Friday night, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-0) faced one of many upcoming tests this season. The Scarlet Knights' defeat of the Washington Huskies (3-2-1) at home was pivotal, as this was their first conference game and their first since the merger of the Pac-12 and Big Ten, winning 21-18. Despite the sold-out crowd and electric atmosphere, the Scarlet Knights have built an aura around them that has many supporting them moving forward. One of the biggest takeaways from the game was the running tandem of the Scarlet Knights. The veteran running back, Kyle Monangai, rushed for 132 yards on 25 attempts and scored one touchdown.
The Huskies played from behind the entire game; however, they had the chance to send it into overtime with 35 seconds left. Ultimately, Huskies kicker Grady Gross sailed the field goal wide left, giving the Scarlet Knights the victory in the final seconds of the game.
“Our guys are learning how to do it,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said.
"We’re learning one step at a time. They (Washington) are a good offensive football team, and they’re hard to tackle. We missed a boatload of tackles, but we made them when we needed to. So, really happy for our guys. I’m proud of the way they fought.”
Kyle Monangai and Rutgers Aren’t Surprised
Despite shocking the world, Monangai wasn’t shocked or surprised by the victory at all. In fact, he expected it because he knows what this team is capable of and how resilient they can be. This season, the Scarlet Knights have had to persevere through hard-fought battles, and they felt mentally prepared and confident about the final minutes of the game. The Rutgers offensive line continues to improve on a weekly basis and ranks among the country’s best offensive lines, according to Pro Football Focus.
“I didn’t learn anything new,” Monangai said.
"I already knew we’re a resilient team. We’re going to keep on leaning on each other when times get hard. Like I said, we know what we are. We’re just trying to go through it every Saturday.”
What’s Next for Rutgers?
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 is set for 4 p.m. on FS1.
“It was a game that went 60 minutes,” first-year Washington coach Jedd Fisch said. "But I told the team, you can't play two teams. You can't play ourselves and our opponent. When you have a penalty after a blocked field goal and when you miss three field goals, there are too many things that came back to get us.”
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