Handled Howard: Three takeaways from Rutgers football's season-opening victory over Bison
The Rutgers football team glided to a 44-7 victory over Howard in its 2024 season opener Thursday night at SHI Stadium on Busch campus. The Scarlet Knights (1-0, 0-0) have now won all five of their first games in head coach Greg Schiano’s second term and get the ball rolling in the right direction at the start of a much-anticipated season.
Here are three takeaways from the win.
Defense sets the tone
After Rutgers opened up the game with a punt on offense, the defense picked them up quickly after. The Bison (0-1, 0-0) were able to pick up two first downs on their first offensive possession. With the down and distance at third and seven near midfield, the secondary made their mark.
Howard quarterback Ja’Shawn Scroggins misfired a pass to his intended receiver. Senior defensive back Eric Rogers was able to make a good read on the throw to intercept it. With a block from true freshman defensive back Kaj Sanders who was making his collegiate debut, Rogers was able to run down the sidelines for a 52-yard pick six to open the scoring and ignite the home crowd.
“I was just doing my job,” Rogers said of his interception. “Coach Schiano always says, ‘Good defenses take the ball away, but elite defenses score.’ When I caught the ball, I was thinking, ‘I got to get in the endzone with it,’ and I was lucky enough to have blockers in front of me.”
The Knights defense kept the Bison scoreless after one quarter, only allowing them to gain 42 yards in the opening 15 minutes.
The offense was able to score later in the second quarter after senior quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis found senior wide receiver Dymere Miller for a two-yard touchdown out of the flat.
By the end of the first half, Rutgers led Howard 17-7 - a lead it was able to gain and keep after two quarters courtesy of an early, tide-turning defensive touchdown.
Kyle Monangai ties a career-high
After leading the Big Ten in rushing yards last season, it was expected that senior running back Kyle Monangai would flourish in his last season on the Banks.
And he would start his 2024 campaign off with a bang.
Monangai tied a career-high in rushing yards (165) on 19 carries against the Bison. He averaged 8.7 yards per carry and scored the Knights’ second touchdown of the game to put them up 24-7 with 8:06 to go in the third quarter.
His presence on the field was once again menacing as he was able to gallop for gains of 39 and 31 yards while finding open lanes on many occasions in Thursday night’s contest.
Who does Monangai attribute his performance to?
“The five guys up front,” he said. “That’s the easy answer, but it’s the only answer.”
Kenny Fletcher shines in his new role
Last season, junior tight end Kenny Fletcher made a big change.
The Delran, NJ, native, who played on the defensive line for the majority of his freshman and sophomore season, transitioned to tight end in last year’s Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl victory over Miami.
That change remained for the 2024 season as Fletcher made the start at the tight end position against Howard.
He fit in nicely on Thursday as he hauled in all four targets (tying a team-high) and finished third on the team in receiving yards with 31.
In the fourth quarter, with 4:16 remaining, Fletcher put the cherry on top for Rutgers when he caught a three-yard pass from Kaliakmanis to extend the Knights lead to 38-7.
“I think Kenny’s found a home at tight end,” Schiano said in his postgame press conference. “He’s going to be a work in progress all season - it’s so new to him. Some of the things you see are catches, but Kenny is a really violent blocker. We just have to make him consistently violent blocking and then (we’re) going to have a complete tight end.”
Rutgers will have a few days of rest before preparing for a September 7 matchup against Akron. Kickoff is scheduled for noon with the game being broadcast on Big Ten Network and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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