Rutgers football: Five things we learned as Scarlet Knights go 3-0

Rutgers football is now 3-0 after beating Delaware. What we learned about the Scarlet Knights in Week 3.

Rutgers football is now 3-0, the Scarlet Knights starting strong

At halftime, Rutgers was up 35-10 on Delaware, the No. 6 team in the FCS. Last season, Delaware made the FCS Playoffs where they lost in the semifinals.

Rutgers has started the season strong with wins over Temple and Syracuse. They got on visiting Delaware early, up 14-0 early in the second quarter, and put up four touchdowns in the second quarter.

Rutgers is now 3-0 for the first time since 2014, which was the last season they made a bowl appearance.

It certainly was a solid opponent that Rutgers played on Saturday at SHI Stadium. The Fightin’ Blue Hens came into the game with a 2-0 record and No. 6 in the FCS. Last season, they won the Colonial Athletic Association and made the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs.

The win closes out the out-of-conference schedule for Rutgers ahead of the start of Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights travel to Ann Arbor where they will face No. 25 Michigan on Saturday.

Rutgers beats Syracuse 17-7: What we learned about the Scarlet Knights

Rutgers football beat Syracuse on Saturday, improving to 2-0. The Scarlet Knights showed that they have an elite defense in beating their old Big East rival.

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It was tight. It was at times ugly. But Rutgers football pulled out a 17-7 win at Syracuse on Sunday. With the victory, Rutgers improves to 2-0.

Syracuse is now 1-1 on the year.

The win comes after a sluggish start to the game as Rutgers managed just five first downs and 58 yards of total offense in the first half. But in the second half, a touchdown run by Kyle Monangai midway through the third quarter followed by Noah Vedral connecting with tight end Jovan Haskins for a 30-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter gave the Scarlet Knights the win.

Rutgers now heads into their final out of conference game against Delaware next week with momentum. Here is what we learned about the Scarlet Knights in Week 2:

Who’s starting for Rutgers vs. MSU? Scarlet Knights reveal depth chart on Monday

Rutgers released its depth chart on Monday, providing some insight into who the Spartans will battle against on Saturday.

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While we are still waiting to find out who will be starting at a few spots for the Spartans this week against Rutgers, at least we now have an idea who will be lining up for the Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers released its depth chart on Monday, providing some insight into who the Spartans will battle against on Saturday.

One key position for Rutgers that is still undetermined is similar to Michigan State — quarterback. The Scarlet Knights listed Artur Sitkowski “OR” Noah Vedral as potential starters for Saturday’s season-opener, with no clear answer of who will get the nod.

“First off, I thought all of the quarterbacks – this is a really, really good group. They’re together, they help each other. They’re competing but really a tremendous group of guys, led by (offensive coordinator) Sean Gleeson. He’s not only coordinating the offense but he’s coaching the quarterbacks and I think doing a tremendous job. But when you look at, there’s a reason it’s Art and Noah as the ‘or’ because they’ve kind of established themselves as the top two,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said during a virtual news conference Monday

Sitkowski, a junior from Old Bridge, N.J., has appeared in 11 career games for the Scarlet Knights with 1,587 passing yards, five touchdowns and 20 interceptions. Last year, Sitkowski played in three games before redshirting the remainder of the season.

Vedral, a graduate transfer from Nebraska, will potentially be making his first career appearance for Rutgers on Saturday. Vedral started his career at UCF before transferring to Nebraska when Scott Frost took the Cornhuskers’ job. In total, Vedral has appeared in 12 career games between UCF and Nebraska, and has 723 passing yards, one passing touchdown and one interception. He’s arguably more dangerous on the ground with 196 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.

Michigan State has yet to name their starting signal caller for Saturday’s season-opener, leaving us with potentially both teams making game time decisions at quarterback. Keep an eye out for the Spartans to release a depth chart later this week as well, but don’t be surprised if no clear cut starter is named at quarterback.

Check out this article from Chris Iseman of the Asbury Park Press for more feedback on Rutgers’ depth chart that was released on Monday

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