Tag: Gavin Wimsat

Rutgers football adds quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis in the transfer portal…what does it all mean?

Athan Kaliakmanis and Gavin Wimsatt will now battle it out for Rutgers.

On Tuesday, Rutgers football added Athan Kaliakmanis from the transfer portal. The quarterback, who spent the last two years at Minnesota, is experienced and fits the Rutgers offense perfectly.

Why is he such a perfect fit? Well, former Kirk Ciarrocca recruited Kaliakmanis when he was the Minnesota offensive coordinator in 2021. The quarterback ended up starting several games by the 2022 season. Ciarrocca is now the offensive coordinator at Rutgers.

This past season showed some of the promise in Kaliakmanis. As a sophomore, Kaliakmanis completed 53.1 percent of his passes for 1,831 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Solid numbers in the Big Ten.

What does this transfer portal addition mean for Rutgers football? How about incumbent starter Gavin Wimsatt? And where does and can Athan Kaliakmanis fit in at Rutgers?

Scroll down and check out what the Athan Kaliakmanis transfer means for Rutgers football.

Rutgers football got a Big Ten caliber performance from its offensive line on Saturday

The offensive line stepped up in a major way for Rutgers football on Saturday.

Experience mattered for Rutgers football, who got a massive outing from its offensive line on Saturday afternoon. The line paved the way for Rutgers to run its way to a win at Indiana and a third Big Ten win of the season.

Part of the reason why the line has looked so dramatically improved is experience. The unit has, by and large, played together for the past three years and boasts significant experience.

Then there is the experience of [autotag]Pat Flahert[/autotag]y, in his first year as the offensive line coach at Rutgers but by no means in his first year coaching an offensive line.

Flaherty holds two decades of experience coaching in the NFL and his background and experience have been vital in turning an inconsistent line into a very strong unit.

On Saturday, Rutgers had 276 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in a 31-14 win at Indiana.

“It starts up front. The guys have gotten better every single week. Are we where we want to be? No. But we’re just getting better every week, and that’s our goal,” head coach Greg Schiano told reporters after the game.

Early in the fourth quarter, Gavin Wimsatt went on an 80-yard touchdown run.

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On an RPO, Wimsatt followed some good blocking, made a tremendous cut and then combined speed with some nice downfield blocking for the longest touchdown run of his collegiate career.

His 143 rushing yards were the most in the game for either side and was tthe highest rushing total of his career.

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“As long as we can keep the arrow going that way.  That was a heck of a play,” Schiano said.

“It really was a great read by him. Everything was done just right by him for that play to work. It’s not an easy one to read. He did it all very well. We needed it.”

Gallery: Here are the best photos as Rutgers football takes care of business, downs Northwestern

Rutgers football delivers a big result in their Big Ten opening win.

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!