The Rutgers football team escaped Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia, with a narrow 26-23 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday. Senior cornerback Robert Longerbeam ultimately sealed the win for the Scarlet Knights (3-0, 0-0) with an interception late in the fourth quarter.
Here are three takeaways from Rutgers’ first road victory of the season.
Passing game was the strength of the offense
Leading up to Saturday, many believed the Knights rushing attack would be the key to victory. Although senior running back Kyle Monangai and junior running back Samuel Brown V combined for all three touchdowns scored, senior quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis’ 269 passing yards led the way.
Kaliakmanis found success on a triple option play that allowed him to find an open receiver or tuck and run it himself, which offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca repeatedly ran.
Most importantly, he did it efficiently and when it mattered. He completed 16 of his 25 pass attempts, with the longest being to sophomore wide receiver Ian Strong for a 63-yard gain on the team’s final scoring drive.
Turnovers were the difference
A staple of teams led by head coach Greg Schiano is playing physically and having a knack for the ball. That was the case against the Hokies (2-2, 0-0), as Rutgers won the turnover battle 3-1, which doesn’t even include the safety forced by senior defensive lineman Wesley Bailey.
From setting the tone early, forcing a fumble on a punt and picking off Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones on what would end up being its final offensive snap, game-changing plays made the Knights the better team on Saturday.
Interesting play calls nearly cost win
Whether it be kicking virtually a chip shot field goal to go up three scores rather than going for it on fourth and goal, or punting instead of attempting a 53-yard field goal and handing the Hokies offense a good field position, there were plenty of opportunities for this game to be a convincing win for Rutgers.
“You call it aggressive, I call it believing in my guys,” Schiano said when referring to the decision of kicking a long field goal in that situation.
The Knights surrendered their 16-point lead but battled back and marched down the field for junior kicker Jai Patel to boot the eventual game-winning field goal. It wasn’t pretty, but the team’s resilience to withstand the momentum shifts and still emerge victorious is a valuable lesson for this group.
Rutgers will return to Piscataway to prepare for its Big Ten opener against Washington on Friday night. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. and be broadcast on FOX and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
“Certainly there’s a bunch of stuff coaching and playing that we’ll clean up but to be able to do what we did is important moving forward,” Schiano said.
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