On Thursday, December 28th at historic Yankee Stadium, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights took the first step towards bigger and better things. They won their first bowl game and finished with their first winning record since 2014! Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano returned to his old coaching grounds for the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Four seasons later, RU broke through and took down the Miami Hurricanes 31-24 to improve to 7-6 on the season, winning a bowl game against a nationally-renowned blue blood program and an old Big East rival. Here’s how the Scarlet Knights rebuilt their program in the Schiano 2.0 era, a summary of the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl game, and what lies ahead for this program.
The Rebuild- Going Through the Seasons
2020
The road back to relevance was not easy for Rutgers. In the 2020 season, RU got off to a rousing start, knocking off Michigan State in Schiano’s first game back in a game that featured seven Spartans turnovers. However, they struggled the rest of the way, limping to a 3-6 record, despite giving Michigan a scare by losing in triple overtime 48-42. Nonetheless, it was a more competitive effort than in seasons past, as the Scarlet Knights would often go winless in conference play and finish with two or three wins overall. Usually, those wins would come from the non-conference slate against lower-conference opponents.
2021
In 2021, things started to take a turn for the better. The Scarlet Knights got off to a 3-0 start in non-conference play, with dominant victories over local rival Temple and FCS powerhouse Delaware. In addition, they had a road victory over ACC opponent Syracuse. Rutgers then came into the Big House and gave future Big Ten champion and College Football Playoff team Michigan their second-straight scare. They did eventually go down 20-13 after trailing 20-3 at halftime. RU would notch road conference victories over Illinois and Indiana, and ended the regular season 5-7, just short of traditional bowl eligibility.
However, due to Texas A&M pulling out of the Gator Bowl due to a COVID outbreak, Rutgers got an invite to the Gator Bowl to face #17 Wake Forest on New Year’s Eve. Despite a loss to the ACC runner-up Demon Deacons, the Scarlet Knights benefitted from an unusual bowl invite. They had the honor of playing in the bowl game leading up to the College Football Playoff semifinals later that day due to their top-ranked Academic Progress Rating among non-bowl eligible teams.
Photo Cred: The Daily Targum
Rutgers featured future NFL players on these teams: running back Isiah Pacheco, wide receiver Bo Melton, linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi, defensive backs Christian Izien and Tre Avery, and more. Other staples of these teams included: quarterback Noah Vedral, do-it-all tight end and offensive weapon Johnny Langan, and legendary punter Adam Korsak. Korsak ended up setting the record for career punting yards and punts in college football.
2022
2022 was a tougher season for the Scarlet Knights, though. Greg Schiano rolled out all the stops at quarterback, mixing in sophomore quarterback Gavin Wimsatt with backup Evan Simon for the first few games of the season. Despite once again starting 3-0 in non-conference play, things were not as they seemed. Rutgers barely edged out Boston College 22-21 in a thrilling come-from-behind victory to open the season. After dominating FCS school Wagner, they snuck out of Philadelphia with only a 16-14 victory over lowly Temple due to a solid defensive performance. There were feelings of worry in the hearts of Scarlet Knights fans with Iowa coming to town the next week to open Big Ten play.
Nonetheless, excitement filled the air as Rutgers hosted their first night game in several years against the Hawkeyes. Against a similarly defensive and special teams-minded Iowa team, the Scarlet Knights fell short, as turnovers gave the Hawks the edge over the Knights. Iowa won 27-10, setting the stage for what was to come that season. RU then got blown out in Columbus against the #3 Ohio State Buckeyes and lost a 14-13 heartbreaker back at home under the lights to Nebraska. In the latter game, they jumped out to a 13-0 lead at halftime, with starting quarterback Noah Vedral coming back in and out of the game due to his hand injury.
Photo Cred: http://www.app.com
One week later, the Scarlet Knights got their only conference victory of the season, taking down an Indiana team that also ended up going 4-8 on the season. Wimsatt took the reins as the starting quarterback for his team from the next game onward. However, the game against Minnesota ended in a shutout 31-0 loss to the Golden Gophers. The third night game of the season featured another competitive effort against a CFP-bound #5 Michigan. After Rutgers got off to a 17-14 lead at halftime, the Wolverines took over and never looked back, leaving the Scarlet Knights faithful wondering what had happened as their team lost 52-17 in Piscataway.
