finale
Given the events of the Senior Day loss to Illinois, it would have been easy for the Scarlet Knights to come out flat and lay an egg in the final regular season game. With bowl eligibility already clinched and a big-time bowl likely out the window, a banged-up squad traveled to East Lansing against a Spartans team at 5-6 looking to secure their own bowl game appearance in head coach Jonathan Smith's first season.
It had all the makings of a letdown performance in a frigid Saturday afternoon after Thanksgiving. But Schiano and his team refused to allow that to happen.
The Scarlet Knights rumbled for 208 yards on the ground in a snowy Spartan Stadium, as Kyle Monangai finished his final game as a Scarlet Knight with 129 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
No play personified the physicality and will Rutgers put on Michigan State more than Dariel Djabome blowing up a fourth-and-one from the five-yard line to stifle a 12-play, seven-minute drive.
The Scarlet Knights rolled from there, scoring on their final six offensive drives - not counting two kneeldowns at the end of the game - to end the regular season on a high note and clinch the program's first four-win season in the Big Ten schedule.
In a season where Rutgers struggled at times to get key stops and put away games, the team's finest performance on both sides of the ball came in unexpected fashion, in what would have been an understandable time to fall apart with the end of the season teetering on the edge of collapsing.
No. 3 - Rutgers snaps four-game skid with fourth-quarter defensive surge in post-bye win over Minnesota
Speaking of teetering on the edge of collapse, the Scarlet Knights got a much-needed bye week to start November after losing four consecutive games in October. The defense in particular struggled in the month, allowing an average of 33 points and 433 yards per game. Schiano described the process of fixing the defense as "stripping it down to the studs." At 4-4, Rutgers needed to turn around their season - and fast - in order to even make a bowl game.
It started with a home matchup against Minnesota and former Rutgers staffers PJ Fleck and Corey Hetherman. The Scarlet Knights were going to be without Monangai, missing the game after taking some hard hits in the previous two games. It was up to true freshman Antwan Raymond and sophomore Ja'shon Benjamin to carry the rushing attack.
The two teams matched up evenly throughout the first half, with the Scarlet Knights taking a 14-9 halftime lead and Minnesota scoring an opening-drive touchdown in the third quarter, before the scoring ground to a halt.
The game featured seven punts in the 15 minutes of game time before Joe Harasymiak's unit turned the tide of the game and the season.
Tyreem Powell punched out a reception from tight end Jameson Geers deep in Gopher territory, forcing the Scarlet Knights' second turnover of the game and putting the offense in an instant red-zone opportunity.
Kaliakmanis found Strong from four yards out for a go-ahead touchdown three plays later. A poor kick return from Koi Perich backed the Golden Gophers up to their own 13-yard line, giving them poor field position for the second consecutive possession. On first down, Keshon Griffin burst through the interior and sacked Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer, jarring the ball free before Brosmer landed on top of it.
That sack was a harbinger of more to come, however, as two plays later Jordan Walker, a former walk-on wide receiver, beat right tackle Phillip Daniels and took down Brosmer in the end zone for a safety. It gave the Scarlet Knights two more insurance points as the much-maligned pass rush got home again in one of its best performances of the season.
The two teams traded punts, then field goals on the next four drives after the safety, as Rutgers got back in the win column for the first time since September (more on that later). Without the three-drive sequence of a forced fumble, touchdown, and safety, the Scarlet Knights may not have come out on top to kick off a 3-1 November rebound.
This game - and moment - sparked the turnaround.
No. 2 - Robert Longerbeam saves the day, secures a road win over Virginia Tech
Way back in September, Rutgers had built up some momentum in the Big Ten and nationally thanks in large part to its gutsy road win over the Hokies in Blacksburg.
Only it did not exactly feel like it was headed that way down the stretch.
The Scarlet Knights' opening two wins over Howard and Akron saw solid performances in 37 and 32-point victories, but left a bit to be desired in the consistency department. A rare early bye week meant fans had to wait an extra week until Rutgers' first test of the season in an always-raucous Lane Stadium.
