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Rutgers Improves To 4-0 After The Scarlet Knights Hold Off Washington, 21-18

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Football

Rutgers football (4-0, 1-0) opened Big Ten play with a 21-18 win over Washington (3-2, 1-1) on Friday night at SHI Stadium. The victory moved the Scarlet Knights to 4-0 for the first time since 2012.

RB Samuel Brown V and RB Kyle Monangai each registered a rushing touchdown, while QB Athan Kaliakmanis connected with WR Ian Strong for a 15-yard touchdown pass. Monangai finished with 25 carries for 132 yards – his 11th career game with 100 or more yards on the ground.

LB Dariel Djabome finished with a team-high 10 tackles, with DB Desmond Igbinosun and DB Eric Rogers each producing eight stops.
 
 FIRST QUARTER
Defense was at a premium in the opening 15 minutes, with a 22-yard field goal from the Huskies serving as the only score in the first quarter. However, RU kickstarted its first scoring drive of the game towards the end of the opening period, with Kaliakmanis finding WR Chris Long for a 19-yard completion and then rushing up the middle for 13 more to set up Rutgers in Washington territory heading into the second quarter.
 
SECOND QUARTER
Monangai capped a 15-play, 75-yard scoring drive with a one-yard touchdown run to give Rutgers its first lead of the night at 7-3 with 11:26 left before half. It marked Monangai's sixth touchdown of the season and 20th of his career.

The Scarlet Knights' defense continued its strong effort, holding the Huskies to just 82 yards of offense and forcing a 42-yard field goal miss midway through the quarter. Both teams continued to trade possessions before RU ended the half with a touchdown. After a Washington penalty put Rutgers into the red zone, Kaliakmanis found Strong for a 15-yard touchdown pass. The scoring play gave the Scarlet Knights a 14-3 lead at halftime.
 
THIRD QUARTER
The Huskies tallied the lone score of the third quarter thanks to QB Will Rogers, who found WR Denzel Boston for a 51-yard touchdown pass to get the visitors within 14-10 with 4:24 left in the quarter. RU took its final offensive series of the period into the fourth quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER
Rutgers muscled a 10-play, 85-yard scoring run, highlighted by a career-long 37-yard touchdown run up the middle from Brown V. Brown V's fourth touchdown of the season and RU's first of the second half extended the Scarlet Knights' lead to 21-10 at the 10:57 mark in the fourth quarter.

Washington answered with a touchdown and two-point conversion with 1:40 remaining to get with three points at 21-18. The Scarlet Knights punted to give the Huskies the ball with 35 seconds remaining, but the game ended on a missed 55-yard field goal as time expired to give Rutgers the victory. 
  
NOTES
• Rutgers improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2012. 
• Rutgers defeated Washington for the first time in three attempts.
• Rutgers is now 19-10 in home night games with fans under head coach Greg Schiano (excludes 2020). 
• Rutgers won its Big Ten opener for the third time in five years under Schiano. 
• Rutgers is now 13-3 in September games since 2021. 
 
UP NEXT
Rutgers returns to the road to face Nebraska on Oct. 5. It will mark the Scarlet Knights' first trip to Memorial Stadium since 2017. Kickoff will be at either noon, 3:30 or 4 p.m.