Scarlet Fever was running high in Piscataway this Labor Day weekend. The Scarlet Knights and the Wildcats kicked off their season this past Sunday at SHI Stadium. The game ended in a 24-7 score in favor of Rutgers. The Wildcats saw one touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter – a pass from Brendan Sullivan to Caleb Komolafe. Had this not happened, Rutgers would’ve seen its first conference shutout since joining the Big Ten.
This game held significance for Northwestern. This was the first game played since Pat Fitzgerald was fired as head coach due to hazing allegations. The termination took place in July, leaving a short window for the program to recuperate from this critical change.
Rutgers Secures Win Against Northwestern
Rutgers Pulls Off a Promising Performance
Gavin Wimsatt showed potential in his first game as Rutgers’ official starting quarterback. He completed 17 out of 29 attempts, scored one touchdown, and threw for a total of 163 yards. Wimsatt did not throw a single interception this game. Interceptions are something Rutgers has found to be a much too frequent problem in previous years. However, while Rutgers outshone Northwestern in total and rushing yards, the Wildcats snuck in 26 more passing yards than the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers earned their points throughout the first three quarters. The first touchdown was seen approximately eight minutes in by Ian Strong, as a result of an 11-yard pass from Wimsatt. In the second quarter, we saw Wimsatt run six yards for another touchdown and Jai Patel kick for a 32-yard field goal. At the end of the first half, Rutgers was dominating and possessed the ball for just about 22 minutes. The final points came from a 15-yard run from Kyle Monangai, resulting in a touchdown.
As we all know, a quarterback never works alone. Isaiah Washington topped the leaderboard in receiving yards, totaling 36 yards on four catches. Following him was Chris Long with 28 yards and Johnny Langan, who we have seen in the quarterback position in previous seasons, with 27 yards. On the defensive side, the Scarlet Knights pulled off five sacks and 8 tackles for a total of 48 yards lost.
Northwestern…Not So Much
While Rutgers’ offense was thriving in the first half, Northwestern’s was visibly struggling. Ben Bryant, a transfer from Cincinnati, made his Wildcat debut on Sunday but shared the field with returning quarterbacks Brendan Sullivan and Hunter Renner. From Bryant, we saw two interceptions, 169 passing yards, and 20 completions out of 35 attempts. While passing yards were pretty level with what Rutgers produced, rushing yards seemed to be a foreign concept for Northwestern’s offense. The Wildcats just barely scraped out 12 rushing yards the entire game.
It’s no secret that both the Scarlet Knights and the Wildcats are not the Big Ten’s top contenders. Some would argue they are actually the complete opposite. However, head coach Greg Schiano has been putting in blood, sweat, and tears these past few seasons to rebuild the ruins of the once-great Rutgers football program that he has reclaimed. Whilst nowhere close to outstanding, Rutgers’ performance Sunday shows hope for the rest of the season and reassures fans what Schiano is capable of in the head seat of the program.
For years now, Rutgers has been made to feel ashamed of being in the Big Ten, constantly being told they are unworthy. In reality, other sports programs and the university’s academic statistics have flourished in this time period. But all eyes tend to turn towards football and the school’s reputation relies heavily on the performance of this team. Could this be the year they deem themselves worthy of being in their conference?
What’s Next?
We will have to wait to get the answer to that question. The Scarlet Knights gear up for another home game this Saturday, September 9th, at 7:30 PM EST. They will host Temple.
