Rapid Reaction: Rutgers holds off furious Ohio rally to open 2025 season with win

Rutgers had to sweat it out, but the Scarlet Knights opened the 2025 season with a victory on Thursday night.

Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis threw for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns, Antwan Raymond ran for 88 yards and a score, and Ian Strong topped 100 yards through the air to help Rutgers to a 34-31 win over Ohio. The Bobcats outscored Rutgers 14-0 in the third quarter to tie the game going into the fourth, but a field goal with 11:11 to play was enough to push Rutgers to a win.

Rutgers scored on each of its first 4 possessions of the game. The offense exploded in the second quarter, scoring 24 points while averaging almost 14 yards per play.

In the third quarter, Rutgers moved at a snail’s pace. The Scarlet Knights bled 3:10 off the clock for a 5-play, 26-yard drive on their opening possession of the third, then they embarked on a 14-play, 67-yard drive that took 7:56 off the clock and ended in a field goal.

Ohio got 1 fourth-quarter possession. The Bobcats punted away with 6:41 to play and then never got the football back.

With the win, coach Greg Schiano moved to 6-0 in season-openers since returning to the school in 2020. Rutgers hosts Miami (OH) next Saturday.

Rutgers 34, Ohio 31

Here’s the Rutgers-Ohio box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:

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Athan Kaliakmanis vs Parker Navarro

A statistical breakdown of how Rutgers’ quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis performed in comparison to Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro:

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