Rutgers Stymies Washington in Black Out Game

It might have been a rainy and misty night in New Jersey, but that didn't dampen the mood at SHI Stadium as the Rutgers Scarlet Knights came away with a 21-18 victory over Washington to move to 4-0 on the season, as a sell-out crowd celebrated the Big Ten opener on Black Out Night from pillar to post. To sum up the atmosphere: it was simply amazing. Fireworks, light shows galore, and plenty of black and red to commemorate a monster night in Piscataway as Rutgers took out the runner up in last year's National Championship game. https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1839819062014026100 Even former New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick was in the building, more to support his son Steve, who is the Defensive Coordinator at Washington, but to greet his old friend in Rutgers Head Coach Greg Schiano. And what the eight-time Super Bowl winning coach and 54,000-plus saw on Friday night was a slugfest as Rutgers sent a message to the rest of the Big Ten. "We set a goal to be 1-0 at the start of the week, and I am proud of the way we finished this game," Kyle Monangai said in a post-game interview on the Big Ten Network. https://twitter.com/RFootball/status/1839879404173856915 The stats sheet might show that Rutgers was out-gained in total offense (521-299 to be exact) and first downs (23-15), and time of possession, but that didn't tell the whole story. Because Rutgers was physical up front all night. They gave Washington quarterback Will Rogers fits, holding the Huskies to a 2-for-12 night on third downs, and 2-for-4 on fourth downs. They even forced two turnovers on downs. Three missed field goals on Washington's part also played a major role in the victory. Offensively, Rutgers did more than enough. Kyle Monangai was again dynamic, rushing for 132 yards on 25-carries, including the games first touchdown on a one-yard plunge that gave Rutgers a 7-3 lead. https://twitter.com/FOXSportsNJ/status/1839832903947096217 As for Monangai's fellow back-field mate, Samuel Brown V, he sank the dagger into the Huskies when he broke a couple of tackles and rammed his way down field with a head of steam for a 37-yard touchdown that put the game seemingly out of reach at 21-10 with 10:57 to go in the game. https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1839862786257453234 As for quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, he was solid. He completed 14-of-24 passes for 115 yards including a beautiful touch pass to the back of the end zone that Ian Strong brought down for six as the seconds ticked away in the second quarter. WASHINGTON COMEBACK Even with that 21-10 lead, everyone knew Washington had the capability to comeback. And they did. Will Rodgers and wide out Denzel Boston ate up yards through the air, as the Scarlet Knights really struggled to slow Boston down; he finished the night with 125-yards receiving and two scores. On the penultimate drive for the Huskies, Boston hauled in a 30-yard catch to set up shop at the RU 24-yard line. A few plays later he was in the endzone for six. Keleki Latu got the two-point conversion to make it a 21-18 game. So that set up the dramatic finish. Washington got one last shot after Rutgers couldn't get that elusive first down to end the game. Instead Washington had 37 seconds to get into field goal range. They barely got close enough, as kicker Grady Gross missed a 55-yarder wide left to seal the deal for Rutgers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=uj3sLzCWsU2VVxkw&v=8R1QrKYuClc&feature=youtu.be 4-0 For the Record Books It's been a long time since Rutgers started a season 4-0. The last time was 2012 when Rutgers opened that season at 7-0 en route to an appearance in the Russell Athletic Bowl. However, the last time the Scarlet Knights started 4-0 under Greg Schiano, one only needs to go back to the famed 2006 season. The year Rutgers was a ranked team that dominated the old Big East en route a landslide victory in the Texas Bowl that year. https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1839872741219893502 Is this team capable of similar success in 2024? We'll see, but Friday night's victory proved one thing, Rutgers is a team to be reckoned with out of the Big Ten. MORE RUTGERS