Rutgers heads into Saturday’s home game against Nebraska with the same problem it had a week ago, only now the list of missing pieces looks even more brutal. The Scarlet Knights are 2-7 after a 31-10 loss at Wisconsin, and they’ll kick off against the 5-4 Cornhuskers at 12:30 on Nov. 14.
Nebraska comes in off a 24-13 loss to Illinois and, despite the skid, still looks like the more complete team in this matchup. Rutgers, meanwhile, is dealing with a depleted offense that could be without KJ Duff, Lonergan, Asamoah, and possibly Surace. That leaves the Scarlet Knights trying to piece together production against a defense that won’t make life easy.
Andrew Rice sees Rutgers starting fast enough to keep things respectable before Nebraska pulls away. He points to the missing offensive weapons and the reality that Rutgers’ defense has improved, but not enough to carry the load if the offense can’t do its part. His pick: Nebraska 31, Rutgers 7.
Bob Cancro framed the game as another rough spot for Rutgers at home, noting that the Scarlet Knights are 1-4 at home this season, with the lone win coming against Howard. He also pointed to Greg Schiano’s November record, writing that Schiano is 26-42 all time in the month, 7-17 in Schiano 2.0, and 0-1 this year. Three of those seven wins came in 2024, when Rutgers went 3-1 in November and beat Maryland, Illinois, and Michigan State.
Cancro also took a look at Nebraska’s side of the matchup, saying the Cornhuskers have been shaken by recent losses and that Matt Ruhle is among the coaches on the hot seat. He described Nebraska as a decent team that has struggled to finish against stronger opponents, but not one Rutgers can count on outlasting. His score: Nebraska 34, Rutgers 10.
Ryan Castellano tied the game to Military Appreciation Day in Piscataway and said Rutgers is short on supplies on offense. With no Duff, no Lonergan, no Asamoah, maybe no Surace, and uncertainty at quarterback, he argued the Scarlet Knights need to lean into a slower, physical style: run the ball, drain the clock, punt deep, and force Nebraska to drive the field.
Even with that approach, Castellano expects the Huskers’ urgency to win out. He said Nebraska’s four-game losing streak makes it dangerous, not fragile, and that the defense can only hold up for so long if the offense keeps coming back onto the field. His pick: Nebraska 24, Rutgers 10.
He also noted that Greg Schiano is returning in 2027, but said that does not change the search for a spark. With KJ Duff out, the run game lacking, and questions under center regardless of who starts, Rutgers enters this one with very little margin for error.
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Malia Romes, Skylar George and Lily Bolen helped carry the load in the win, with Bolen turning in a double-double in a night that also marked a personal milestone. The victory leaves Rutgers in a tie for 14th place in the Big Ten as the team heads toward its regular-season finale against Penn State and waits on the tournament picture to settle. [Read more 🡒]
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Acting head coach Brandin Knight said the in-game adjustments mattered as Rutgers took control and stayed there. The bigger challenge is next, with Houston waiting on the schedule, and this one offered a useful reminder that the Scarlet Knights can still lean on depth and defensive response when the margin for error shrinks. [Read more 🡒]