AJ Surace gets his shot this week against Boston College, and it comes with a clear challenge attached: make it hard for Rutgers to put Dylan Lonergan back in the starting job once he’s healthy.
Lonergan’s late injury in Rutgers’ season-opening loss to UMass opened the door for Surace, who lost the quarterback battle to him in offseason practice. Now the backup has a real game to show why he should be more than a fill-in.
The opportunity is there. The question is whether he can make it stick.
The first thing Rutgers will be watching is how Surace handles the pocket. That wasn’t an easy environment for Lonergan last week, and if the offensive line is going to keep putting quarterbacks under pressure, the staff needs to see which passer can handle it best. Surace has to stay composed, get the ball out to open receivers and avoid forcing throws into tight windows.
Then comes the bigger test: what does he look like when the field stretches out? Lonergan has been labeled a short-game quarterback, effective underneath but hesitant to challenge defenses downfield. If Surace can keep the same accuracy on short throws while also showing comfort on medium and deep passes, that gives Rutgers a different kind of answer at quarterback.
There’s also another layer to his game. Surace was a much more run-heavy quarterback in high school, piling up 975 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns as a senior at Notre Dame High School.
If he can use his legs without letting it disrupt his passing rhythm, that gives Rutgers something Lonergan may not offer: another dimension. With the offensive line struggling, a quarterback who can move, escape and extend plays could matter.
Of course, some of this is simpler than all that. Surace needs to protect the football, put up numbers that look the part and have an overall solid outing. More than 200 passing yards, a few touchdowns, no interceptions and a limited number of sacks could be enough to keep him in the conversation when Rutgers decides what comes next at quarterback.
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