RUTGERS 44 (2-6), LIBERTY 34 (5-3)
SHI STADIUM • PISCATAWAY, N.J.
OCTOBER 26, 2019 • ATTENDANCE: 23,058

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers football (2-6) claimed a 44-34 victory over Liberty (5-3) on Saturday afternoon at SHI Stadium. Five different Scarlet Knights led the scoring efforts as RU registered 23 points in the second half to pull away from the Flames. 

Redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Langan went 15-for-21 with 192 passing yards, 118 rushing yards, no interceptions and three total touchdowns, including his first two career passing touchdowns and second rushing score. Langan was the first Rutgers quarterback to rush for 100 yards or more since Sam Mudie against Lehigh in 1961. He was also the third different Rutgers quarterback to total 300 yards of total offense this season.

Sophomore running back Isaih Pacheco led the Scarlet Knights with two rushing touchdowns, registering 107 yards on the ground. Sophomore wide receiver Eddie Lewis and freshman wide receiver Isaiah Washington reeled in their first career touchdowns. Washington also paced the receiving corps with 89 yards. Junior kicker Justin Davidovicz was 3-for-3 in field goal attempts in the win.

Defensively, linebackers Olakunle Fatukasi, Tyshon Fogg and Drew Singleton all had six tackles. Junior classmates Elorm Lumor and Rashawn Battle added solo sacks, while sophomore defensive end Mike Tverdov and junior linebacker Tyreek Maddox-Williams teamed up for a third RU sack. Junior defensive back Lawrence Stevens forced a fumble on special teams that was recovered by junior linebacker Aslan Pugh.
 

Although Liberty got on the board first with the game's opening drive, Rutgers quickly tied things up with a 3-yard rushing touchdown by Langan, who rushed for 31 yards during the 75-yard drive. The run balanced the score 7-7 with five minutes to go in the first quarter.

The Flames managed to tack on an 18-yard rushing touchdown in the final minutes of the frame to move back in front, 14-7.
 

Moving into the second quarter, Rutgers closed the margin yet again. A 1-yard rush for Pacheco capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive to set the score at 14-14.

The back-and-forth rally continued with Liberty adding a 29-yard TD pass to set the margin at 21-14 with 8:29 on the clock. On RU's returning drive, the Scarlet Knights countered with a TD pass of their own, as Langan connected with Lewis to tie it up. The score remained knotted, 21-21, entering halftime.

Early in the second half, Rutgers claimed the lead for good with a 51-yard touchdown reception from Langan to Washington, setting the score at 28-21 with 12 minutes to go in the third quarter.

After the RU defense held the Flames to a 24-yard field, the Scarlet Knights extended its lead to 35-24 with a 19-yard rushing score for Pacheco. Liberty wouldn't have the ball for long, as Stevens forced a fumble on the kickoff that was recovered by Pugh to return the Rutgers offense back to the field.

BALL!@RFootball is in business. pic.twitter.com/eCuHg6HFp5

— Rutgers On BTN (@RutgersOnBTN) October 26, 2019

Davidovicz then pushed the RU lead further with a 27-yard field goal, increasing the margin to 38-24 in the waning seconds of the third frame.
 

Davidovicz went on to post a 23-yard field goal midway through the final quarter for a 41-24 RU advantage with 8:04 left in the game. Although Liberty snuck in a field goal, Davidovicz answered with a final 34-yard field goal to set the lead at 44-27. Liberty squeezed in a final 8-yard rushing score before Rutgers claimed the win, 44-34.

That's a "W."

Congrats to @CoachNunz & @RFootball. pic.twitter.com/MCgNGEaixE

— Rutgers On BTN (@RutgersOnBTN) October 26, 2019

Rutgers travels to Illinois next Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. ET game on Big Ten Network.
 

PARTICIPATION

• Career debut (4): OL Jamaal Beaty, DL Malachi Burby, DB Anthony Marshall, DL Freddie Recio

TEAM NOTES

• Rutgers defeated Liberty in the first meeting between the programs. The Scarlet Knights improved to 105-67-1 when playing an opponent for the first time.
• Rutgers finished the decade with a 19-8 record against non-conference opponents in Piscataway.
• Rutgers defeated a team entering the game on a five-game winning streak for the first time since knocking off No. 17 Pittsburgh on the road on Oct. 25, 2008.
• Rutgers scored on all seven of its trips inside the red zone. It marked the first 7-for-7 performance since the comeback win at Maryland on Nov. 29, 2014.
• Rutgers posted season highs with 25 first downs, 55 rushing attempts, 271 rushing yards, 76 offensive plays and three sacks.
• The 37:54 time of possession was the most for Rutgers since the 2017 opener against Washington (38:09).
• Rutgers went 12-for-17 on third down (70.5 percent) for its highest percentage with double-digit conversions since ending 10-for-14 (71.4 percent) at USF in 2008.
• Rutgers did not commit a turnover for the first time this season.
• Rutgers scored a touchdown on its first three offensive drives of a game for the first time since 2014 versus Tulane.
• Rutgers had four scoring drives of at least 11 plays.
• QB Johnny Langan (118) and RB Isaih Pacheco (107) topped 100 rushing yards to make it the first game two Scarlet Knights reached the century mark on the ground since Josh Hicks (113) and Robert Martin (102) versus Kansas on Sept. 26, 2015.
• JJ Jennings (football letterwinner), Lee Schneider (football letterwinner), Bob Stonebraker (football letterwinner) and Brenda Tracy (Set the Expectation) served as the honorary game captains.
• Today's game was the "Set the Expectation" game with Rutgers players wearing a helmet sticker, while the staff wore a patch. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Set the Expectation is an organization dedicated to combating sexual and physical violence through raising awareness, giving back, education and direct engagement with coaches, young men and boys in high school, college and professional athletic programs. The organization was founded by Brenda Tracy, a survivor of sexual assault, who served as the Scarlet Knights' honorary captain for the game. 
• Fifty-five Rutgers student-athletes from 19 different programs were inducted into the Delta Chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athlete Honor Society, at the first media timeout. Among those recognized were football players Adam Korsak, Michael Maietti and Cole Murphy.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• PK Justin Davidovicz
  • Went 3-for-3 on field goals for the second time this season.
  • Improved to 13-for-14 career on attempts inside 40 yards.
• QB Johnny Langan
  • Finished with 118 rushing yards, the first Rutgers quarterback with 100 or more rushing yards in a game since Sam Mudie versus Lehigh on Oct. 21, 1961.
  • Went 15-for-21 passing for 192 yards. Completions and yardage established career highs.
  • Threw first two collegiate passing touchdowns, including a 51-yarder to Isaiah Washington for career-long completion.
  • Had 310 yards of total offense to become the third Rutgers quarterback with 300 or more this season (McLane Carter 336 versus Massachusetts, Artur Sitkowski 304 versus Boston College).
• WR Eddie Lewis
  • Scored first career touchdown on a 5-yard reception.
• WR Bo Melton
  • Had a team-high five receptions and has had at least one catch in all eight games this season.
• RB Isaih Pacheco
  • Finished with 107 rushing yards to reach the century mark for the second time this season and fourth time in his career.
  • Topped 1,000 career rushing yards (1,092).
  • Scored two touchdowns to make it six on the season and nine for his career.
  • Second collegiate game with multiple rushing touchdowns (2019 versus Massachusetts).
• WR Isaiah Washington
  • Scored first career touchdown on a 51-yard reception.