Three Thoughts on Rutgers Football's 35-20 win against Maryland
Rutgers Football moved to within one win of bowl eligibility following its 35-20 victory against Maryland.
Here are three thoughts after the game….
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EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND
Antwan Raymond made history in more ways than one in this game as he recorded 41 carries for 240 yards and one touchdown. His 41 attempts tied Savon Huggins (2012 Cincinnati) and Jawan Jamison (2012 USF) for the most in a game in program history.
“Every game, we anticipate really wanting to run the football, but to say that I anticipated 41 carries, that would not be true,” head coach Greg Schiano said. “I thought the staff did a really good job, and Antwan and certainly the O-line. We really thought this game would be one of those games that had cumulative effects.”
Raymond rushed for the third most yards in a game in program history and set the mark for a Scarlet Knight in Big Ten play. He also reached 1,000 yards on the season, becoming the ninth player in Rutgers history to reach the feat.
Anyway you slice it, this was one of the most impressive offensive displays from a Scarlet Knight since joining the Big Ten and could not have come at a more crucial time with their postseason lives hanging in the balance.
IAN FEELIN’ STRONG
After a tough couple of weeks following an ankle injury, this was a return to form for Ian Strong as he finished with a hat trick of touchdowns on five catches for 88 yards.
Rutgers entered this game struggling mightily in the red zone, going 13-for-26 in Big Ten play. While there is still work to be done to get those numbers back to respectability, Strong provided a lift as he recorded a five-yard touchdown pass that gave Rutgers a 21-17 lead with 34 seconds remaining in the first half. He also caught a 14-yard touchdown reception with 10:26 left in the third quarter to give the Scarlet Knights a 28-17 lead.
“I think maybe getting back into a groove of people playing where they are supposed to play,” Schiano credited his team’s offensive bounce back to. “You have to remember, two weeks ago Ian was out, he came back and played for the first time without a lot of practice. I thought he played a great game today. I think it’s kind of just being a little back to normal.”
Strong’s three scores not only tied a program record in a Big Ten game, but he helped Athan Kaliakmanis reach four touchdown passes on 13 completions. Kaliakmanis’ four scores also tied a program record in a Big Ten game.
DEFENSE BOUNCES BACK
In a season that has seen far too many lows for Rutgers’ defense, this was perhaps its best performance of the season as it shook off a rocky start to hold Maryland to three points in the second half.
“We are a long way from being what we want to be, but we are making incremental improvement,” Schiano said. “That’s all I asked them to do is just keep getting a little bit better every day.”
Eric O’Neill led the way for the Scarlet Knights with easily his best performance of the season, recording a career-high 10 tackles with two for a loss. Jett Elad also contributed his second interception of the season.
After allowing a 73-yard touchdown run to Maryland quarterback Malik Washington on the second play of the game and an interception from Kaliakmanis at Maryland’s one-yard line, there might have been a feeling from the scarlet faithful of “Oh boy, here we go again.” However, the Scarlet Knights dispelled that notion by putting together quite possibly their best all-around performance of the year.
Rutgers will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 22, when it faces No. 1 Ohio State at Ohio Stadium.
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