Rutgers heads into another road test this week as a 16.5-point underdog against No. 24 Northwestern, fresh off a 37-30 win over Maryland that gave the Scarlet Knights their first Big Ten victory of the season.
Northwestern comes in at 5-1, with its lone setback a six-point loss to No. 6 Indiana.
Outside of that game, the Wildcats have handled business against lesser opposition, including a 34-point win over Colorado and a 21-point win over Penn State. They have also beaten Michigan State, Ball State and South Dakota State.
Aidan Chiles, the former Michigan State quarterback, has powered Northwestern’s offense. He has thrown for 1,398 yards with nine touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 70.5% of his passes. He has also added 60 carries for 98 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
The Wildcats have two productive backs behind him in Caleb Komolafe and Joseph Himon II. Komolafe has 401 yards on 75 carries with four touchdowns, while Himon has gained 346 yards on just 30 carries and scored three times.
With Chiles, Komolafe and Himon all involved, Northwestern has plenty of ways to attack Rutgers’ shaky run defense. That ground-heavy approach should not be a surprise, either, since the Wildcats average fewer than 24 pass attempts per game.
At wide receiver, Griffin Wilde leads the way with 30 catches for 483 yards and three touchdowns.
Northwestern’s defense has been just as important to its start. The Wildcats have allowed fewer than two touchdowns in half of their games, and while opponents have completed a high percentage of passes, Northwestern is limiting production downfield to 6.2 yards per pass, one of the better marks in the country. That makes KJ Duff’s big-play ability a key matchup to watch against a secondary that forces teams underneath.
The Wildcats have also been disruptive in another way, piling up more than 10 turnovers this season.
Rutgers and Northwestern will meet at the new Ryan Field on Saturday, Oct. 24 at noon. Peacock will carry the game live.
In Other News...
Rutgers Mens Golf Showed The Fight Scarlet Knights Fans Wanted
Rutgers mens golf team closed the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational with a burst that looked a lot more like the resolve the Scarlet Knights have been chasing. The final round produced their best score of the tournament, a 17-under 271, and it came at the right time for a group that had been sitting in 11th before making its move up the board.
Sophomore Lucas Politano set the tone with a 6-under 66, finishing tied for 11th overall and giving Rutgers a front-line score it could build around. Minnesota took the team title, while Memphis Yixiang Wang earned medalist honors, but Rutgers closing round offered a reminder that the lineup can still turn a quiet week into something worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
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As the night wore on, the same issues that can derail a game in November started to surface again, with the Red Storm turning up the pressure and Rutgers having trouble matching it in the closing stretches. Knight pointed to the need for more physicality and better decision-making when the game gets tight, and while the scoring punch was real, the late-game control still looks like the piece Rutgers has to find. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Women Golf Chasing A Bigger Fall Statement In Final Team Event
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Senior Lorena Rossettin has given the lineup a lift with a recent runner-up finish, while Emily James added another sign of progress by sharing co-medalist honors at Princeton as Rutgers placed third as a team. There is still one more stop on the schedule later in October, when the Scarlet Knights plan to send individuals to the Lehigh Invitational, but this week offers the clearest chance yet to see how far the group has come against a deeper field. [Read more 🡒]