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Football

Game 9: Football vs. Wisconsin

Scarlet Knights return home for Military Appreciation Day

RUTGERS (4-4, 1-4) vs. No. 21 WISCONSIN (5-3, 3-2)
November 6, 2021 • 3:31 p.m. ET • Big Ten Network
SHI Stadium • Piscataway, N.J.

PISCATAWAY, N.J.
– Following two road games and an open week, Rutgers returns to SHI Stadium to host No. 21 Wisconsin on Saturday. The game is presented by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. The Scarlet Knights most recently earned their fourth win of the season defeating Illinois.
 
Military Appreciation Day will involve a pregame flyover, recognition of each branch and more in and around SHI Stadium.
 
RU Brewfest in the Block R Party will begin at 12:30 p.m. The event features live music and more than 30 beer samples from local breweries and international brands. Tickets for RU Brewfest – which includes admission to the game and the festival – start at $50 for upper-level tickets and $60 for lower-level tickets, and can be purchased here. Season ticket holders can log into their online account at ScarletKnights.com/tickets to purchase only the ticket for the festival. For all other fans with tickets, please call the ticket office at 866-445-GORU (4678). Capacity for the beer festival is limited and fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets early. Sales for RU Brewfest will be cutoff at noon on Friday, Nov. 5.
 
During the coin toss, Pierce Frauenheim from the 1961 undefeated team will represent as the honorary captain to mark the 60th anniversary. Capping a 9-0 season with a comeback victory over Columbia, the team finished No. 15 in the Associated Press poll in joining Alabama as the only undefeated teams in the nation that year.
 
Rutgers will also honor Special Olympics New Jersey athletes as they prepare for the 2022 USA Summer Games in Orlando. The Special Olympics athletes will welcome the team at the Scarlet Walk for team arrival at 1 p.m. before being recognized during the game inside SHI Stadium.
 
In an effort to encourage a safe environment for fans as well as improve the ease of entry into the stadium, Rutgers moved to mobile-only tickets, which can be added to an Apple Wallet or Google Pay app. Digital tickets provide for contactless entry, limiting person-to-person interactions, while speeding entry time into the venue and also offers a secure means to transfer and exchange tickets. Representatives from the Rutgers ticket staff will be on hand to help assists customers with any digital ticket related matters. Fans will also receive mobile parking passes that they can manage like their digital tickets. Fans are encouraged to download mobile tickets and parking passes to their Apple Wallet or Google Pay apps prior to arriving at the stadium.
 
Parking on game day will be available at Johnson Park across from the SHI Stadium south entrance on River Road. Click here for more information on parking and traffic patterns. When traveling to Piscataway, please avoid using Landing Lane Bridge to access SHI Stadium. The roadway will be closed to vehicles while repairs are completed now through mid-November. A full detour is in place for the duration of the project. Motorists are asked to follow posted detour signage. Please allow for extra time as stadium traffic could become congested on Rutgers football game days.
 
The game will broadcast on Big Ten Network. Viewers can find the channel through btn.com/gamefinder and through the New Jersey listing. The FOX Sports App will also stream the game.
 
TV: Big Ten Network (FOX Sports App)
Play-By-Play: Brandon Gaudin
Analyst: James Laurinaitis
Reporter: Rick Pizzo
 
Radio: RWJBarnabas Health Rutgers Sports Network
FOX Sports New Jersey 93.5-FM & 1450-AM, WOR 710-AM, Sirius 108, XM 196, Scarlet Knights App
Play-By-Play: Chris Carlin
Analyst: Mike Teel
Analyst: Eric LeGrand
Sideline: Anthony Fucilli
Engineer: Paul Shrager
Pre/Post: Marc Malusis & Julian Pinnix-Odrick
 
Student Radio: WRSU 88.7-FM
Jake Schmied & Doug Willig
 
Noah Vedral
 
SCOUTING RUTGERS
  • Rutgers is .500 or better through eight games for the first time since 2014. The last season with at least five wins was 2014 (8-5).
  • Rutgers is 4-0 this season when committing no turnovers and when permitting less than 20 points. The Scarlet Knights last had four games in a season with no turnovers in 2009 (five games).
  • Rutgers ranks first nationally in net punt (46.6) and 11th in third down defense (29.2 percent).
  • LS Billy Taylor and DL Julius Turner are tied for the program record with offensive assistant Scott Vallone at 53 career games played.
  • Head coach Greg Schiano is second in program history with 75 wins leading the Scarlet Knights. Frank Burns holds the record with 78 victories.
 
LAST TIME OUT
  • Down 14-10 at halftime, Rutgers held Illinois off the scoreboard in the second half and QB Noah Vedral scored a 15-yard rushing touchdown to put the Scarlet Knights ahead with 14:16 left in the fourth quarter in a 20-14 win. The defense allowed just 81 yards and three first downs in the second half.
  • The go-ahead drive spanned 88 yards on 13 plays, including a fourth-down conversion by QB Gavin Wimsatt on a 13-yard pass to WR Bo Melton.
  • PK Valentino Ambrosio tacked on a field goal to increase the lead to six. Illinois drove down to the Rutgers 35-yard line, but DB Kessawn Abraham picked up a tackle-for-loss on fourth down to thwart the drive.
  • RB Kyle Monangai scored the first touchdown of the game on a 7-yard carry in the first quarter. RB Isaih Pacheco registered a game-high 91 rushing yards. Rutgers rushed for 230 yards, improving to 29-2 under Schiano when reaching 200 rushing yards in a game.
  • Rutgers won a game for the 13th time under Schiano when trailing in the fourth quarter.
  • After the Illini rushed for 357 yards the previous week at then-No. 7 Penn State, Rutgers' defense held Illinois to just 107 yards, including seven attempts for no gain or a loss. The Scarlet Knights allowed only 10 first downs, the least amount in a Big Ten game, also done in 2016 versus Illinois.
  • Rutgers played its third game of the year with no turnovers surrendered and no sacks allowed.
  • In the last nine seasons under Schiano, Rutgers improved to 10-5 coming off an open week.
 
