PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Jai Patel got Rutgers football on the board, making a solid 50-yard field goal during what was a really rough first half for the Scarlet Knights.
The points from the foot of Patel made it a 14-3 lead for Maryland.
Patel is now 14-for-16 on field goal attempts and has made two of his three field goal attempts from over 50 yards on the season. A member of the 2022 recruiting class, Patel was a redshirt last season and won the kicking job in the summer.
The kick from Patel had some extra leg to it.
The Scarlet Knights are on the board thanks to this FG by @JaiPatel44. 🤩
📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/Ouw6WBnnh9
— Rutgers On BTN (@RutgersOnBTN) November 25, 2023
Patel is quite an interesting story. A legacy (his two sisters both attended Rutgers), he suffered a collapsed lung during the spring of his senior year. He was rushed to the hospital.
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“Eventually it’s like – I just was so tight. I had trouble breathing,” Patel told Rutgers Wire.
“I called my mom and she helped me get me in the car and then we just rushed out.”
Patel recovered and when he arrived on campus in the summer, he was able to join the team fully for workouts.