Rutgers football's Kyle Monangai recognized by Big Ten, coaches for early season dominance
On Monday, senior running back Kyle Monangai was presented with another award to add to his already prestigious career with the Rutgers football team.
The 2023 Big Ten regular season rushing yards leader was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his career-high 208-yard, three-touchdown game against Akron on Saturday.
This is Monangai's second such honor in his career, as he also received the recognition after racking up 143 rushing yards and three trips to the end zone against Virginia Tech last season.
The Scarlet Knights (2-0, 0-0) have scored 93 total points in their first two games of the season, and Monangai is a big reason for the early offensive surge. His four touchdowns on the year account for 24 of the 93 points Rutgers has put on the scoreboard. He has compiled a Big Ten-leading 373 rushing yards, putting him in second across the nation through the first two weeks of Division I play.
Monangai has also received rave reviews from his coaches.
"He's a really patient runner, has great vision and then when he decides to go, he's violent," head coach Greg Schiano said after the win over the Bison (1-1, 0-0).
Offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca shares the same sentiment, stating the importance of having a player like Monangai on the team.
"Having a great back, there's no substitute for that," Ciarrocca said. "I can't over-speak the value that he has to our offense. Just the ability to make the two-yard runs five-yard runs, the five-yard runs 12-yard runs, the 12-yard runs 55-yard runs."
Monangai, Schiano and Ciarrocca, as well as the rest of the Knights, now enter their first bye week of the 2024 season, hoping to refresh and improve on their performances from the first two matchups of the year.
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