A more competitive effort against Michigan State still ended up as a loss, and RU did not fare well at all in losses to #11 Penn State and a surprisingly good Maryland team that shut out Rutgers 37-0 for the Knights’ season finale. Despite sending receivers Aron Cruickshank, Sean Ryan, and Shameen Jones to the NFL, the Scarlet Knights mightily struggled in the passing game and on offense in general. This caused the defense (which sent defensive backs Christian Izien, Avery Young, and Christian Braswell to the NFL) to get exhausted, allowing other teams to have their way with the Scarlet Knights. 2022 also saw the final year of Vedral as quarterback at Rutgers. Additionally, Korsak’s RU career came to an end, and he ended up punting in the Canadian Football League for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Photo Cred: New York Post (Korsak)
The 2023 Regular Season
Things all came together for Rutgers in 2023, as the program made huge strides forward on its way to earning a traditional bowl bid. In Gavin Wimsatt’s first full year as the starting quarterback, it was running back Kyle Monangai who stood out. He amassed 1,262 yards during the season, with seven games over 100 rushing yards. The season started with a rare Sunday afternoon college football game against Big Ten opponent Northwestern on national television, with the Scarlet Knights dominating on offense and defense and setting the tone for 2023 with a 24-7 win.
Rutgers followed that up with two more home wins, 36-7 against Temple and 35-16 against Virginia Tech, both behind Monangai’s triple-digit rushing numbers and the defense’s various contributions. A tough test at Michigan had the Knights drop their first game of the season 31-7, despite only trailing 14-7 at halftime. RU would then bounce back with a 52-3 trouncing of Wagner the week after. You can read more about those games in my post-September review. Back on the road in Big Ten play, the Scarlet Knights fell to Wisconsin 24-13, but they defeated Michigan State 27-24 on homecoming the following week to earn their fifth win of the season.
That game saw Rutgers fall behind 24-6 against the Spartans, but they recovered a muffed punt for a TD and rode their newfound momentum to a sensational sequence of events. The Scarlet Knights forced a punt, scored another touchdown, recovered a long onside kick, and recorded another touchdown to take the lead. It was a remarkable comeback that saved their season, keeping the team’s bowl hopes alive in the pouring rain that afternoon. RU didn’t stop there, as they continued to execute on special teams and in the run game against Indiana. Wimsatt scored three touchdowns on the ground, including an 80-yard scamper down the field for a score. They would go on to beat the Hoosiers 31-14.
Photo Cred: San Diego Union-Tribune
Following the bye week, Rutgers hosted the #1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes to kick off the month of November. Once again, the defense proved to be tremendous, severely limiting the explosive OSU offense. Monangai stepped up on offense, rushing for 159 yards against one of the best defenses in the country, and sophomore kicker Jai Patel kicked three chip-shot field goals to give RU a 9-7 lead at halftime. However, in the second half, Wimsatt threw a pass off of Monangai’s hands that was returned for a pick-six by Buckeyes safety Jordan Hancock. Ohio State eventually found their gear in both the pass and run game, running away with the contest 35-16.
It was still a much more competitive effort against a very good team that competes with the best in the country and annually blows out the Scarlet Knights by 30-40 points at this point in the season. They struggled for the rest of November as well, going scoreless against a stout #22 Iowa defense in a 22-0 road loss. Despite only trailing 10-6 at halftime, RU fell to rival #12 Penn State 27-6 in Happy Valley. The season finale saw RU return home to face another rival in Maryland, a team that entered the Big Ten at the same time as Rutgers. As in years past, the Terrapins pulled away from the Scarlet Knights, racing off to a 28-3 start behind the arm of Taulia Tagovailoa, the all-time Big Ten passing leader.
