Football Opens 2024 Season with 44-7 Win over Howard

Thursday, August 29

Piscataway, N.J.

6 p.m.

Rutgers University

1-0 , 0-0

Howard

0-1 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Howard

Rutgers

Photo by: Howard Smith

Football Opens 2024 Season with 44-7 Win over Howard

Aug 29 | Football

Box Score Game Book Head Coach Greg Schiano Press Conference Postgame Quotes Statistics Photo Gallery

RUTGERS 44 (1-0), HOWARD 7 (0-1)
SHI STADIUM • PISCATAWAY, N.J.
AUGUST 29, 2024 • ATTENDANCE: 47,803

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers football (1-0) opened its 2024 season with a 44-7 win over Howard (0-1) Thursday night at SHI Stadium. RB Kyle Monangai matched his career high with 165 yards and became the 16th player in school history to surpass 2,000 career rushing yards.

QB Athan Kaliakmanis threw three touchdowns in his Scarlet Knight debut, finishing with 147 yards through the air and another 43 on the ground. RB Samuel Brown V, TE Kenny Fletcher and WR Dymere Miller all recorded scoring receptions in the win. Monangai and RB Antwan Raymond both reached the end zone on the ground.

On defense, LB Dariel Djabome produced a career-high 14 tackles in his first collegiate start. DB Eric Rogers tallied the first takeaway of the season thanks to a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown to open the scoring.

FIRST QUARTER

Rutgers' first score of the season came on a pick-six, as Rogers intercepted QB Ja'Shawn Scroggins and took it 52 yards for a touchdown. The defensive takeaway put the Scarlet Knights up 7-0 with 9:01 left in the first quarter. RU held the Bison off the scoreboard to take its 7-0 lead into the second quarter.

PICK-6 to start to 2024 @bigten season ‼️

Eric Rogers gets things started for @RFootball 😤

📺: @bigtennetwork #B1GFootball pic.twitter.com/36OCruBrXk
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) August 29, 2024

SECOND QUARTER

Rutgers outscored Howard, 10-0, in the second quarter, highlighted by a two-yard touchdown pass from Kaliakmanis to Miller. It marked the first touchdowns as Scarlet Knights for both Kaliakmanis and Miller, capping a 10-play, 76-yard scoring drive with 4:05 left before halftime.

After the Bison scored on their following possession, RU marched down the field in the final 34 seconds of the quarter. Monangai produced a 31-yard carry to get into Howard territory, setting up a 36-yard field goal from PK Jai Patel. Patel's first field goal of the season gave Rutgers a 17-7 lead heading into the locker room.

THIRD QUARTER

RU's first drive of the second half resulted in a score, as Monangai punched it in on a seven-yard rush to put Rutgers up 24-7 with 8:06 left in the third quarter. Monangai had rushes of 17 and 13 yards during the scoring run.

Rutgers added to its lead on its next possession. On second down inside Bison territory, Kaliakmanis dropped back and found Brown V for a 34-yard touchdown pass. Brown V's scoring reception made it 31-7 with 2:34 before the final quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER

The Scarlet Knights closed with a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. With 4:16 remaining, Kaliakmanis fired a two-yard touchdown to Fletcher to make it 38-7, marking the first career touchdown for Fletcher.

After the defense forced a turnover-on-downs, Raymond scampered in from 11 yards out for his first career score as time expired to put the finishing touch on a 44-7 victory.

