Saturday night, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-0) put on a dominating performance over the Temple Owls (1-1), 36-7. Throughout the game, the Knights wore down the Owls by utilizing the run game and making throws down the field to neutralize the Owls' pass rush. The Knight's defense also caused several turnovers and allowed the offense easy field position to capitalize off.
Some of the key takeaways from the game were Rutgers' quarterback (QB) Gavin Wimsatt and running back (RB) Kyle Monangai. Wimsatt proved to be efficient and effective in managing the game by completing 11 of his 22 passes and throwing for 199 yards and one touchdown. Monangai appeared to do the majority of the heavy lifting for the Knights by rushing 28 times for 165 yards and one touchdown.
“Well, he (Monangai) ran tough and he ran tough last week as well,” said Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. “I want to make sure that we get everybody experience because, in this league, you need multiple backs. This is a tough, tough, tough, league. So I think we are doing that.”
Although Monangai was the premier back, it appeared this was a running back by committee effort to establish their presence on the ground. That said, one of the most impressive things the Knights managed to achieve was their composure in trying times. As the game progressed, there were moments where the offense stayed composed and consistent. There were numerous moments where the offense appeared to stall out, however the poise of Wimsatt helped gain the momentum the Knights needed to persevere.
“I’m not really into sending messages, if I was a sending a message to anybody it was to our own team,” Schiano responded to being asked about being persistent in the running game. “Sometimes, there’s going to be an extra guy and that’s the running back job to either run him over or make him miss. I thought some of the passing game and play-action stuff we were inches away from having a huge night, but that’s something we’ll work on for sure.”
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The Development of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights
There’s no secret, the energy and feel of the entire stadium feels very different. In the past, Rutgers has had some gloomy seasons and that energy and narrative may have stuck around longer than most wanted. Nonetheless, the program Schiano’s building and revolving the culture around has enforced this positive energy within the entire community of Rutgers. Within the stands, there’s so much more hope and joy-filled support from the community, naturally has the team playing with a much different level of intensity.
“Our student section, that was really cool,” Schiano continued. “They all got there early while were warming up. When Temple got their delay of game that was totality home-field advantage and it only speaks to how loud they were because I couldn’t hear a thing. That’s huge for us and they looked great dressed in all black for the blackout. That’s college football right there!”
Overall, the Scarlet Knights got off to a slow start, however they managed to pick it up and really put the game away in the fourth quarter. The Knights displayed poise and composure in ways they hadn’t shown in the past. Therefore, the development and maturity of these younger players are beginning to show, which will only lead to better decisions and more confidence later in the game.
“I was really proud we got together as a team going into that fourth quarter, and we decided, hey, enough, let’s go play the way we are playing and coaching the way we’re capable of coaching,” Schiano said. “Some nights it’s like that. Some nights, you feel you’re half a step forward and half a step back, and all of the sudden just, boom, so I was pleased.”
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