Despite the Scarlet Knights attempting a comeback and only trailing 28-17 at halftime, the Terps dominated the rest of the game, comfortably winning by a score of 42-24. The Scarlet Knights fell to an even 6-6 record after starting the season 6-2, but it was still a successful year for the team. They once again swept their non-conference slate, defeated three tough Big Ten opponents, and played competitive football against some of the nation’s best teams. RU had clinched a bowl game in October and fought hard in November, and their reward was a trip to nearby New York City for a matchup with Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl at historic Yankee Stadium.
Photo Cred: KGET.com
Let’s See What Happened at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Rutgers made its presence known on the first play of the game, with a 22-yard run by Kyle Monangai putting the Scarlet Knights near midfield. RU proceeded to drive down the field and score a touchdown on the opening drive using the Tush Push formation popularized by the Philadelphia Eagles. After a huge Mohamed Toure sack on Miami quarterback Jacurri Brown, the Hurricanes were forced to punt and give the ball back to the Knights. A promising second drive stalled for them, though. Patel came up just short on a 53-yard field goal, which gave Miami the football with good field position.
However, Brown made a crucial mistake on third down, throwing an interception to RU defensive back Abram Wright. Rutgers then capitalized on the drive, with Monangai scoring a touchdown to give the Scarlet Knights a 14-0 lead. On the next Miami drive, Brown found his rhythm and drove the Canes down the field, assisted by some uncharacteristic penalties on a usually disciplined RU defense. Brown capped off the drive by sliding into the end zone baseball-style at Yankee Stadium, giving the “U” life. Miami seized the momentum at that point, forcing the Knights to punt before quickly driving down the field to kick a field goal to cut Rutgers’ lead to 14-10 at halftime.
Miami picked up where they left off early in the third quarter, with Brown and Hurricanes running back Henry Parrish driving the “U” down the field. Brown then hit star Miami receiver Xavier Restrepo for a 30-yard touchdown to give the Canes their first lead of the day, 17-14. Rutgers once again stalled in Miami territory, but punter Flynn Appleby pinned Miami deep inside their territory. The “Dark Side” defense stepped up again for the Scarlet Knights, forcing a three-and-out. Miami’s punt was subsequently blocked by Trevor Yeboah-Kodie and recovered in the end zone by Timmy Ward for a RU touchdown.
Photo Cred: Miami Herald
Yeboah-Kodie was a former lacrosse player at Brown whom Schiano personally sought out, while Ward had survived cancer and recovered from a torn ACL before walking onto the football team. It was definitely a surreal moment to see the two of them come up with a game-changing play like that. Rutgers rallied after the blocked punt TD, as has been a theme for them this season. After the teams exchanged punts, Monangai took over the game, breaking free for a 40-yard gain and advancing the Scarlet Knights to the Miami 1-yard line. Wimsatt punched the football in on the second Tush Push touchdown of the game to put the Scarlet Knights up 28-17 early in the fourth quarter.
On the ensuing Miami drive, the Hurricanes drove near midfield but were stopped on downs by the Scarlet Knights, giving Rutgers the ball back inside Miami territory. RU took seven minutes off the clock by utilizing their running backs Monangai and Samuel Brown V, eventually sending out Jai Patel. He hit a 35-yard field goal to put the Knights up 31-17 with just 2:35 left in the game. However, the game was not over just yet. Jacurri Brown once again led the Hurricanes down the field, working the sidelines and benefitting from a couple of pass interference calls on the Knights to score a touchdown with 27 seconds left in the game.
To make matters even more interesting, Miami recovered an onside kick to give themselves one final opportunity to tie the game. Once again, the Rutgers defense proved to be the strength of the team. Robert Longerbeam stopped Restrepo a yard short of the first down line and ended the game, holding up an upside-down “U” to celebrate their victory over the Hurricanes. At long last, the Scarlet Knights had become bowl champions, and now the first step toward RU reclaiming their former glory had finally been accomplished.
Photo Cred: Rutgers Athletics
Here’s a Look at the Upcoming Season
Looking ahead, the future of Scarlet Knights football is bright once again. Coach Schiano signed an extension that will keep him in Piscataway until 2030. Rutgers also extended both offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca and defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak until 2027, allowing the Knights to build on their success with the same leaders that got them there this year. Recruiting has continued to get better for RU, with some of the notable names joining the program including three-star quarterback AJ Surace, four-star running back Gabriel Winowich, and four-star defensive back Kaj Sanders. Four-star wide receiver Antonio White and three-star tight end Korey Duff Jr. also add to the impressive tally of recruits.
