Eric Boggs 
Rutgers held on for a 21-18 win at home to stay undefeated on the season.
Rutgers held on for a dramatic 21-18 victory over Washington on Friday night, taking advantage of missed opportunities by the Huskies, who missed three field goals, including a potential game-tying 55-yarder as time expired. The win propelled Rutgers to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2012, while Washington dropped to 3-2, losing their first Big Ten road game in a heartbreaker.
The Scarlet Knights relied on senior running back Kyle Monangai, who carried the ball 21 times for 132 yards and a touchdown. Monangai’s 1-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter gave Rutgers a 7-3 lead, and he continued to wear down the Washington defense with his physical running style. Monangai’s big day came on the heels of leading the Big Ten in rushing last season, and he was pivotal in Rutgers’ ball-control strategy that kept the explosive Washington offense at bay.
Rutgers’ defense came through in key moments despite allowing 521 yards of total offense. Washington quarterback Will Rogers, one of the most prolific passers in college football, completed 26 of 36 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns, both of which were to wide receiver Denzel Boston. But it wasn’t enough, as Washington failed to capitalize on numerous opportunities due to penalties and missed kicks.
Washington took an early 3-0 lead on a 22-yard field goal by junior kicker Grady Gross after Rutgers stopped the Huskies’ promising drive in the red zone. Rutgers responded with a methodical 15-play, 75-yard drive capped by Monangai’s touchdown. The momentum seemed to shift Washington’s way late in the second quarter when they blocked a Rutgers field goal attempt, but an illegal substitution penalty on the Huskies gave the Scarlet Knights new life. Rutgers capitalized on the mistake immediately, with quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis hitting Ian Strong on a 15-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 14-3 just before halftime.
Washington’s offense came alive in the second half, with running back Jonah Coleman rushing for 148 yards on 16 carries, including a 39-yard burst that put the Huskies in scoring position. However, penalties continued to haunt Washington, nullifying big gains and killing drives. The Huskies managed to close the gap to 14-10 late in the third quarter when Rogers connected with Boston on a 51-yard touchdown, which was aided by a downfield block by tight end Keleki Latu.
Rutgers, however, answered back early in the fourth quarter. Samuel Brown V broke free for a 37-yard touchdown run to give the Scarlet Knights a 21-10 lead with 10:57 remaining. It was a pivotal moment that put Washington on the ropes, though they weren’t done fighting.
Rogers led a late drive, finding Boston for another touchdown, and a successful two-point conversion to Latu cut the deficit to 21-18 with 1:40 left on the clock. Washington’s defense held Rutgers on the ensuing drive, giving the Huskies one final chance. Rogers quickly moved the ball downfield, setting up Gross for a 55-yard field goal attempt as time expired. But Gross, who had already missed field goals from 42 and 37 yards earlier in the game, saw his kick sail wide left, ending Washington’s hopes of forcing overtime.
“We’re learning one step at a time,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said after the game. “They (Washington) are a good offensive football team and they’re hard to tackle. We missed a lot of tackles, but we made them when we needed to. I’m really happy for our guys and proud of the way they fought.”
For Washington, the loss was a bitter one. First-year head coach Jedd Fisch lamented his team’s lack of discipline and costly mistakes. “You can’t play two teams — you can’t play ourselves and our opponent,” Fisch said. “When you have a penalty after a blocked field goal and when you miss three field goals, there’s too many things that came back to get us. Not to take anything away from Rutgers, but we didn’t handle our penalties and that’s the saddest part of the night.”
Despite outgaining Rutgers in total yards, Washington’s inefficiency on third downs (2 of 12) and their six penalties for 69 yards were too much to overcome. Coleman’s impressive performance on the ground and Rogers’ 306 yards passing were overshadowed by the team’s mistakes.
With the win, Rutgers remains unbeaten as they head into next week’s game at Nebraska. Meanwhile, Washington will return home to face a daunting challenge against defending national champion Michigan. If the Huskies hope to bounce back, they will need to clean up their execution and find a way to close out close games, something they couldn’t do in Piscataway.
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