Tag: Scarlet Knights

History of the Matchup: Rutgers football vs. Iowa

Let’s take a look back at the history between Rutgers football and Iowa

Week 4 of the college football season is imminent and for many programs, Rutgers included, this means one thing: In-Conference play is finally here.

The Scarlet Knights headed to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia for a Week 3 matchup against the Temple Owls. In a game in which they were favored by more than 20 points (courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook) by kickoff, the Knights left the City of Brotherly Love with a few bruises and scratches and most importantly – the victory.

Freshman quarterback Gavin Wimsatt joined the growing list of injured players to close out the first quarter. This, coupled with sloppy play and a struggling offensive line, led to Rutgers escaping Philly with a 16-14 victory to move to 3-0 on the season for the second consecutive year. Now – they will look to go 4-0 for the first time since 2012 where they ended up in the top 25 for a large chunk of the season.

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This Saturday’s matchup will be the third time overall where Rutgers and Iowa faced off (2016, 2019) – and all three times will end up being the Big Ten opener for both squads in those seasons.

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History has not been kind to the Scarlet Knights when it comes to the Hawkeyes. Their first matchup came back in 2016, which was not a good year for Rutgers. However, the Iowa game may have been their best of the season. An injury and getting stopped short on third and fourth-downs during a fourth quarter drive halted any hopes the Knights had to upset the Hawkeyes. Rutgers fell 14-7. Several NFL players were in this contest, including Sebastian Joseph-Day from Rutgers and George Kittle from Iowa.

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Their most recent matchup was not as close. 2019 was another rough season in Piscataway as Rutgers finished the year 2-10. Iowa made sure they handled their business handily this time around, dominating on their way to a 30-0 home victory. New Jersey native Ihmir Smith-Marsette caught two touchdowns for the Hawkeyes, and current starting quarterback (then backup) Spencer Petras even saw some light action at the end of the game. Now Kansas City Chief Isiah Pacheco was the team’s leading rusher and receiver on a day where the offense was held to an abysmal 125 yards from scrimmage.

Rutgers is in a much different place than they were in the previous two matchups, but still a rebuilding program at this time. Iowa may not have the same hype they did in 2019, but are still a top team in the Big Ten – West. Let’s take a look back at the history between the programs.

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Rutgers football rising in latest USA TODAY 1-131 re-rank

Let’s see where Rutgers stands compared to the rest of the Big Ten in the latest USA TODAY 1-131 re-rank

Rutgers football continued their winning ways in Week 3 of the college football season. They went into enemy territory and took down a game Temple Owls squad in Philadelphia, once again capitalizing on a key play from the defense to hold on for the 16-14 victory to move to 3-0 on the season for the second consecutive season.

The Scarlet Knights did add to their injury difficulties as one of the quarterbacks in the rotation, Gavin Wimsatt, left the field limping as the first quarter came to a close. Although he was seen with his helmet on, roaming the sidelines during the rest of the game – he did not return. With only one healthy scholarship quarterback available heading into Big Ten play, this will be an important situation to watch closely.

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Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY, released his weekly re-rank of all 131 FBS schools Monday morning and Rutgers, despite struggling against a team ranked in the 100’s, saw a slight increase in their ranking – jumping up six spots to No. 52. The rest of the Big Ten stayed close to their rankings last week, with only five teams swinging more than 10 spots from last week.

Northwestern’s struggles have then plummeting down the rankings. After being No. 51 after Week 1, the Wildcats are now down to No. 102 – one of two squads to from the Big Ten to be in the triple digits (Nebraksa). Indiana saw the largest jump in the conference, moving up 19 sports to No. 73. Three programs now sit in the top six of the rankings, and nine schools are in the top half with Illinois just in the bottom half at No. 68.

The easiest portion of Rutgers’ schedule is now behind them and they have some question marks heading into their first in-conference matchup at home against Iowa. The Hawkeyes are ranked just four spots above the Scarlet Knights so there will be drastic movement between these two teams in next week’s rankings. Iowa had trouble scoring in the first two weeks but dropped 27 in a Week 3 bounce-back against Nevada. No Big Ten matchup is easy, but if one of the injured QBs can get healthy in time, Rutgers may just make it a 4-0 start.