The Scarlet Knights will gain multiple players on offense, defense, and special teams, and they will return many key players next season as well. Defensive ends Wesley Bailey and Aaron Lewis, linebackers Tyreem Powell and Toure, and defensive backs Longerbeam and Flip Dixon will all return to the feared “Dark Side”, further ensuring that the defense will stay intact for another season. Monangai, the Big Ten’s leading rusher, will also return to provide RU a huge boost on offense. Brown V will look to retain his role in the backfield as well.
Photo Cred: Yahoo Sports
In the transfer portal, Rutgers looked to add a quarterback to compete with Gavin Wimsatt for the starting role. Wimsatt showed flashes of potential as a passer and made game-changing plays with his legs but has lacked consistency, finishing the season with the lowest accuracy among FBS quarterbacks. Former Minnesota quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis was added by the Scarlet Knights, so Wimsatt will either have to improve to keep his starting job or provide depth as a quality backup for RU. Other notable transfers joining the team include three-star DL Malcolm Ray from Florida State, Athan’s brother three-star WR Dino Kaliakmanis from Minnesota, and four-star WR Dymere Miller from Monmouth. In addition, a transfer wide receiver from last season was also ruled eligible for 2024. Naseim Brantley will further bolster Rutgers’ receiving room and allow the passing offense to take pressure off of the run game.
The 2024 Schedule
2024 should be another big season for the team, as Rutgers looks to build on their 7-6 season and make it to a better bowl game next year. The Scarlet Knights look to continue their dominance of the non-conference slate and start 3-0 once again, as they open 2024 with Howard and Akron at home before an early bye week. Their third match features a trip to Virginia Tech for a rematch of the team’s win over the Hokies this September. RU then returns home for their Big Ten opener, and they will have their hands full with College Football Playoff semifinalists Washington.
RU will then visit Nebraska before hosting Wisconsin, as the Scarlet Knights look to avenge recent losses to both programs. Rutgers then hosts UCLA before making a trip out to Los Angeles themselves to take on the USC Trojans. After a second bye week, RU hosts Minnesota before visiting Maryland, hosting Illinois, and ending the season in East Lansing to take on Michigan State. The Knights will avoid Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan, which are three of the top 10 teams in the nation. However, they will draw three of the Big Ten’s newcomers, as Washington, USC, and UCLA appear on the team’s schedule for the first time as conference opponents.
With the Scarlet Knights returning most of their defensive core as well as some key offensive starters, I fully expect them to capitalize on a softer schedule and win more than six games next season. Howard and Akron should be no match for the Scarlet Knights and, while Virginia Tech poses a tough challenge after showing improvement late this season, Rutgers is capable of winning that game as well. The losses may come to some of the newer opponents, as Washington, USC, and UCLA certainly won’t be easy tasks, while Wisconsin will be another tough home game for RU.
Photo Cred: Rutgers Athletics
Rutgers has to capitalize on their toss-up games once again, as matchups against Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Maryland could determine the course of the season. I would predict RU to win four out of those five games, with the lone loss coming to Maryland. Winning three non-conference games and four Big Ten games would give the Scarlet Knights seven wins, and that doesn’t even include the possibility of an upset win over Maryland, Wisconsin, or another Big Ten foe.
If Rutgers can win seven or eight games next season, they have a chance of going to a higher-profile bowl game with more national acclaim and facing a better opponent. Once the ball gets rolling, the Knights will be able to sustain their winning culture, acquire better players, and win more games. One day, they might even have a team capable of competing for a Big Ten championship! A more likely marker for the Scarlet Knights to set their eyes on is to qualify for the 12-team College Football Playoff, which is set to debut in 2024.
Although it may not happen next season, if Rutgers can continue their upward trajectory, the Scarlet Knights can have a shot at getting into the expanded CFP. They are capable of competing for a national championship in five to ten years with more than nine or 10 wins a season, something that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago.
Photo Cred: X.com
