Saturday afternoon looked a lot like the KJ Duff show, and Rutgers was happy to let him headline it.
In a 37-30 Big Ten win over Maryland in College Park, the junior wide receiver piled up nine catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns. That kind of output has become familiar, and it was the kind of performance Rutgers probably doesn’t pull out without.
"It feels good," Duff said after the win. "Like I've been saying all along, I know what type of team we are and it feels great to come out on the other side."
The touchdowns pushed Duff to within two of Rutgers’ single-season receiving touchdown record. He now has nine scoring catches in six games this season, along with 42 receptions for 741 yards.
"Obviously, it means a lot to the legacy aspect," said Duff, who has 42 catches for 741 receiving yards this season. "But I don't really focus on that too much.
My mindset going to the game is not to score two more touchdowns to break the record. At the end of the day, I just want to win.
Whatever it takes for me to contribute to be able to win, I'm."
And, as usual, there was at least one highlight that fit right into his growing reel of difficult grabs. Duff hauled in another one-handed catch, this one in the first half and good for a touchdown after he got a foot down along the sideline.
"When the ball is in the air, you just got to make it play, any way possible. And I was able to do that," Duff said.
The play was originally ruled incomplete before replay overturned it. Duff never had much doubt.
"I was super confident and I felt my foot come down," he said. "Made me think back to the USC touchdown, took some video replay to have some reassurance. But I definitely felt my foot come down this time."
Asked whether he works on those one-handed grabs, Duff said the routine is more practical than flashy.
"No, I don't-maybe messing around here and there. But always close two hands, always trying to get two hands."
Rutgers coach Greg Schiano didn’t hold back afterward.
"He's special, that's the only word you can say," Schiano said during his post-game press conference. "He just does things every day I get to see it in practice, but people get to see it in games. And he's a special player."
Duff was a favorite target all afternoon, drawing 17 looks from quarterback Dylan Lonergan. Lonergan had his best game as a Scarlet Knight, going 23-of-35 for 291 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
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