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Let’s check out how the Scarlet Knights compare to the rest of the Big Ten in the 1-131 re-rank.

Last week’s rank Teams This week’s rank
3 Ohio State 3
4 Michigan 4
8 Penn State 6
23 Michigan State 36
51 Maryland 37
48 Minnesota 39
47 Wisconsin 46
53 Iowa 48
58 Rutgers 52
68 Illinois 68
59 Purdue 70
92 Indiana 73
85 Northwestern 102
108 Nebraska 113

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Rutgers vs. Temple: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Saturday

Injury report, key players, and how to watch Rutgers vs. Temple on Saturday September 16.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights play the Temple Owls on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. ET, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

Rutgers is off to a 2-0 start for the second consecutive season after a dominating victory in Week 2 over an FCS opponent in Wagner. The Scarlet Knights were victorious 66-7 over the Seahawks. They were able to clean up some of the sloppy penalties and mistakes that led to their very tight Week 1 matchup against Boston College. Now they face off with the Temple Owls, a program they have a long history with, in a Week 3 tilt. The Scarlet Knights will look to match their start 3-0 start from 2021.

Temple is not much of a threat to prevent that from happening. They do sit at 1-1 on the season, but the expectations aren’t high on Broad Street in 2022. The Owls have not done much on offense this season. Defensively, they have been very strong on third down – holding opposing teams to a 16 percent conversion rate. Regardless, this should be a nice afternoon and come Sunday evening, the Knights should be 3-0.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: Saturday, September 17, 2022
  • Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: Big Ten Network (BTN), ESPN+
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

Rutgers at Temple injury report:

Rutgers:

  • TE Matt Alaimo – Questionable (Undisclosed), DL Mohamed Toure – Out for season (knee), QB Noah Vedral – Questionable (Undisclosed), LB Moses Walker – Out for season (knee), RB Aaron Young – Questionable (Undisclosed)

Temple:

  • TE David Martin-Robinson – Questionable (Undisclosed)

Players to watch:

Al-Shadee Salaam (Rutgers – RB): Salaam was the Rutgers Wire player of the game on offense in Week 1 due to his impact on the go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter. In his first two collegiate games, the true freshman has two touchdowns on 13 carries, accumulating 122 yards on the ground. He has also added three catches for 43 yards so far this season.

Johnny Langan (Rutgers – TE): Langan is a former quarterback turned tight end. The New Jersey native has been a jack-of-all-trades for the Scarlet Knights, showing flashes in every aspect of the offense. Through two weeks, Langan has three receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown, seven rushes for 42 yards, and has thrown one pass that resulted in a 43 yard touchdown.

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Watch: Rutgers baseball’s Hugh Pinkney breaks tie in U-18 World Cup

Rutgers baseball class of 2023 commit Hugh Pinkney came up clutch in the WBSC U-18 World Cup for Team Canada

The WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup is currently being held in Bradenton Sarasota, Florida and there is a familiar face playing for the team from Canada.

A member of the class of 2023, Hugh Pinkney is playing for his native Canada in the World Cup. In Monday ngiht’s game against Team USA, Pinkney came to the dish in the top of the third inning with two outs and the bases loaded. The catcher came up big with an opposite field hit, driving in two clutch RBIs to give his team the lead 3-1.

Pinkney finished the game going 2-for-4 with three RBIs, but his team would end up on the losing end of this one. Team USA rallied late to come back and win 7-6. Canada moved to 0-3 in the tournament.

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The games  began on September 9 and wrap with the Championship on September 22. A member of the class of 2023, Pinkney committed to Rutgers over some other top schools in the nation. The catcher/outfielder was even drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 2022 MLB Draft, but decided to stay with the Scarlet Knights and pursue an education.

Pinkney spoke with Rutgers Wire after his commitment about why he chose to play for the Scarlet Knights:

“I committed to Rutgers because of the opportunity to earn a degree from a school with the academic reputation like Rutgers,” Pinkney told ‘Rutgers Wire’ this weekend.

“Also, the opportunity to play Big Ten baseball with an up and coming program, with great coaches was too good to pass up.”

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Five Takeaways from Rutgers dominant victory over Wagner

Rutgers moves to 2-0 after a dominant victory over Wagner. Check out the keys to the game for the Scarlet Knights

Week 2 of the Rutgers football season is in the books. Chapter 2 of the story for the 2022 Scarlet Knights will be titled: Unsurprising Dominance.