OFFENSE
  • Rutgers allowed one or no sacks in 5-of-8 games, topping 300 yards of total offense in 6-of-8 games.
  • Rutgers has gone for it on fourth down 25 times, the most in the Big Ten and sixth nationally. The Scarlet Knights have 11 conversions.
  • Vedral ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 17 completions per game and seventh with 207.8 yards of total offense per game. He has 18 completions this season of at least 20 yards, adding 250 rushing yards.
  • Pacheco owns 2,215 career rushing yards to rank 11th in program history. Robert Martin (2014-17) is currently 10th at 2,256.
  • Melton has five games this season with at least five receptions, ranking seventh in the school record book in career receptions (146) and 14th in career receiving yards (1,799). He is one of 11 players in program history with at least five games of 100 or more receiving yards.
 
DEFENSE
  • Rutgers ranks 11th nationally holding opponents to 29.2 percent on third down.
  • Rutgers has allowed just 10 points in the fourth quarter this season.
  • LB Olakunle Fatukasi, named one of 16 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, ranks 10th nationally and third in the Big Ten with 9.9 tackles per game. He needs eight tackles to become the 12th player in program history to reach 300 career tackles.
  • Turner is up to 19.5 career tackles-for-loss and leads the defense with 39 starts.
  • DB Christian Izien has posted 7.5 tackles-for-loss from the safety position, adding three pass breakups.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
  • Rutgers leads the nation with a net punt of 46.6, which would be a school record for a season.
  • P Adam Korsak, named Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week and to the Ray's 8 on Monday, has had 94 consecutive punts without a touchback, the longest active streak nationally. He has downed 23 inside the 20 with four settling at the 1-yard line. Opposing punt returners have had a return of less than four yards 40-of-42 attempts, with 37 for zero yards or less.
  • Rutgers scored its fourth special teams touchdown since 2020 against Delaware on a 62-yard punt return by WR Aron Cruickshank. It was his fifth career kick return score (four kickoff, one punt), needing three to tie the NCAA record.
  • Rutgers has blocked 61 kicks under Schiano.
  • PK Valentino Ambrosio is 9-for-13 on field goals with seven career games with multiple makes.
 Robert Martin
 
VERSUS WISCONSIN
  • Rutgers will play Wisconsin for the fourth time since joining the Big Ten in 2014. The programs did not previously meet.
  • In the last meeting in Madison in 2018, RB Raheem Blackshear recorded 162 receiving yards with a touchdown in a 31-17 loss. RB Jonathan Hilliman added a touchdown on the ground and PK Justin Davidovicz converted a field goal. DB Saquan Hampton contributed two interceptions and two pass breakups. Seventeen players on the current RU roster participated in that game.
  • In its first trip to Wisconsin in 2015, Rutgers fell behind early and could not recover in a 48-10 loss to the Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Blessuan Austin highlighted the day for the Scarlet Knights with a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter.
  • The initial meeting took place in Piscataway for Homecoming in 2014. Wisconsin scored 20 points in the first half on the way to a 37-0 win.
  • Rutgers game highs versus Wisconsin:
    • Rushing Yards: Josh Hicks, 72 (2015)
    • Passing Yards: Artur Sitkowski, 261 (2018)
    • Receiving Yards: Raheem Blackshear, 162 (2018)
 
UP NEXT

Rutgers returns to the road for the third time in four games with a trip to Indiana on Nov. 13. The game will broadcast on Big Ten Network with the time announced following this weekend's action.
 
Follow Rutgers football on Twitter (@RFootball), Facebook (/RFootballShow) and Instagram (@rfootball) for the latest news and updates. Also subscribe to the YouTube channel and bookmark Rutgers.Football, the Scarlet Knights' dedicated recruiting site.
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Players Mentioned

Justin Davidovicz

#95 Justin Davidovicz

PK
5' 10"
Senior
Artur Sitkowski

#8 Artur Sitkowski

QB
6' 5"
Junior
Kessawn Abraham

#5 Kessawn Abraham

DB
5' 10"
Junior
Valentino Ambrosio

#1 Valentino Ambrosio

PK
5' 9"
Junior
Aron Cruickshank

#2 Aron Cruickshank

WR
5' 10"
Junior
Olakunle Fatukasi

#3 Olakunle Fatukasi

LB
6' 2"
Senior
Christian Izien

#0 Christian Izien

DB
5' 10"
Junior
Adam Korsak

#94 Adam Korsak

P
6' 2"
Senior
Bo Melton

#18 Bo Melton

WR
5' 11"
Senior
Kyle Monangai

#23 Kyle Monangai

RB
5' 9"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Justin Davidovicz

#95 Justin Davidovicz

5' 10"
Senior
PK
Artur Sitkowski

#8 Artur Sitkowski

6' 5"
Junior
QB
Kessawn Abraham

#5 Kessawn Abraham

5' 10"
Junior
DB
Valentino Ambrosio

#1 Valentino Ambrosio

5' 9"
Junior
PK
Aron Cruickshank

#2 Aron Cruickshank

5' 10"
Junior
WR
Olakunle Fatukasi

#3 Olakunle Fatukasi

6' 2"
Senior
LB
Christian Izien

#0 Christian Izien

5' 10"
Junior
DB
Adam Korsak

#94 Adam Korsak

6' 2"
Senior
P
Bo Melton

#18 Bo Melton

5' 11"
Senior
WR
Kyle Monangai

#23 Kyle Monangai

5' 9"
Freshman
RB
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