Final Score: Liberty 34, Rutgers 44

Brief Recap: Rutgers will not finish with just one win for back-to-back seasons. After entering Saturday’s game as a rare home underdog to a new FBS team, the Scarlet Knights came out and displayed plenty of fight. The visiting Flames started strong, but Rutgers had an answer at every turn. After heading to halftime tied up at 21-all, the Knights took control of the game with a strong third quarter and never let up down to the finish.

Key Moment: Rutgers’ run in the third quarter will go down as the key to the game. After a back-and-forth throughout the first half, the Scarlet Knights outscored Liberty 17-3 in the third to build a two-possession lead headed to the fourth. That lead would be stretched to 17 points late before the Flames made it a bit closer at the end.

Key Player: Freshman QB Johnny Langan was the star of the big win. It has been a rough go since replacing McLane Carter and Artur Sitkowski under center, but Langan put up his best game Saturday. Langan threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns on 15-for-21 passing. He also added 118 yards on the ground and another touchdown to lead the Knights.

Key Stat: The Hugh Freeze-led Flames were able to put up points, but they were not able to control the ball. Rutgers dominated time of possession by holding the ball for 40:48 of game time. Dominating time on the ball allowed the Knights to wear down and run all over Liberty for the win.

What it Means: Well, it’s a bit of respect for Rutgers after losing six straight games. It also means the Scarlet Knights, with their second win of the season, have doubled their win total from 2018. It is the first win under interim head coach Nunzio Campanile. Other than that, it doesn’t mean much. Bowl eligibility is nearly impossible. The only thing left for Rutgers this season is to play for some respect, but four tough games remain to end the season.