PISCATAWAY – A sense of déjà vu settled over SHI Stadium as the field descended into shadows early Saturday evening. For the third straight season Rutgers is 3-0, thanks to a 35-16 win over Virginia Tech.
Now what?
Because that’s really the essence of the 2023 campaign. Progress will be measured from this point forward, after the Scarlet Knights were unable to capitalize on a fast start the past two seasons. If there’s been growth, the next few months will be the ultimate measuring stick.
More: Three reasons Rutgers football beat Virginia Tech to improve to 3-0
“I don’t know the significance. We worked really hard to be 3-0,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said.
“So we’re going to relax a little bit tonight and then it’s right back to work tomorrow. We know what’s coming. We know what’s coming the rest of the year. I mean, that’s the league we play in. That’s what we love about it.”
And who wouldn’t have signed for 4-1 at the end of September, with seven games left to get not only bowl eligible, but perhaps do a bit better. And the key to that scenario was winning their first three, with the Hokies looming as the biggest obstacle in that quest.
Mission accomplished. Because even if Rutgers loses like they’re supposed to next week at Michigan, they’re virtually assured of beating FCS-foe Wagner in a gimmie game to close out the month.
There’s still plenty of questions to be answered, but that happens in the coming weeks. All the Scarlet Knights have done is make it interesting.
Speaking of interesting, that’s what this game became in the second half after it looked like Rutgers was going to win it in style, building a 21-3 halftime lead against their former Big East rivals. Then Virginia Tech, coming off a 24-17 loss to Purdue, rallied with a pair of TDs, pulling to within 21-16 early in the fourth quarter.
But the locals breathed a sigh of relief when Kyle Monangai broke a fourth-quarter touchdown run, and the defense came up with a big stop on fourth down with 6:48 to play, giving Rutgers the breathing room it needed. Monangai then put the game away with a 12-yard TD run with 3:20 to play.
Right now, there isn’t much to distinguish this group from the previous two years. Overall, the defense was solid in this one, and has given up just 30 points in three games.
“We didn’t play our best at times, but our guys figured it out. That’s part of it,” Schiano said.
Bowl dreams for Rutgers
Getting two more wins won’t be easy, with a gauntlet that begins in October with a trip to Wisconsin, with games against Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State still to come. But games against Indiana, Iowa and Maryland provide better measuring sticks, with at least a chance of getting to the .500 mark, or better.
At least with a win over Virginia Tech there’s a level of intrigue.
Who knows how this defense will hold up against Michigan’s offense, but it certainly looks like they might be able to land a few shots against the Wolverines the way they’re playing right now.
And the maturation of quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, as the offense continues to lurch forward, will be a fascinating case study, as Schiano tries to develop a player who can lead the program to the next level.
Rutgers did what it needed to against Virginia Tech, coming off a 24-17 loss to Purdue. They got a turnover in the opening minutes of the game that the offense turned into a touchdown one play later, and they never let the Hokies get all the way back.
“We needed that takeaway,” Schiano said. “The two takeaways gave us an opportunity. The good thing, we got the ball down in the red zone and we scored three touchdowns in the red zone. That’s not easy to do. We got to keep doing that.”
They built a 21-3 lead halftime lead on a Wimsatt to Christian Dremel TD hookup with four seconds on the clock.
Next up for Rutgers: No. 2 Michigan
Now Rutgers gets a chance to land a roundhouse punch against No. 2 Michigan, although it’s likely the Wolverines are going to land a bunch of their own.
Yes, we’ve been here before. The foundation is once again set. All that remains is for coach Greg Schiano’s Scarlet Knights to show that they’re building something on it.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
