Rutgers football: 'Insane' crowd sent Washington packing, Jersey-style

Rutgers football: ‘Insane’ crowd sent Washington packing, Jersey-style

Posted by Admin September 28, 2024 Football

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PISCATAWAY – It was fourth-and-goal from the 2, with the opponent rolling up yardage in chunks. The Rutgers football team’s defense had its back to the wall.

Right behind that wall, though, were 10,000 student-fans clad in black and screaming their heads off.

“Jersey grit,” said Rutgers linebacker Tyreem Powell, who grew up in Vineland.

The visitors couldn’t handle it. Powell got a hand on Washington quarterback Will Rogers’ errant fourth-down pass, forcing an incompletion.

“With their offense going into the student section right there and they’ve got to score, they were definitely affected,” Powell said.

It was a symbolic moment in Rutgers’ 21-18 victory Friday night. There is no line in a box score for the crowd’s impact on a game, and television broadcasts seldom do it justice. But make no mistake: The 45,000 fans who showed up swayed the outcome of this taut Big Ten opener.

“It was huge seeing so many people turn out for us – it definitely provided energy and built confidence for us,” Rutgers defensive lineman Kyonte Hamilton said. “And it hurt some of their checks (on offense). It creates chaos.”

Head coach Greg Schiano brought this up, unprompted, at the start of his postgame press conference.

“Let me start by thanking our students,” he said. “That was special. In warmups they were out there and they were getting after it early. That’s a legitimate Big Ten home advantage, that’s what that was tonight. At times, you couldn’t hear yourself think. Believe me, that has an effect.”

It hasn’t been like that here in 10 years, since Rutgers edged Michigan in 2014.

“You could feel it in that stadium tonight,” Schiano said. “That’s what Big Ten football is, and that’s what I want for New Jersey – that’s what I’ve always wanted for New Jersey, is to have that in our state. I grew up here, I played in this state, high school football, and it was always somewhere else, right? But I want this to be a place that New Jerseyans can be proud of. Tonight was a good step.”

The whole night was a celebration of the state, from Rutgers’ marching band spelling out “Exit 9” with green headlamps at halftime to the cheering contest between folks from North Jersey, Central Jersey and South Jersey (which denizens of vastly underappreciated Central Jersey won).

Right before the opening kickoff, as Washington took the field, longtime public address announcer Joe Nolan implored Rutgers fans to “give them a warm New Jersey welcome,” and they responded by raining down boos. The Huskies seemed uncomfortable all night, like they knew their visit to Soprano-land would end with a nasty surprise at the diner.

“We let ‘em know what Jersey’s like,” said senior running back Kyle Monagai, a Don Bosco Prep grad who steamrolled half of the Huskies’ defense on a 40-yard run – sparking a roar that might have awoken sleeping babies in Dunellen. “You could feel the juice and the energy was there – especially on those third downs when the crowd noise is going and momentum is shifting.”

Rutgers converted 7-of-15 third-down attempts, compared to 2-of-12 by Washington.

“The crowd is a part of the game, and I think they know that,” Monagai said. “Having them there, how they showed up tonight, it was awesome.”

It’s fair to wonder how much Rutgers fans got into the head of Washington kicker Grady Gross, who missed field goals of 37, 42 and 55 yards, the last of which would have tied the game as time expired.

“That last field goal, I couldn’t hear anything,” Hamilton said. “It was insane – I couldn’t hear myself think.”

In the end, Washington flew 2,900 miles home with a loss and a ringing in their ears. Rutgers fans took the cannoli.

“I’ll end the way I started: I really thank our fans,” Schiano said. “They definitely helped push that win over the finish line.”

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.