Antwan Raymond had an impressive performance, rushing for 140 yards and scoring three touchdowns as Rutgers dominated Howard with a 58-7 win on Friday night in Piscataway, New Jersey.
The Scarlet Knights (1-3) managed to score on 10 out of their 12 possessions, amassing a total of 534 yards. Dylan Lonergan really shone for Rutgers, throwing for 214 yards and two touchdowns in just three quarters against Howard, which plays in the Championship Subdivision. Interestingly, he came into this game having thrown five interceptions.
KJ Duff, recognized as an AP pre-season second-team All-America wide receiver, caught five passes for 131 yards along with one touchdown.
On the other hand, Howard (1-3) struggled, finishing with 184 total yards. Most of that came from a notable 75-yard touchdown run by Eden James, who is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Edgerrin James. He ended up with 116 yards on seven carries.
This game also marked coach Greg Schiano’s 100th win at Rutgers. Over two stints spanning 18 years, Schiano has a record of 100-111. He now joins a select group of active Bowl Subdivision coaches, including Kirk Ferentz (Iowa), Dabo Swinney (Clemson), Troy Calhoun (Air Force), and Kirby Smart (Georgia), who have achieved this milestone at their current schools.
The takeaway
Howard: The Bison have had a tough time against FBS opponents. Their only win over an FBS school was a narrow 43-40 victory against UNLV in 2017. Historically, Rutgers has outscored Howard 318-67 in their matchups. Recently, the Bison have been outscored by a staggering 113-7 in their last two games against Indiana and Rutgers.
Rutgers: There was a moment last winter when Duff considered transferring after a lackluster season where the Scarlet Knights finished 5-7. Staying put seems to have worked out for him, as he has become the 11th player in the program’s history to reach 2,000 career receiving yards and the first ever to catch a touchdown in five consecutive games.
Defense steps up
In their first three games, Rutgers was allowing an average of 35.6 points per game and had committed 10 turnovers. However, against Howard, the Scarlet Knights kept a clean sheet, did not turn over the ball, allowed only one play over 20 yards, and recorded four sacks, two interceptions, and forced a fumble.
“It’s been perplexing, very frustrating,” Schiano commented on their previous turnovers. “But tonight, we took it away three times, and that’s what we need to do to win.”
Dynamic duo
Both Raymond and Duff surpassed the 2,000-yard mark for rushing and receiving yards, respectively, with this victory. Raymond is now the 17th Scarlet Knight to achieve 2,000 rushing yards since 1956. Meanwhile, Duff is on track to break the program’s single-season touchdown record, having already scored seven touchdowns in just four games, with the record being 10.
“They (Duff and Raymond) are exceptional players, really committed and become leaders,” Schiano praised. “There’s still a lot of great football to come from them at both the college and pro levels, and I’m excited to see it.”
Up next
Howard will host Hampton on October 3.
Rutgers will face defending champion Indiana on the same day.
