Rutgers Week 1 Takeaways

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are opening up their season with a win. The Scarlet Knights defeated the Howard Bison with a score of 44-7. This is a big win for a team with high hopes this year. Here is a look at the early takeaways for the season opener against Howard.

The Rutgers Offense is More Consistent

There is definitely room for improvement, but there are signs of hope for the Scarlet Knights offense. When Athan Kaliakmanis joined the Scarlet Knights, the hope was for more consistency. It took some time, and there are things that need to improve, but the consistency looks a lot better than in past seasons. There is more of a passing game now to help give Kyle Monangai a break and open up the offense more. The passes were not anything crazy, but they were simple in the best way. Kaliakmanis did not throw an interception and just made sure to get positive yards on the play. It took a couple of drives, but then the offense got rolling and into the endzone. As chemistry continues to build, the offense should succeed this year.

In his first game as a Scarlet Knight, Kaliakmanis completed 15 passes out of 24 attempts for 147 yards and three touchdowns, according to ESPN. He is not a runner but uses his legs to extend plays when needed. He rushed the ball six times for 43 yards. He can work on hitting some of his targets better or even getting a better rhythm early in the game, but there is consistency that was not there before.

Offensive Line Success

A big reason for the success of the Rutgers offense is the offensive line. They are big, and they will force the run game to get positive yards down the middle. On the pass protection, they gave Kaliakmanis time to find his man for the majority of snaps. This is a good sign for this offense. There were times that Kaliakmanis was under pressure, and as the Scarlet Knights face tougher opponents it will only get harder, but this will help the offense move down the field.

In just week one, Monangai tied his career high with 165 yards and one touchdown, according to ESPN. Monangai is a strong player who can break tackles, but many plays were successful for a short gain due to the offensive line. If they can keep this up, the Rutgers offense should be able to score more points and stay competitive.

Defense Needs to Step Up in the Middle of the Field

While the Rutgers defense was just as strong, there is always room for improvement. The Howard offense did well running down the field, especially when done by quarterback Ja’Shawn Scroggins. Containing the quarterback will be something for this defense to work on moving forward. The Rutgers defense did well stopping the run outside of that but needs to be quicker getting to the players.

The coverage by the defense did well, but they need to close in on the receivers quicker. As the game went on, this was something that improved.

The Rutgers Defense Shows High Energy

If there is one thing that is clear, it is that the Rutgers defense came out ready to play. They were full of energy, and each successful play got them more and more amped up. This energy translates into how they play the field. The defense pushed to finish each play until the final whistle. This included going for the ball on an incomplete pass, just in case it was completed and dropped. Eric Rogers got the interception because he never gave up on the play. This energy will be needed moving forward, and hopefully the win in week one will help encourage that.

This was an overall strong start for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. There are definitely places to improve, but scoring over 40 points and keeping the opponent to under ten points is a great way to begin the season. Next up, Rutgers will face the Akron Zips at SHI Stadium on September 7th.