Rutgers took on the Wagner in their home opener on Saturday and finished a rout of the FCS program, 66-7. In a game being billed as the “Back to the Birthplace Game,” fans got to see a parade and participate in other pregame activities. There were also fireworks scheduled for after the contest, but fans in attendance at SHI stadium saw some early fireworks on the gridiron.

Rutgers got out to an early lead, closing the first quarter out with a 28-0 lead and piled on throughout the rest of the game while head coach Greg Schiano moved into the top spot for coaching wins at Rutgers University. Even though they struggled offensively at times in Week 1, this result is surprising to no one. Wagner came into the contest losers of 21 straight contests – their last win coming back in September of 2019.

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The thing to watch in this one was to see if they could clean up some of the sloppy play and mistakes that led to such a close Week 1 win over Boston College. Let’s take a look at the keys to the game from the dominant Week 2 victory for the Scarlet Knights.

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Watch: Johnny Langan throws deep TD pass

Watch: Johnny Langan does it all as he throws a 43 yard touchdown pass

Tight end/quarterback/jack-of-all-trades Johnny Langan made an impact once again during Rutgers football’s game against Wagner. This time, in the passing game.

Normally listed as a tight end, Langan often sees action under center as the quarterback when the Scarlet Knights are in the wildcat formation. Most people expected Saturday’s game to be a blow out which is the perfect time to try some things you might not normally rely on in tightly contested matchups.

Langan took his second direct snap in a row to close out the first quarter. After a three-yard run on first down, he looked to pass on second-and-seven with his team up 21-0. He made the most of this one, airing it out down the field for a 43 yard touchdown to wide receiver Isaiah Washington to extend the Rutgers lead.

The senior utility man’s arm strength was on full display, throwing the ball over 40 yards in the air before Washington hauled it in and took the ball the last few yards for six. The ensuing point-after put the Scarlet Knights up 28-0.

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Showing what he can do in all facets of the offense, Langan wasn’t done as he also caught a touchdown pass before the half was done. Rutgers went into halftime leading 38-7. Langan finished a strong half with 43 passing yards and a touchdown, 10 receiving yards and a touchdown, and added eight rushing yards for good measure.

History of the Matchup: Rutgers football vs. non-FBS schools

Rutgers plays Wagner on Saturday. Check out their recent history vs. non-FBS schools

Rutgers football is off to a 1-0 start for the third season in a row. The Scarlet Knights barely scratched and clawed out a 22-21 victory in Week 1 vs. Boston College. Now, they are preparing for a matchup against the Wagner Seahawks.

The Scarlet Knights take on the FCS program in what is being billed as the “Back to the Birthplace Game.” There will be celebrations and a parade prior to the game and a fireworks celebration after the game. Based on how these two teams are currently built, you will see some fireworks on the gridiron inside SHI Stadium as well. Wagner comes in on a 21 game losing streak that dates back to September of 2019. Usually, fans will look for any hint on why their team will win and history is a good place to start.

Well, this is the first time these programs have ever faced off so there is no history to look at. In fact, it is the first time Wagner has ever played against a Big Ten opponent. I would expect Rutgers to dominate this matchup, so no need to attempt to read the proverbial tea leaves to find out how Rutgers might come out on top. It is almost a given.

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Instead, we are going to pivot to show how the Scarlet Knights have performed against non-FBS schools in the past. Rutgers has not always been a powerful team. There were some dark years in both ancient and recent history. However, they have taken care of business overall against non-FBS schools. They have a 453-339-33 versus non-FBS programs all-time. Against such programs that they have only played one time, the Knights are 29-15-1.

Rutgers has not lost to a FCS opponent since 2004, when they dropped a matchup against New Hampshire, 35-24. They should win this week’s matchup handily, but let’s take a quick look back at the last decade-plus of Rutgers vs. non-FBS schools.

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Commitment alert: Rutgers football lands five-star long snapper Jake Eldridge

Rutgers gets a five-star commit in long snapper Jake Eldridge

Rutgers football landed a commitment on Monday night from long snapper Jake Eldridge. The verbal from Eldridge is significant as he is a five-star prospect.

