RUTGERS (0-0) vs. NORTHWESTERN (0-0)
September 3, 2023 • Noon ET • CBS
SHI Stadium • Piscataway, N.J.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers football opens its 2023 season hosting Northwestern Sunday at SHI Stadium in a game presented by Provident Bank. Kickoff is set for noon on CBS. It will be the first time the Scarlet Knights begin with a home Big Ten contest since joining the league.

RU is 10-4 in season openers under head coach Greg Schiano, including victories each of the past three seasons (Boston College, Temple, at Michigan State). The team is 101-40-11 all-time in home openers.

The Rutgers Boardwalk, presented by VisitNJ.org, returns in 2023. Stop by Scarlet Knight Way to enjoy the top food trucks in New Jersey, experience a family-friendly day of free rides, carnival games, prizes, mini golf, a petting zoo and live entertainment. Get to The Rutgers Boardwalk early for the pregame parade, presented by Horizon, and the pep rally featuring the Marching Scarlet Knights, Spirit Team, the Scarlet Knight and his horse "Excalibur," plus the 2023 Scarlet Knights at the football team arrival.

The home opener will also be Youth Football Day at SHI Stadium, as participants will be invited to take part in the parade down The Rutgers Boardwalk. That leads to the Scarlet Walk, which takes place approximately at 9:30 a.m. Youth Football guests can also be seen during the halftime on-field walk inside SHI Stadium.

Giveaways for the season opener include "Beat Northwestern" buttons, shakers and the first version of the limited-edition new Rutgers comic series. Season ticket holders receive a one-time 15 percent discount to the Rutgers Team Shop online, while gaining the same discount in-stadium multiples times throughout the year. Student season ticket holders will additionally be served free food pregame inside the stadium.

In an effort to encourage a safe environment for fans as well as improve the ease of entry into the stadium, Rutgers has moved to mobile-only tickets, which can be added to an Apple Wallet or Google Wallet app. Digital tickets provide for contactless entry, limiting person-to-person interactions, while speeding up 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 assist 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 Wallet apps prior to arriving at the stadium.

Fans who park in the Jersey Mike's Arena lots can take the free campus buses over to SHI Stadium (MAP). The drop-off area will be at Lot 53A, allowing fans to walk through The Rutgers Boardwalk on the way to the stadium. Buses from College Ave will run to Johnson Park. All buses run three hours prior to kickoff and return up to one hour following the conclusion of the game.

The ADA shuttles will continue to deliver to and from the stadium with locations at the Blue Lot, Silver Lot and Jersey Mike's Arena, in service until 2.5 hours after the game.

Guests are advised to review Football Game Day Central before arriving, including the bag policy.



TV: CBS (Paramount+)
Play-By-Play: Tom McCarthy
Analyst: Jason McCourty
Sideline: Tiffany Blackmon

Radio: RWJBarnabas Health Rutgers Sports Network
WFAN 101.9-FM/660-AM, FOX Sports New Jersey 93.5-FM/1450-AM, SiriusXM 84, SXM app, Audacy app, Scarlet Knights app
Play-By-Play: Chris Carlin
Analyst: Eric LeGrand
Analyst: Mike Teel
Sideline: Anthony Fucilli
Engineer: Paul Shrager
Pre/Post: Marc Malusis & Julian Pinnix-Odrick

Student Radio: WRSU 88.7-FM
Dylan Allen & Alec Crouthamel


 

SCOUTING RUTGERS

• The roster includes 12 players who started at least nine games for the Scarlet Knights last season (DL Wesley Bailey, OL Ireland Brown, OL Curtis Dunlap Jr., DB Desmond Igbinosun, TE Johnny Langan, DL Kyonte Hamilton, LB Deion Jennings, DL Aaron Lewis, DB Max Melton, RB Kyle Monangai, OL Hollin Pierce and LB Tyreem Powell). In addition, 27 return who made their Rutgers debut in 2022, while 23 come back after making their collegiate debut last season.
• Rutgers starts the season on a Sunday for the first time in program history and will play on Sunday for just the fourth time, holding a 3-0 record. The previous occurrences were Oct. 29, 2006 versus Connecticut (24-13), Sept. 21, 1980 against Cincinnati (24-7) and Nov. 25, 1979 at Louisville (31-7).
• Rutgers opens with a three-game homestand for the first time since 2017.
• Rutgers is 6-2 in September games since 2021.
• Rutgers is 9-1 since 2020 when not committing a turnover in a game.
 

