PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Rutgers football is 1-0, putting together a thorough and comprehensive 24-7 win over Northwestern on Sunday afternoon. It was an impressive performance in a Big Ten game for what was the season opener for both teams.
Rutgers scored on their first three drives (a touchdown pass followed by a touchdown run from Gavin Wimsatt and a 32-yard field goal from Jai Jai Patel) to get out to a 17-0 lead.
(And don’t forget a tremendous block from Kyle Monangai as well).
The defense was solid, forcing Northwestern quarterback Ben Bryant into two interceptions. The Wildcats were limited to just 201 yards of total offense, the lowest total allowed by Rutgers in a conference game since they joined the Big Ten in 2014.
Saying “I was really confident in our guys,” head coach Greg Schiano believed after training camp that his team was ready for this game.
“I just saw how our team worked and how our leadership led during training camp. We had a really tough training camp; those of you that covered it know that,” Schiano said.
“But the leadership of our team ran the team, and that’s why they were able to go out and play. Like I said, I thought Gavin played a clean game; I thought our team played a clean game, and that’s attributable to those leaders.”
Wimsat finished with 163 passing yards in 17-of-29 attempts. He threw for a touchdown in the first quarter and ran for a touchdown in the second quarter.
The offense didn’t turn the ball over while the defense forced Northwestern into two turnovers.
Scroll down and check out the best photos from Sunday’s Big Ten win from Rutgers football!