In what seemed like a game that was over in the third quarter, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights never gave up. This led to a big win against the Michigan State Spartans in week seven of the college football season. This marks the first time since 2006 that Rutgers reached 5-0 at home. Overall, Rutgers now sits at a 5-2 record, while Michigan State falls to 2-4. Here is a look at what went down in this, safe to say, crazy game, and where the Scarlet Knights will go from here.
Rocky Offense
The offense began the game with some big passes, but couldn’t get into the endzone until the fourth quarter. There were also some poor turnovers that did not look great for Rutgers. The rain did play a factor in how the passing game went, but both teams were definitely affected by that. Now, while it started rocky, in the fourth quarter, the offense came through when it mattered the most. Quarterback Gavin Wimsatt may have made mistakes, but he brought his team together and pulled off the win.
Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai (5) – Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports
Wimsatt made some key throws, and it has been a good sign seeing him pass more downfield more often. With the receivers this team has, those are key plays that lead to wins, but it is important to not give up on the run game either. When running back Kyle Monangai got the ball, he pushed this team down the field himself. This was a full-team win in the fourth quarter, but Monangai pushed hard for those extra yards.
By the end of the game, Monangai had 24 carries for 148 yards and one touchdown, according to ESPN. That touchdown was what put the Scarlet Knights in the lead. All together, Rutgers ended up with 114 total rushing yards, which of course also includes the yards lost when Wimsatt would back up and kneel to run down the clock. Wimsatt ended up completing 13 passes out of 28 attempts for 181 yards, according to ESPN. He also had one passing touchdown and threw two interceptions. 80 of those yards were from Christian Dremel, who continues to be a big target for the Scarlet Knights.
It may have not been the prettiest game for the offense, but they scored when they needed to.
Rutgers QB Gavin Wimsatt (2) – Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports
Special Teams Come Through
The special teams for the Scarlet Knights have not been anything too impressive leading up to this game. That is not to say that they were bad, they just were not doing anything big. This week, they are a major reason that Rutgers won this game. In the fourth quarter, down 24-6, the Rutgers defense forced Michigan State to punt. What was already great for the team turned out better. The punter could not grab the ball, which bounced right into the endzone, which Rutgers recovered for a touchdown. The play can be watched here, posted by Fox College Football on X. This was a huge momentum boost for the Scarlet Knights, the play that sparked the comeback.
Another key special teams moment came after that when Michigan State never called a fair catch, to which Rutgers put on the pressure and snatched the ball. This led to another scoring play, putting the Scarlet Knights in the lead. This was a big game for the unit, and hopefully, they keep this up ahead of next weekend’s game.
Questionable Ejection of Powell
When talking about this game, the ejection of linebacker Tyreem Powell must be discussed. For fans who need a refresher, in week six against Wisconsin, there was a helmet-to-helmet hit on Wimsatt that knocked him out of the game for a bit. The defender was never ejected. This weekend, Powell was ejected for a hit that can be watched here on X, posted by Fox College Football. This posed a debate across social media, as it did appear like a football move. Either way, Powell was ejected from the game.
Rutgers LB Tyreem Powell (22) – Vera Nieuwenhuis/Associated Press
What’s Next for the Scarlet Knights?
Next up the 5-2 Rutgers Scarlet Knights will head to Indiana to face the 2-4 Hoosiers. If Rutgers gets the win, they will have six wins, and officially be bowl eligible. This is now two weeks in a row where Rutgers could not get things going in the first half, and hopefully, for their sake, this changes next weekend. This will be another noon kickoff for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have not yet won on the road, but that could change in one week.
