Tag: Kyle Monangai

Rutgers football loses at Michigan State: Five things we learned

Five things we learned as Rutgers football lost at Michigan State.

Rutgers football battled and had their chances but ultimately fell short on Saturday afternoon. Michigan State beat Rutgers 27-21 in Big Ten action.

Rutgers has now lost two straight games and is 4-6 (1-6 Big Ten). But in this game, Rutgers showed quite a bit despite being a loss.

Freshman quarterback Gavin Wimsatt bounced back from some struggles last week, showing some more polish and poise. Wimsatt threw for two touchdown passes and didn’t turn the ball over once, finishing 20-of-34 for 236 yards.

Wimsatt didn’t have a turnover.

Most impressive for Rutgers was the fact that the Scarlet Knights didn’t hang their heads. They showed fight against adversity but self-inflicted wounds cost Rutgers in this one.

Five things we learned from Rutgers football in Saturday’s game at Michigan State!

 

Watch: Kyle Monangai puts Rutgers football up on Wagner

Kyle Monangai rumbles in for Rutgers football’s first touchdown of the game.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — A two-yard touchdown run got Rutgers football up early on Wagner as Kyle Monangai continued his strong form to start the season.

Monangai’s two-yard dive into the end zone secured a 7-0 lead for Rutgers at 7:52 in the first quarter. It was the punctuation point on an 11-play, 62-yard drive that featured all runs.

The drive featured the first collegiate start for Gavin Wimsatt. The quarterback would throw his first career touchdown pass later in the first quarter.

It was Monangai’s sixth-career touchdown run. Last week in Rutgers’ season opening 22-21 win at Boston College, Monangai had 64 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

Here is Monangai’s touchdown run:

 

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The emergence of Monangai in the backfield is important for Rutgers to offset the loss of Isiah Pacheco. The team’s leading rusher last season, the All-Big Ten selection was a seventh-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs and made the 53-man roster after an impressive training camp and preseason.

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Rutgers vs. Wagner: Prediction, point spread, odds, best bet

Rutgers takes on Wagner in home opener Saturday. Check out the lines provided by Tipico, see how you should place your bets

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights play the Wagner Seahawks on Saturday, and if you’re looking to do some last-minute betting research, you’re in luck! We’ll give you the latest point spread, money line odds and over/under number, as well as the information you’ll need to make the smartest bet at Tipico Sportsbook.

The game starts at 4:00 p.m. E.T. and can be seen on the Big Ten Network.

Rutgers started the season 1-0 after barely scraping by against Boston College for a 22-21 road victory. They knew the ACC squad would be a challenge, but some early sloppy play led to a two score deficit. Rutgers’ offensive line and defense would step up huge in the second half and allow the Scarlet Knights to march back on the back of running backs Kyle Monangai and Al-Shadee Salaam.

Wagner started their season with a loss. The FCS program is currently on a 21 game losing streak and things are not looking up for the Seahawks. Rutgers has a strong history against non-FBS opponents, and don’t expect that to change on Saturday. Look for Rutgers to get out to an early lead, continue to pile on, and get some valuable playing time for their younger players en route to a blowout victory in their home opener. Fans attending the game should plan to get there early and stay late as there are festivities surrounding the contest. Saturday’s game is being billed as the “Back to the Birthplace Game” with a pre-game parade and post-game fireworks.

[tipico]

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Five Takeaways from Rutgers victory at Boston College

Five key takeaways from Rutgers vs Boston College

Week 1 for Rutgers football’s 2022 season is officially in the books, and the final chapter was riveting.

In a game that was sloppy from both teams at times and on both sides of the ball, the Scarlet Knights were able to hang with the Eagles after a rough first half and secured the road victory, 22-21, to start the year 1-0.

Both of these programs are in the midst of rebuilds and it showed early.

The Knights came into this one on an 11 game losing streak against their former Big East conference mates. With so much uncertainty already coming into the game, Rutgers received some rough news in the hours leading up to kickoff. USA TODAY Network – New Jersey’s Chris Iseman reported prior to the game that starting quarterback Noah Vedral, starting running back Aaron Young, and tight end Matt Alaimo would all be out for Week 1 and are considered week-to-week.

Week 1 will not make or break the season for Rutgers, but a focus in practice this week will have to be to find clear roles for everyone on the offense once the injuries are figured out, and cleaning up the sloppy play and penalties. But they will also be able to celebrate the play of the offensive line and the running game.

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Let’s check out the keys to Saturday’s exciting one-point victory at Boston College.

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Four-star Samuel Brown, a new position coach and no Isiah Pacheco highlights an evolving Rutgers running backs room

Kyle Monangai reacts to a new running backs coach and four-star Samuel Brown joining Rutgers football.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Redshirt sophomore Kyle Monangai is now one of the leaders and upperclassmen of the running backs room for Rutgers football. It is a position group that has seen some significant changes this offseason.

First, Isiah Pacheco is gone, the All-Big Ten selection taking his talent to the NFL where he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. And now Andrew Aurich is the new running backs coach, as he shifts from his previous role with the offensive line in a swapping of positions with Augie Hoffman.

For Monangai, who is expected to have a greater role in the offense this season, the changes are all good things. One of the new faces in the room is freshman Samuel Brown, a four-star running back who joined the program in June.

Oh, and Brown is fast. NFL caliber-fast. Cheetah fast.

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Monangai has been impressed with Brown so far.

“Sam’s great. Yeah, he’s got a good head on his shoulders and he’s doing everything he needs to do,” Monangai said on Wednesday following practice.

Aurich spent the previous two years coaching the offensive line and now shifts to the running backs room. It isn’t an easy task for Aurich, given that Rutgers lost a running back in Pacheco who was arguably the best player on their roster a season ago.

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Monangai was asked about how Aurich is settling in with the unit and his new role.

“So he was obviously the O-Line coach last year and now he’s running back coach. It is giving us a different perspective,” Monangai said.

“I’d say you know, the O-Line perspectives run game stuff. Pass protection stuff has been different too. And it’s good to get coaching tips from a different perspective.”

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Kyle Monangai’s ‘arrow is pointing up’ according to Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano

Rutgers football running back Kyle Monangai is poised for a bigger role in the offense.

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One of the bright spots on offense for Rutgers football this year is the emergence of Kyle Monangai. The freshman running back has looked solid and put together some quality production through the season’s first seven games.

Monangai has 125 rushing yards on 34 carries along with three rushing touchdowns. His hard, physical running between the tackles has been a big presence for a Rutgers offense that at times has struggled to move the ball this year, especially in Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights are 3-4 on the year and have lost their last four games, all in Big Ten play.

And with Monangai seemingly improving as the season is wearing on, the freshman running back will likely see an uptick in carries and snaps. His ability to churn out yards and keep the pile moving are attributes that could and should help Rutgers as they look to snap a four-game losing streak this Saturday at Illinois (3-5).

“Yeah, I think Kyle’s improved every step of the way since he’s joined our program. Kyle is a legitimate Big Ten back,” head coach Greg Schiano told reporters on Monday. “I think he runs extremely hard. He’s decisive. Has he made some mistakes? Sure. We all have, but I think his arrow is up. I think he’s a promising, promising running back into sleep.”

Monangai is coming off a game two weeks ago where he had 31 rushing yards on six carries in a 21-7 loss at Northwestern.

His emergence this year comes after a recruitment two years ago that saw Monangai a bit under the radar despite playing at national powerhouse Don Bosco Prep. Besides Rutgers, Monangai’s only other Power Five offer was from Pac-12 program Cal.