For the first time since the COVID season, Rutgers went into Maryland and knocked off the Terrapins 31-17. This is the first time Rutgers has won in front of opposing Maryland fans since 2014.
Rutgers, in their last 11 games against Maryland, has posted a record of just 4-7 against the Terrapins. In 2021, Rutgers was one game away from clinching a bowl game but was convincingly turned away by the Terrapins who beat them 40-16. This time, Greg Schiano and his team wouldn’t be denied, beating Maryland on the road and clinching a bowl birth in their opponent’s stadium. The return of running back Kyle Monangai and the continued stabilization of the passing game deserves much of the credit for the Knight’s win as both Monangai and quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis put up two touchdowns against the Terrapins defense.
The Progress of The Rutgers Rebuild
The Knights broke a lot of negative streaks in this game that were being held over their head. The first and most prominent one is the fact that the Knights have not had a 2000 yard passer since Chris Laviano in 2015. During this game, Kaliakmanis broke this streak with two games to spare.
The Knights have been fishing for a serviceable quarterback for years. They seemed to have found their answer with Kaliakmanis.
The second streak the Knights broke shows the progress of their rebuild even better than the improved quarterback situation. Rutgers, for the first time since 2012 has clinched a bowl game for the second year in a row.
Last season, the Knights won the Pinstripe Bowl against Miami 31-24. Rutgers will have to wait until the end of the season to find out what bowl they are going to and who they will be playing.
Despite some ugly losses and some heartbreaking injuries, these streaks being ended is a good indicator that the rebuild is doing just fine despite these road bumps.
Where Does Maryland Go From Here?
Maryland, despite gaining 82 more yards than their opponent and having half as many penalties, found themselves on the losing side of this matchup. So that begs the question, where do the Terrapins go from here? Maryland is now staring down the barrel of elimination as they need to win out to punch their ticket to a bowl game. Easier said than done because Maryland will be welcoming in the 6-4 Iowa Hawkeyes next week before having to go on the road to take on No. 4 Penn State in Happy Valley. Maryland will have to be perfect to have a chance to reach the postseason.
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