NOTES

• Rutgers improved to 12-4 in season openers under head coach Greg Schiano. It was the seventh straight season RU won its opener, improving to 82-64-9 all-time.
• Rutgers improved to 103-40-11 all-time in home openers, winning 13 of the last 15, and 11-5 under Schiano.
• Rutgers has won eight consecutive non-conference games and 12 of the last 13. The Scarlet Knights are now 51-20 overall in such games under Schiano.
• Rutgers improved to 6-0 all-time versus Howard with a combined margin of 261-60. The Scarlet Knights also moved to 15-0 against teams from the MEAC.
• Rutgers is now 8-3 all-time in games played in August.
• Rutgers is now 14-1 since 2020 when not committing a turnover in a game.
• Rutgers rushed for 329 yards, its most since posting 375 versus Howard in 2016.
• Rutgers allowed no sacks, its fifth such game since 2023.
• Rutgers improved to 63-22 under Schiano when leading at halftime, 20-2 when scoring at least 40 points, 30-0 when allowing less than 10 points, 62-18 when producing more total offense, 59-21 when winning the turnover battle, 4-0 when rushing for at least 300 yards and 39-17 when scoring a defensive or special teams touchdown.
• DB Eric Rogers recorded a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown, his second career score. He also picked up a touchdown off a blocked punt last year at Indiana. The last pick-six for the Scarlet Knights was in 2022 by Christian Braswell versus Indiana. It was Rogers' third career interception and first for RU.
• Rutgers has now scored 63 non-offensive touchdowns under Schiano, including 12 since 2020.
• WR Dymere Miller scored his first touchdown for Rutgers on a two-yard reception in the second quarter. It was his 18^th career receiving score.
• TE Kenny Fletcher scored his first career touchdown in his first collegiate start.
• RB Kyle Monangai rushed for 165 yards to match his career high and reach 2,107 in becoming the 16^th player in program history to top 2,000 career rushing yards. It marked his ninth career 100-yard game, tied for seventh-most in the school record book, and fifth with at least 150 yards. Monangai added his 15^th career rushing touchdown.
• RB Samuel Brown V posted a 34-yard receiving touchdown, his first career receiving score and sixth overall.
• QB Athan Kaliakmanis threw for three touchdowns on 15 completions, his third career game with three passing scores.
• LB Dariel Djabome posted a career-high 14 tackles in his first start.
• DL Jordan Walker notched his first career sack.
• DB Kaj Sanders became the sixth true freshman to start the season opener under Schiano and 10^th Scarlet Knight overall since 2001, joining TE Daevon Robinson (2018), QB Artur Sitkowski (2018), WR Bo Melton (2017), CB Blessuan Austin (2015), WR Mohamed Sanu (2009), S Courtney Greene (2005), RB Ray Rice (2005), RB Markis Facyson (2002) and QB Ryan Cubit (2001).
• Collegiate debut (10): P Jakob Anderson, WR Ben Black, TE Logan Blake, WR KJ Duff, DL Henry Hughes Jr., DB Sebastian Jusma, OL Nick Oliveira, RB Antwan Raymond, DB Kaj Sanders, PK Jack Scullion
• Rutgers debut (16): P Jakob Anderson, WR Ben Black, TE Logan Blake, WR Naseim Brantley, WR KJ Duff, DL Henry Hughes Jr., DB Sebastian Jusma, QB Athan Kaliakmanis, WR Dymere Miller, OL Nick Oliveira, DL Malcolm Ray, RB Antwan Raymond, OL Shedrick Rhodes Jr., LS Austin Riggs, DB Kaj Sanders, PK Jack Scullion
• First career start (5): LB Dariel Djabome, TE Kenny Fletcher, DB Kaj Sanders, DL Jordan Thompson, LB Moses Walker
• True freshmen (6): P Jakob Anderson, WR Ben Black, WR KJ Duff, RB Antwan Raymond, DB Kaj Sanders, PK Jack Scullion
• Consecutive games played: DL Kyonte Hamilton (39), OL Hollin Pierce (39), OL Shedrick Rhodes Jr. (38), DL Malcolm Ray (35), WR Christian Dremel (30)

UP NEXT

Rutgers remains home to face Akron on Sept. 7 for the first matchup between the programs since 1990. It will be the R Community Game and a celebration of Eric LeGrand's "A Walk to Believe." The game, slated for a noon kickoff on Big Ten Network, is presented by GGL Law Firm. LeGrand's walk is sponsored by Prudential and GGL Law Firm.

Follow Rutgers football on X (@RFootball & @RUboardwalk), Facebook (/RFootballShow) and Instagram (@rfootball & @ruboardwalk) for the latest news and updates. Also subscribe to the YouTube channel.