RUTGERS 61 (1-0), TEMPLE 14 (0-1)
SHI STADIUM • PISCATAWAY, N.J.
SEPTEMBER 4, 2021 • ATTENDANCE: 52,519
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers football opened its 2021 season with a dominant 61-14 victory over Temple on Saturday afternoon in front of 52,519 fans at SHI Stadium.
Quarterback
Noah Vedral went 15-for-27 for 138 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown pass. Vedral led the team with a career-high 71 rushing yards, while quarterback
Johnny Langan contributed two rushing touchdowns in the first half.
Kyle Monangai (first two collegiate touchdowns),
Isaih Pacheco and
Aaron Young all contributed to the team's six rushing scores.
Wide receiver
Bo Melton and defensive back
Max Melton each found the end zone in the game.
Bo Melton reeled in a 40-yard touchdown grab, which
Max Melton followed minutes later with a pick-six.
Wide receiver
Aron Cruickshank led the Scarlet Knights with a career-high 206 all-purpose yards.
Defensively, linebacker
Olakunle Fatukasi registered three sacks on a team-high nine tackles, which included a safety for the opening points of the game. Fatukasi, running back
Jamier Wright-Collins, and defensive back
Robert Longerbeam each forced a fumble, while
Max Melton and defensive back
Tre Avery recorded interceptions in the strong defensive showing that held the Owls to 2-for-13 on third down.
Rutgers got on the board first with an early safety. A 56-yard
Adam Korsak punt downed at the Temple one. That led to a Fatukasi sack of Temple's quarterback D'Wan Mathis in the end zone for a 2-0 Scarlet Knight lead.
On RU's following drive, Cruickshank returned Temple's kick for 57 yards to start the offense just a few yards out from the red zone. Kicker
Valentino Ambrosio capped the drive with a 25-yard field goal to push the Rutgers advantage to 5-0 with 8:52 to go in the first quarter.
With less than three minutes to go, Avery intercepted a Temple pass and returned for 21-yards to position RU two yards from the goal line. Langan took the snap and rushed up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown to give the Scarlet Knights a 12-0 lead.
Rutgers' special teams quickly got the ball back, as Wright-Collins forced a fumble on Temple's return, which linebacker
Tyreek Maddox-Williams recovered to bring the Scarlet Knight offense back on. Three-straight Pacheco rushes allowed Langan to cap the drive with a 1-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 19-0 with 14:15 on the clock in the second quarter.
On Temple's following drive, Fatukasi recorded his second sack of the day, as defensive lineman
Ifeanyi Maijeh recovered the fumble to bring the Rutgers offense back out. Rutgers maintained its momentum on the ground, as Monangai used three-straight rushes to find the end zone and a 26-0 RU lead with 10:59 left in the quarter.
Temple would add its first points to the board with an 11-yard rushing touchdown, setting the margin at 26-7 with 9:15 to go until the half.
The Owls tacked on another touchdown, this one a 3-yard rush from Mathis, to bring the margin to 26-14 with 12:02 on the clock in the third quarter.
However, the effort would be stumped there, as Vedral answered with a 40-yard touchdown pass to
Bo Melton to push Rutgers' lead to 33-14.
Max Melton joined in a few plays later, intercepting Mathis' pass and returning 46 yards for another Rutgers touchdown. It set the Scarlet Knight advantage at 40-14 with 6:57 remaining in the third quarter.
Moving into the fourth quarter, the Rutgers offensive energy held strong, rushing for three back-to-back-to-back touchdowns. Pacheco added a 2-yard rush, Young contributed a 1-yard rush and Monangai posted a 7-yard rush to secure the victory by a score of 61-14.
Rutgers travels to Syracuse on Saturday, Sept. 11 for a 2 p.m. matchup on ACC Network.
