3 takeaways from Rutgers' resounding Week 1 win over Howard

The 2024 Big Ten football season is officially off and running! Thursday night ushered in the first games of the year with Rutgers getting the slate started with a showdown against Howard.

That game was never expected to be a dogfight, and Rutgers proved to provide a balanced effort on both sides of the ball. The first points of the game even came from the Scarlet Knight defense while the offense scored 17 points before halftime and continued to find its footing after the break.

By the time the 2-minute warning of the 4th quarter came around, Rutgers had built a 38-7 lead and was in no danger of being on upset alert with the Bison. What could be a big season for the Scarlet Knights gets rolling without a hitch as a late touchdown made the final score 44-7.

Here are the key takeaways from the season-opening win:

Non-offensive points are still a staple

As long as Greg Schiano is with Rutgers, getting points on the board while the offense is off the field will be a key focus. That proved to be the case once again in the season opener.

In fact, the first points of the 2024 Big Ten season came courtesy of the Rutgers defense. After punting on the opening drive, the Scarlet Knights forced Howard into a 3rd-and-7 near midfield.

Ja’Shawn Scroggins threw a pass that was off the mark, and Eric Rogers made Howard pay. Rogers intercepted the pass and made the intended receiver miss a tackle with a swift move before racing 52 yards for a pick-6.

PICK 6! 🚨@RFootball takes it to the house 😤 pic.twitter.com/z5xTH5WgPI

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 29, 2024

Rutgers will hope for more defensive and special teams points throughout the season, but that’s a good sign to get some non-offensive points in the season opener.

Kyle Monangai is back in a big way

Kyle Monangai did not have to play all game long, but did not stop the B1G’s leading rusher in 2023 from having a major impact. He carried the ball 19 times in the game and still managed to rush for 165 yards and a touchdown.

That’s the kind of performance the Scarlet Knights became accustomed to from Monangai. He rushed for 140+ yards 5 times in 2023, and Rutgers was unsurprisingly 4-1 in those games.

Now, the Scarlet Knights are off to a 1-0 start in a strong performance from Monangai.

Athan Kaliakmanis looks sharp under center

The highly anticipated debut for QB Athan Kaliakmanis could not have gone any better. The former Minnesota starter locked down the job in the offseason, and he threw for 3 touchdowns in the win.

The most impressive touchdown of the evening came on a 3rd-and-long play. Instead of calling a simple run play and settling for a field goal try, the Scarlet Knights called a pass play with Kaliakmanis finding Samuel Brown V out of the backfield for a beautiful score.

Samuel Brown V with a 34-yard TUDDY! 👏@RFootball extends their lead! pic.twitter.com/z1RujVgqM6

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 30, 2024

Kaliakmanis finished he day 15-for-24 with 147 yards to go with the 3 touchdowns. While the yardage does not pop off the page, he was efficient with the ball when called upon and delivered some key moments on 3rd down.

The QB was also effective with his leg, getting into the ground game with 43 yards on 6 carries. That’s the kind of usage that will allow the Scarlet Knights to keep opposing defenses off balance with Kaliakmanis’ balanced numbers.