RUTGERS (2-5) at MARYLAND (2-2)
December 12, 2020 • 12:01 p.m. ET • Big Ten Network
Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium • College Park, Md.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers football heads to Maryland for its eighth game of the season Saturday at noon. Big Ten Network will broadcast the action from Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. The Scarlet Knights are 2-1 on the road this year and seek to win a third conference away game for the first time since 2012.
RU enters week eight as the most improved offensive team in the Big Ten compared to last season in scoring offense (+14.1) and total offense (+72.8). In addition, the Scarlet Knights are one of eight teams nationally that have scored more points than in 2019 (+33), and the only team in the group that has played fewer than nine games this year.
TV: Big Ten Network (FOX Sports App)
Play-By-Play: Joe Beninati
Analyst: James Laurinaitis
Reporter: Coley Harvey
Radio: RWJBarnabas Health Rutgers Sports Network
WCTC 1450-AM, WOR 710-AM, WENJ 97.3-FM, XM 384
Play-By-Play: Chris Carlin
Analyst: Ray Lucas
Sideline: Anthony Fucilli
Engineer: Paul Shrager
Pregame: 11 a.m. (Marc Malusis & Eric LeGrand)
Student Radio: WRSU 88.7-FM
Chris Tsakonas & Raj Shah
The Scarlet Knights previously earned road victories at Michigan State and Purdue, marking the first time since joining the Big Ten winning multiple road conference games in the same season. RU entered 2020 with three league road wins the previous six seasons.
Rutgers most recently lost to Penn State, 23-7, at SHI Stadium. Wide receiver
Bo Melton recorded his sixth receiving touchdown of the season on a three-yard, fourth-down pass from quarterback
Noah Vedral in the third quarter. Melton finished by matching his career high with seven receptions. Defensively, the Scarlet Knights created two turnovers, a forced fumble by
Tijaun Mason, recovered by defensive back
Avery Young, and an interception by defensive back
Christian Izien. Linebacker
Olakunle Fatukasi posted a career-high 17 tackles, his second game this season reaching the mark.
Fatukasi is the nation's leader with 13.1 tackles per game, recording 92 through seven games. The next highest total for a Big Ten defender is 69. A semifinalist for the Butkus Award, Fatukasi also paces RU with 10 stops in the backfield.
Vedral has started 6-of-7 games behind center and ranks 22
nd nationally and second in the league with 21.3 completions per game. He has 16 completions of at least 20 yards and two touchdown passes of at least 60 yards, bringing nine scoring passes, one shy of the RU Big Ten record, into action this week. Melton, a member of the Biletnikoff Award watch list with 99 career catches, leads Rutgers with 512 receiving yards on 37 receptions. On the ground, Vedral ran for a career-high 56 yards against the Nittany Lions, while running back
Isaih Pacheco has rushed for a team-high 394 yards and quarterback
Johnny Langan has scored four rushing touchdowns.
Aron Cruickshank is up to 739 all-purpose yards, including a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Purdue. Coupled with Melton's 58-yard punt return at Ohio State, Rutgers is one of 10 teams in the country with both a kickoff and punt return score this year. Punter
Adam Korsak is averaging 42.4 yards per punt on 34 attempts with no touchbacks, owning five of at least 50 yards with a long of 66 versus Illinois.
• Rutgers will take on Maryland in a Big Ten game for the seventh time and 16th time overall.
• The Scarlet Knights have won twice in College Park, in 2009 and 2014.
• Under the direction of head coach
Greg Schiano, RU earned a 34-13 road victory over the Terrapins in 2009. The Scarlet Knights forced five turnovers (three interceptions, two fumbles) and allowed just 28 rushing yards and 12 first downs. Both Antonio Lowery (interception return) and George Johnson (fumble recovery in end zone) scored on defense as one of seven RU games under Schiano posting multiple scores on defense/special teams. Offensively, Joe Martinek posted 147 yards on the ground with a pair of touchdowns, while San San Te converted two goals. Punter Teddy Dellaganna was named Big East Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 40.6 yards on five attempts, with a long of 51, to pin Maryland to an average starting field position of its own 12.
• In the first Big Ten matchup in College Park in 2014, Rutgers rallied from a 35-10 deficit to win 41-38. The 25-point comeback is tied for the school record, also done in 2015 at Indiana. Gary Nova threw for 347 yards, as Leonte Carroo, Janarion Grant and Andre Patton all topped 100 yards receiving. Defensively, RU allowed just three points in the second half, using a short-yardage stop on a late fourth down to seal the win.
• The Scarlet Knights last won in the series at home in 2017. RU trailed 24-17 entering the fourth quarter in 2017 before scoring two unanswered touchdowns. Robert Martin evened the game with a 10-yard rushing score and Gus Edwards later hauled in a 23-yard touchdown from Giovanni Rescigno to put the Scarlet Knights ahead. The defense sealed the win by preventing Maryland from reaching the end zone on a 17-play drive that lasted 6:39. The secondary knocked away passes on three of the final four plays, including a breakup by Isaiah Wharton on fourth down to force a turnover on downs. Kiy Hester previously had a 52-yard pick-six in the second quarter.
• Rutgers has five players on its roster from the state of Maryland:
Tre Avery (Baltimore),
Tyshon Fogg (Baltimore),
Jamree Kromah (Glenarden),
Kamar Missouri (Baltimore) and
Reggie Sutton (Towson).
• Rutgers game highs versus Maryland:
Rushing Yards: Joe Martinek, 147 (2009)
Passing Yards: Gary Nova, 347 (2014)
Receiving Yards: Leonte Carroo, 183 (2015)
Big Ten Champions Week is scheduled for the weekend of Dec. 19.
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