Rutgers won’t have to wait long to find out whether Week 1 was an ugly one-off or a sign of deeper trouble, but Saturday’s results around the schedule at least showed the Scarlet Knights won’t be walking into a gauntlet of unbeatable teams.
The loudest reminder came in Ann Arbor, where Michigan flirted with a disaster that looked uncomfortably familiar to Rutgers fans. The No.
16 Wolverines seemed to have lost at home to Western Michigan after Bryce Underwood’s Hail Mary sailed through the back of the end zone as time expired. That would have capped a 12-7 upset for the MAC visitors at the Big House.
But after video review put one second back on the clock, Underwood connected with JJ Buchanan for the winning touchdown in a 13-12 finish that will live in college football infamy.
Even with the ending, the game offered Rutgers a useful snapshot: Michigan, which comes to Piscataway on Halloween, is not invincible. And that idea applied to other future Scarlet Knights opponents too.
Cincinnati gave Boston College a rough start in a 34-15 win, building a 24-0 lead and never letting the Eagles seriously back into the game. The Bearcats pounded out 255 rushing yards at 5.5 per carry and scored four rushing touchdowns, while Boston College got a solid debut from Mason McKenzie, who finished with 301 total yards, one passing touchdown and one interception. The Eagles also had a touchdown wiped away by a questionable call and lost starting center Michael Crounse to an injury that took him out of the game.
USC was even more imposing on the scoreboard, rolling past Fresno State 39-0 behind 550 yards of total offense and 27 first downs. The Trojans’ defense set the tone, holding Fresno State to 116 total yards, forcing two turnovers and allowing just 2 of 10 on third down. Unless Louisiana springs a surprise next week, USC will arrive in Piscataway undefeated and riding three lopsided wins.
Elsewhere, Richmond beat Howard 28-21 after the Bison fell into a 20-0 hole. Howard, which opened the season with a 31-24 win over Alabama A&M in Week Zero, got back within 20-14 but never managed to grab the lead.
Indiana also handled business, beating North Texas 52-16 after Curt Cignetti began the day by using Rutgers as a warning sign and then backed it up with a comfortable win.
Penn State posted a 45-0 shutout of Marshall in Matt Campbell’s debut as head coach. Rocco Becht threw for 271 yards and four touchdowns on 13 completions, and the Nittany Lions held Marshall to 147 total yards.
Maryland blanked Hampton 62-0 in another one-sided result, though the Terrapins did note their second-best opening day crowd since joining the Big Ten. That at least suggests Rutgers may find some semblance of a road environment when it travels to College Park next month.
Northwestern also had to survive a push, beating South Dakota State 34-18. The Jackrabbits cut the lead to 20-18 with 8:16 left before the Wildcats answered with two quick touchdowns to close it out.
Nebraska’s 49-21 win over Ohio was more complicated than the final score made it look. The Cornhuskers trailed 7-0 and 13-10 before pulling away late, scoring 21 points in the final nine minutes. Ohio stayed in it until the last 10 minutes.
Michigan State rounded out the slate with a 30-20 win over Toledo. The Rockets trimmed the margin to 20-19 early in the fourth quarter, but the Spartans finished with the last 10 points, securing the victory in Pat Fitzgerald’s debut in East Lansing.
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Rutgers Women's Soccer Enters Princeton Match With One Leadership Question
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Olivia Bodmer and Gabriela Gil have already been named captains for the 2026 season, which gives the program a clear starting point on the leadership front. The more immediate question is how that leadership develops in real time as Rutgers tries to keep sharpening its identity against Princeton and carry momentum out of the nonconference portion of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Fans Are Already Debating A Greg Schiano Backup Plan
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That has been enough to get Rutgers fans talking about a hypothetical backup plan if Greg Schiano ever comes under real pressure. Kelly has not been linked to the job in any official sense, but the idea has taken hold because of his background and because Scarlet Knights supporters are always quick to game out what might come next. For now, it is only a fan conversation, but it is the kind that tends to linger when a veteran coach with New Jersey ties keeps his options open. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Fans Now Have One Big Reason To Judge Keli Zinn
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Zinn has also pointed to progress in football under Greg Schiano, saying recruiting and the use of resources have improved since she arrived. For Rutgers fans, the larger question now is whether those moves are the start of a broader reset or just the first visible steps in a longer rebuild, with Zinns judgment on the departments biggest pieces set to be watched closely from here. [Read more 🡒]