Washington will be walking into a blackout crowd on Friday night inside SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey for its first road test against Rutgers. For 46 of the 74 players traveling East, it will be their first road trip as college athletes. “Our team’s excited about going out there, excited about our first Big Ten road game,” Jedd Fisch said this week. For over half the team, it’s a meaningful first road trip.
For Fisch himself, it’s a trip home. Washington’s head coach is from Livingston, New Jersey, and he said he’ll have over 50 family and friends in attendance. Rutgers is also Steve Belichick’s alma mater. The Husky defensive coordinator played lacrosse for the Scarlet Knights and was the long snapper on the football team in 2011.
The Opponent
Head coach Greg Schiano is in his second stint in Piscataway, having previously been the head coach there from 2001 to 2011. He took the team from 1-11 in 2002 to 11-2 in 2006 and has been methodically building Rutgers back in this second run at the helm. “I think he’s certainly one of the best coaches in college football,” Fisch said of Schiano this week.
Last year was Rutgers’ first winning season since 2014. The Scarlet Knights are currently 3-0 with one of the nation’s top running backs, a stingy defense, and a favorable schedule in 2024. “You can feel that Rutgers feels this is the best team they’ve had in a long time,” Fisch said.
Backfield Battle
On Friday night, two of the top running backs in the Big Ten will be lining up with their respective offenses. For Rutgers, it’s Kyle Monangai who’s the nation’s third-leading rusher in terms of yards per game with 153 per contest. On Washington’s side, it’s Jonah Coleman who has 373 rushing yards, averaging just under 100 yards per game. In terms of yards per carry, Coleman has the slight edge at 6.66 compared to Monangai who notches 6.35 per touch.
The difference between these two productive backs is how often they are utilized. Rutgers is an offense that prioritizes the run. The Scarlet Knights have run the ball 142 times this season compared to just 72 pass attempts. Nearly 67% of the time, Rutgers is keeping it on the ground. Monangai averages 24 carries per game. Comparatively, Washington operates with a far more balanced offense. The Huskies have passed the ball 126 times with 133 rushing attempts. Coleman averages 14 carries per game.
Preparing for Monangai
“Well, our defense gets to go against Jonah [Coleman] every day,” Fisch said during the week leading up to Friday’s road test. Coleman continues to be a bruising back who has helped strengthen a Washington-run defense all offseason. The Huskies allowed less than 75 rushing yards per game against Eastern Michigan and Northwestern. A running back has yet to score a touchdown on the Washington defense this season.
Fisch is confident that his offensive personnel has helped build toughness in the run defense. “What I’m most excited about is the fact that our defense has seen…a really good stable of running backs.” Cam Davis was one of the players that Fisch mentioned in this “stable” of tailbacks. He’s averaging five yards per carry in the second rotation. Fisch also pointed towards true freshman Adam Mohammed in this regard, who has over eight yards per touch this season on 12 carries.
Ultimately, Fisch believes that Washington’s preparation for facing Monangai and the Rutgers run game is built into how the team already goes about practice. Belichick’s defense practices against a rotation of physical running backs day in and day out. “I would imagine that our defense has been preparing for those moments when they’ve gone against some of the elite backs we have here,” Fisch concluded.
Washington’s Run Game Opportunity
Rutgers has not been generating consistent pressure this season on defense. As a team, the Scarlet Knights have just four sacks (113th nationally) and 14 tackles for loss (115th nationally). Teams have been able to run the ball with some success against the Rutgers front. In terms of success rate, the Scarlet Knights rank 100th nationally against the run. They allow successful runs on 42.9% of runs defended. “Success” is a run that gains 50% of the yards to go on first down, 70% of the yards to go on second down, or 100% of the yards to go on third and fourth down.
Last week against Virginia Tech, Rutgers allowed an average of 5.8 yards per rush on first down. On average, Rutgers allowed a “successful” run every time the Hokies rushed on first down. Rutgers is allowing 5.5 yards per rush and 161 rush yards per game. Washington has to try and attack the ground on Friday.
The window of opportunity will be there with Coleman in the backfield. Washington’s success rate on the ground this year is 43.8%, almost exactly what Rutgers’s run defense allows. He, along with the running back rotation of Davis and Mohammed, should be able to find success there on Friday.
Remaining Disciplined On The Road
Friday night’s Big Ten battle is a tremendous road trip for the Huskies. Expect to see both teams utilize their talented running backs, but one more than the other. For Washington, exploiting Rutgers’ run defense can be critical to opening up the passing game. Will Rogers III sits third nationally in completion percentage at 75.7%.
But Rutgers has found success through the air this season as well. It’s an offense that ranks 20th nationally with 471 yards per game. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis has fired accurate passes both in the pocket and on the run this season. He’s been even better against the blitz with three touchdowns, 13 yards per attempt, and a Pro Football Focus passing grade of 90.
Monangai will find success on the ground for Rutgers. So if you’re Washington, a lot of pressure will be on the secondary on Friday. Can it defend a passing game that’s not utilized often, but is utilized with efficiency? Moreover, can it avoid untimely interference penalties? An offense that’s strategic about its passing might try to stretch the Husky secondary and test its discipline. We’ve seen what those penalties can do to a team down the stretch this year. It’s going to be crucial for Washington to stay disciplined in a blackout under the lights on Friday.
Rutgers- 24
Washington- 23