The Scarlet Knights of the first three quarters passed the test with flying colors, leading 23-7 after 45 minutes of play with highlight plays on offense, defense, and special teams. That included a muffed punt recovery in the first quarter and another safety by Wesley Bailey in his season debut.
In the fourth quarter, however, Virginia Tech showed why it had earned some national preseason hype of its own. The Hokies took advantage of an inefficient Scarlet Knights offense and strung together drive after drive on the ground to eventually draw even in a matter of minutes.
Quarterback Kyron Drones and running back Bhayshul Tuten put the team on their backs, combining for all but one of Virginia Tech's rushing yards in the game and cashing in on big plays with their legs.
After the Hokies tied the game at 23 apiece, the Scarlet Knights' offense fired back quickly and converted on a short field goal to take the lead, but gave Virginia Tech's red-hot offense 1:56 to work with.
Enter senior cornerback Robert Longerbeam.
Longerbeam, returning to his home state of Virginia, blitzed on a crucial third down pass attempt, batted the ball in the air, and picked it off himself to seal the win. While the game was closer than it should have been towards the end, the road victory showed the college football world that Rutgers was on the right track to achieving the special season that many expected.
While the year ultimately did not fall in that direction, Schiano and the Scarlet Knights continued their nonconference dominance (12-0 in the regular season against non-Big Ten teams) and against the ACC (fourth straight year with a win over an ACC team) and put more eyeballs on Rutgers.
The success of the Virginia Tech win helped play into...
No. 1 - Rutgers survives in the final seconds on a national stage against Washington
If the win over the Hokies drew some wandering eyes at the Scarlet Knights' growing national reputation, the Friday night nationally televised matchup against the Huskies six days fully captured them and brought them onto the Rutgers bandwagon.
A fully decked-out game presentation fit the sellout atmosphere for the annual Blackout Game, with the Scarlet Knights' hype, national TV hype, and new conference foe hype all meeting together for one of SHI Stadium's finest environments.
And then the game finally got started.
Much like the previous week, Rutgers got off to a fast start before holding on for dear life late in the game to escape with a victory. This time though, it felt much more like Washington beat itself, than the Scarlet Knights outright winning the game.
The Huskies were whistled for six penalties, with each one seemingly coming in a crucial situation, none more than an illegal substitution on redshirt freshman Vince Holmes for running onto the field celebrating a blocked field goal attempt near the end of the first half. Rutgers punched in a touchdown on the very next play with 30 seconds left in the half to go into the locker room with a 14-3 lead.
Washington eventually crawled back into the game, receiving the ball with 30 seconds left at its own 39-yard line needing to get into field goal range. Huskies quarterback Will Rodgers worked the intermediate routes along the sidelines to move into Scarlet Knights territory but ultimately was unable to get any closer than the 38-yard line.
That set up placekicker Grady Gross to attempt a 55-yard field goal, after already missing two kicks from 42 and 37 yards earlier in the game. No pressure!
Gross missed and sent the Blackout crowd into a frenzy, giving Rutgers its first 4-0 start since the 2012 season. The Scarlet Knights' hype train went into overdrive following the game, with fans and analysts pinpointing Rutgers as an under-the-radar threat to make some noise in the Big Ten with two big wins in four games. The Scarlet Knights even received votes in the ensuing AP Top 25 poll, coming close to being ranked for the first time since that same 2012 campaign.
While it did not formulate into a national ranking or a double-digit win season, beating Washington - a Big Ten newcomer with plenty of talent - signified Rutgers had fully returned to becoming a staple in the college football world.
The Blackout Game seemingly always delivers, and when adding in the environment, surrounding context, and the game itself, the ball sailing wide left off Gross' foot represented the best moment of a wild, topsy-turvy 2024 Rutgers Football season.
Even with the season's rocky nature, the highlights marked several points of optimism for not only the 2024 season but for the Scarlet Knights' future, with key contributors and returners including Kaliakmanis and Strong set to take the field in 2025.
It may not have been 2006 all over again, but Rutgers has stabilized itself in the Big Ten and appears ready to return next season.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
- Strong's 63-yard catch on a screen to set up Jai Patel's game-winning field goal at Virginia Tech.
- Raymond's three-touchdown performance in place of Monangai in the Rate Bowl.
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