Rutgers hung on Friday, but held on in the decider, defeating Washington, last year's national championship runner-up, 21-18 and improving to 4-0 for the first time since 2012.
Quarterback Ahsan Kaliakmanis and running back Kyle Monangai led the attack.
And when needed, some bone-jarring Husky penalties helped the Scarlet Knights.
The nationally televised game was Rutgers' first Big Ten game of the year after opening the season against Howard, Akron and Virginia Tech.
Kaliakumanis completed 14 of 24 passes for 115 yards and one touchdown.
Monangay had his third consecutive 100+ yard rushing game that night, moving him past Isaiah Pacheco for seventh place on Rutgers' all-time rushing list.
Monangai ran for 132 yards, including a 42-yard gain in the third quarter that included a dominant rush that broke numerous tackles.
The Huskies were only down by three points and were able to make things interesting with a drive in the closing seconds.
Washington was able to get the ball inside Rutgers territory with a series of passes, but kicker Grady Gross missed a 55-yard field goal as time expired.
This was his third missed field goal of the game.
When the final whistle sounded, the Rutgers sideline spilled out onto the field and lights flickered in celebration.
The Blackout Game at SHI Stadium drew a crowd of 54,079, the second-largest crowd in history.
“You could feel it in the stadium tonight. That's Big Ten football and that's what I want for New Jersey,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said. “What I've always wanted for New Jersey is to do that for our state. … It was a good step tonight, but that's it. It's one win. That's exciting. It’s good.”
With 11:16 left in the second quarter, Monangai's 1-yard rushing touchdown run erased a 3-0 Scarlet Knights deficit.
Late in the second game, the Scarlet Knights took advantage of one of the Huskies' biggest missteps of the night.
Washington blocked Rutgers' 38-yard field goal attempt, but it was negated when Vince Holmes was called for an illegal substitution to give Rutgers some new life.
On the next play, Kaliakmanis connected with receiver Ian Strong for a jump ball touchdown, increasing the Scarlet Knights' lead to 14-3 with 30 seconds left in the first half.
Washington finally found the end zone late in the third quarter on a six-play drive that culminated with Huskies quarterback Will Rodgers finding Denzel Boston for a 51-yard touchdown pass.
A touchdown late in the third quarter pulled the Huskies within five points, but Rutgers answered with a touchdown of its own 4:03 into the final quarter, as Samuel Brown V bulldozed a 37-yard scoring run. , extending the lead to 21. 10.
The Huskies cut Rutgers' lead to three points in the fourth quarter on a drive that started at Washington's 24-yard line, and they managed to catch up on a drive late in the fourth quarter.
The Huskies survived with a short rush on a 4-and-1, which culminated with Rodgers connecting with Boston in the end zone.
The Huskies converted a two-point conversion to cut the lead to 21-18 with 1:40 remaining.
Washington took the lead with a 22-yard field goal, marking the first time since November 25 that Rutgers allowed an opponent to score in the first quarter.
On Friday, the Huskies and Scarlet Knights will play for the first time since 2017, and Washington's first road game against a Big Ten opponent as a member of the conference.
“Hats off to Greg.” [Schiano’s] I'm doing it. He built this again. I think the fans and students are evolving and growing with him,” Huskies coach Jed Fisch said.