OFFENSE

• Kirk Ciarrocca is in his first season back as Rutgers' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Ciarrocca, who has over 30 years of coaching experience (19 as an offensive coordinator), returns to Piscataway after serving on Schiano's staff for three seasons and winning two bowl games from 2008-10. He has previously been selected as a semifinalist for the Broyles Award and coached 26 players who had their name called in the NFL Draft (six in the first round).
• QB Gavin Wimsatt enters the season with six career starts, completing 65 passes for 757 yards in 2022. He set career highs with 236 passing yards, 20 completions, 34 attempts and two touchdown passes in the game at Michigan State.
• The Scarlet Knights return 88.5 percent (1,362/1,538) of rushing yards from last season. RB Kyle Monangai led the team with 445 yards on the ground, while Samuel Brown V rushed for three touchdowns. TE Johnny Langan added 139 rushing yards to 296 receiving yards, being named to the Mackey Award watch list this summer.
 

DEFENSE

• Joe Harasymiak is in his second season as defensive coordinator and was named a nominee for the 2022 Broyles Award. Statistically, the unit allowed 46.7 less yards per game last season compared to 2021, 28.1 less passing yards and 18.6 less rushing yards. The Scarlet Knights posted their best mark in total defense (349.8) in 10 years.
• LB Deion Jennings led the team with 91 tackles and 8.5 tackles-for-loss last season, with LB Tyreem Powell adding 71 stops and being named to the Butkus Award watch list. DL Aaron Lewis graded as the No. 5 edge defender in the Big Ten and No. 20 at the position nationally by Pro Football Focus last season and claimed a spot on the Bednarik Award watch list.
• DB Max Melton owns 16 career pass breakups and five interceptions, leading the nation with three blocked kicks in 2022. DB Robert Longerbeam posted a career-high four pass breakups in the 2021 meeting at Northwestern.
 

SPECIAL TEAMS

• RU has blocked 67 kicks under Schiano (12 times scoring off a blocked punt), including five in 2022. That includes 12 games under Schiano with multiple blocked kicks.
• PK Jai Patel left holding the school record at South Brunswick with 22 career field goals, 67 touchbacks and 78-for-78 on PATs. PK Jude McAtamney connected on 12 field goals last season with a long of 49 yards, adding 17 touchbacks.
• P Flynn Appleby is in his second season with the program, having previously been a professional rules footballer in the Australian Football League.


 

VERSUS NORTHWESTERN

• Rutgers takes on Northwestern for the sixth time, third time in a Big Ten game and for the third time in New Jersey. The Scarlet Knights lead the series, 3-2.
• In the last meeting in 2021, Rutgers made its first trip to Northwestern for a Big Ten game, falling on the short end of a 21-7 game at Ryan Field. Noah Vedral completed 18 passes for 152 yards and an 18-yard touchdown pass to Bo Melton. The score capped a 97-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter, the  longest for the team in Big Ten play since joining the conference. Bo Melton produced eight catches for 101 yards overall. Olakunle Fatukasi totaled a game-high 13 tackles, while Longerbeam led the secondary with four pass breakups.
• In the first Big Ten meeting in 2018, Rutgers held the lead at halftime and through three quarters, but Northwestern came back for an 18-15 win in Piscataway. Isiah Pacheco had a 44-yard rushing touchdown, Justin Davidovicz added two field goals and Willington Previlon registered a sack in the end zone for a safety. Adam Korsak set the school record with a 79-yard punt.
• In 1991, Antoine Moore rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns and Gary Melton raced 96 yards for a kickoff return touchdown, adding 63 receiving yards. Shawn Williams sealed the 22-18 win with a sack on fourth down after Northwestern had driven to the eight.
• Rutgers first traveled to Evanston in 1989 and came away with a 38-27 victory in the 1,000th game in program history. Scott Erney went 13-of-28 for 308 yards passing, while Randy Jackson recorded 90 and 83-yard receptions for touchdowns. The Scarlet Knights outgained the Wildcats, 515-430, in a matchup that was nationally televised (ESPN).
• The first contest, which was played in Newark in 1919, ended as a 28-0 RU win to close the 5-3 season under coach George Foster Sanford, who later earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
• WR Rashad Rochelle is the only member of the Rutgers roster from the state of Illinois.
• Rutgers game highs versus Northwestern:
Rushing Yards: Antoine Moore, 140 (1991)
Passing Yards: Scott Erney, 308 (1989)
Receiving Yards: Randy Jackson, 173 (1989)
 

UP NEXT

Rutgers continues its three-game homestand hosting Temple at SHI Stadium on Sept. 9 in a game presented by Rutgers Health. The Blackout is set for a 7:30 p.m. start and will include a pregame light show. Big Ten Network will broadcast the matchup.

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