- Collegiate debut (5): DB Alijah Clark, DL Kyonte Hamilton, WR Shawn Munnerlyn, LB Tyreem Powell, OL Troy Rainey
- Rutgers debut (9): DB Alijah Clark, DL Kyonte Hamilton, DL Ifeanyi Maijeh, WR Shawn Munnerlyn, OL David Nwaogwugwu, LB Tyreem Powell, OL Troy Rainey, WR Brandon Sanders, WR Joshua Youngblood
- True Freshmen (3): DB Alijah Clark, DL Kyonte Hamilton, WR Shawn Munnerlyn
- Consecutive games played: Bo Melton (46), Billy Taylor (46), Julius Turner (46)
- Rutgers improved to 9-4 in season openers and 8-5 in home openers under head coach Greg Schiano. The Scarlet Knights are now 100-40-10 all-time in home openers and 79-64-9 in season openers.
- Rutgers won for the 10th time in the last 13 games against a non-conference opponent at home under Schiano, improving to 25-10. The Scarlet Knights moved to 41-19 in non-conference games led by Schiano overall.
- Rutgers defeated Temple for the fifth straight time and now leads the series, 22-15.
- Rutgers scored at least 50 points for the sixth time under Schiano and reached 60 for the second time.
- The 61 points mark the most for Rutgers in a season opener versus an FBS opponent. It was the most points against an FBS opponent overall since posting 63 versus Louisville in 2008. Also the largest margin of victory over an FBS opponent since the 2008 Louisville win.
- Schiano earned his 72nd victory leading the Scarlet Knights, one shy of tying John Bateman for third-most in program history. Frank Burns holds the school record with 78 career wins.
- Rutgers scored five different ways on 10 scores, a safety, a field goal, a rushing touchdown, a receiving touchdown and an interception return touchdown.
- Rutgers improved to 53-27 when scoring first under Schiano and 52-19 when leading at halftime.
- Rutgers scored six rushing touchdowns against Temple, the most rushing touchdowns against an FBS opponent in the Schiano era.
- Rutgers won the turnover battle, 5-0. It was the 29th game under Schiano not committing a turnover.
- Rutgers scored its 55th non-offensive touchdown under Schiano with a pick-six.
- Rutgers committed just one penalty, tied for the least under Schiano (third time).
- The attendance of 52,519 marked the ninth-largest in stadium history.
- DB Tre Avery
- Notched fourth career interception.
- WR Aron Cruickshank
- Picked up a career-high 206 all-purpose yards (113 kick return, 55 punt return, 24 receiving, 14 rushing).
- LB Olakunle Fatukasi
- Recorded career-highs with 4.0 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks. The last Scarlet Knight with 4.0 tackles-for-loss in a game was Justin Francis versus USF in 2011. He became the fifth Rutgers player with at least three sacks in a game in program history.
- Started the scoring with a sack in the end zone for Rutgers' first safety since Willington Previlon in 2018 versus Northwestern.
- Notched third career forced fumble.
- P Adam Korsak
- Downed three punts inside the 20, including one at the 1-yard line that led to a safety.
- Recorded a career-best 49.7 average and net on six attempts with a long of 67.
- QB Johnny Langan
- Rushed for two touchdowns, second career game with multiple scores.
- WR Bo Melton
- Scored ninth career receiving touchdown on a 40-yard reception in the third quarter.
- Has registered at least one reception in 22 consecutive games.
- Posted 59 receiving yards to lead the team in the category for the 16th time.
- DB Max Melton
- Recorded first career interception and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown. First Rutgers pick-six since Kiy Hester in 2017 versus Maryland.
- RB Kyle Monangai
- Scored first career touchdown on a 2-yard carry in the second quarter.
- Added second rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.
- RB Isaih Pacheco
- Scored 14th career rushing touchdown.
- QB Noah Vedral
- Completed 15 passes for 138 yards, adding a career-high 71 rushing yards to lead the team.
- Sacked zero times.
- RB Aaron Young
- Scored second career rushing touchdown.
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