The IMG Academy product is ranked as one of the top long snappers in the nation. According to the Rubio Long Snapping rankings, he is the second-best long snapper in the nation and ranked a five-star.

Eldridge holds offers from Rutgers, UCLA, and Air Force.

 

Eldridge previously committed to UCLA as a walk on, but has switched his commitment to Rutgers after a good visit back in June. He liked the facilities and the people during his first ever visit to the Garden State.

“First off, everyone in the area seemed really nice and welcoming, which is good to see,” Eldridge said. “I’d never been to New Jersey before so I didn’t know what to expect. I really loved the town and the campus. It was not your usual campus with them having three campuses so I wasn’t sure how I was going to like that, but I loved it when I was there.“

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Fans know that it is not often that offers are made to long snappers, and the Texas native is well aware also. Head coach Greg Schiano’s emphasis on special teams over the years really stood out to the highly touted prospect.

“I picked them because they showed me the most love from Day One. Being a special teams player, I’ve seen that is the school that values special teams the most out of any, which is really important for me. I am very grateful for the opportunity they gave me, and for believing in me. I know there are not a lot of offers like that going out to snappers. For it to be at a school I am really happy with is exciting.“

There are currently two former Scarlet Knights in the NFL who are currently long snappers, although they played multiple positions while in Piscataway. Clark Harris (left in 2007) is snapping for the Cincinatti Bengals, while Andrew DePaola is playing for the Minnesota Vikings and has been in the league since 2014. 

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Watch: Rutgers running back Al-Shadee Salaam scores first career TD

Rutgers football running back Al-Shadee Salaam pulls off a highlight running play in the season opener to clinch the win

Redshirt freshman running back Al-Shadee Salaam saw his first collegiate action in Rutgers’ victory over Boston College on Saturday and he made his time count.

Prior to the game, starting running back Aaron Young was ruled out for the contest, which opened the door for younger backs like Salaam to see more field time.

With the Scarlet Knights down late in the fourth quarter and pinned at their own four-yard line, they chopped the Golden Eagles defense with run after run. Salaam capped off a 12-play, 96-yard drive of all runs with an electric 22-yard run for a touchdown with just 2:43 left to play in the game to tie the game for the first time since the score was 0-0. Rutgers hit the PAT to take their first lead of the game, 22-21, and the score would remain as such when the clock ran out.

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Salaam bounced to the outside once with good spacing and bounced outside one more time following a key block from wide receiver Shameen Jones downfield. Salaam finished second on the team in rushing with 53 yards on five carries. That’s an average of 10.6 yards per carry on a day where the rushing game dominated to the tune of 212 total yards.

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With Salaam showing some explosiveness and Young’s status uncertain, don’t be surprised to see him get more and more action in the coming weeks.

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Rutgers football: Aaron Young and Matt Alaimo OUT vs. Boston College

Aaron Young and Matt Alaimo are out for Saturday’s season opener against Boston College.

Rutgers football will be living the “next man up” mentality in Week 1 and the game hasn’t even kicked off yet. Running back Aaron Young, expected to be at the top of the backfield rotation, and tight end Matt Alaimo, second on the depth chart, have both been ruled OUT for today’s season opened against Boston College.

Saturday morning has been a busy one for the USA TODAY Network – New Jersey’s Chris Iseman. He already reported that returning starting quarterback and captain Noah Vedral will be missing the season opener. Now, his sources have confirmed that Young and Alaimo will also miss Game 1 on the Scarlet Knight schedule. Head coach Greg Schiano noted to the media that Young was questionable earlier in the week, but the Alaimo injury came as a surprise. All three players are listed as day-to-day with undisclosed injuries.

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Schiano already planned to have a rotation at the running back position. Expect Kyle Monangai to see the lion’s share of the snaps with young backs in sophomore Al Shadee-Salaam and incoming freshman Samuel Brown likely to see more snaps than previously expected.

Young was the backup to now Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco last season. He finished with 205 yards on 56 carries (3.7 ypc) and five touchdowns. In very limited field time, Alaimo caught five passes for 50 yards in 2021.

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A lot of players who were expected to learn this season and become the future of the program are going to have a trial by fire today. Rutgers fans should be excited to see flashes of what the future of the program will look like.

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