What Rutgers football's future looks like after disappointing Rate Bowl loss

What Rutgers football’s future looks like after disappointing Rate Bowl loss

Posted by Admin December 27, 2024 Football

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PHOENIX – They walked back toward the locker room in the bowels of Chase Field with stunned looks on their faces. Members of Rutgers football team left frustrated and disappointed after a Rate Bowl victory slipped right through their grasp.

Up 17 points in the second half, only for Kansas State to stage a comeback that ended with a 44-41 victory for the Wildcats – a loss that will sting Rutgers for a while.

The Scarlet Knights’ defense struggled. An offense that was practically unstoppable in the first half became stagnant in the second.

Miscues. Misplays. Mistakes.

They piled up.

So instead of celebrating a bowl win, Rutgers walked off the field and into whatever comes next.

This game offered glimpses of both promise and concern.

Because while the offense did struggle to move the ball after halftime, it clearly has potential. The defense, though, faces questions, the biggest of which centering on who exactly will lead it as coach Greg Schiano looks for a new defensive coordinator to replace Joe Harasymiak.

“Losing Joe Harasymiak certainly wasn’t a great thing for us,” Schiano said. “Everybody worked very hard to try to make it work. I’m not going to rush to hire somebody to just do it for the bowl game. We’re going to get the right guy for the future here. We will.”

Rutgers needs it.

Rutgers football’s defense faces questions heading into future

The Scarlet Knights’ performance on Thursday was discouraging – although Kansas State’s offense is a solid unit.

The Wildcats had 542 yards of total offense. They had 347 rushing yards, with 196 of them coming from running back Dylan Edwards. They made big play after big play in the second half especially to pull off the comeback.

Perhaps nothing reflected that more than Edwards scoring on a 65-yard run on the first play of a third-quarter drive that cut into Rutgers’ 17-point lead.

The Scarlet Knights’ defense will lose key pieces in linebacker Tyreem Powell, defensive end Aaron Lewis, defensive tackle Kyonte Hamilton, cornerback Robert Longerbeam and safety Flip Dixon, among others.

It has talent returning – including linebacker Dariel Djabome and safety Kaj Sanders – but much of that talent is relatively inexperienced and unproven.

Overcoming that will be part of the new coordinator’s challenge.

For so much of this season, the defense underperformed, but injuries undoubtedly played a major part in that. They piled up in ways that Schiano said he had never witnessed in his coaching career. Harasymiak rebuilt the unit during the team’s second bye week and that helped spur the team’s 3-1 regular-season finish, which helped the Scarlet Knights secure this trip to Arizona.

“I wish I could’ve done a better job, I wish we all could’ve done a better job,” Schiano said. “But again, we did everything we could, just came up a little short.”

Rutgers’ offense shows potential to build on

Offensively, Rutgers showed promise and potential.

The unit this season was the best the Scarlet Knights have had in years.

Was it always perfect? Absolutely not. But it was largely productive with quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis making sustained strides.

Rutgers scored at least 30 points in its final four games and at least 40 points in its final two, something it hadn’t done against consecutive FBS opponents since 2005.

The Scarlet Knights averaged 28.9 points per game, the highest since averaging 29.0 in 2008.

Star running back Kyle Monangai opted out of the Rate Bowl to avoid injury risk as he heads for the NFL Draft process, but true freshman Antwan Raymond stepped up with 113 yards and three touchdowns.

Second-year receiver Ian Strong caught five passes for 105 yards. True freshman wideout KJ Duff had 58 receiving yards.

The Scarlet Knights have other promising receivers, including freshman Benjamin Black. They have an offensive line that’s improved considerably, and they’re bringing in more weapons like Florida Atlantic transfer running back CJ Campbell Jr. and North Texas transfer receiver DT Sheffield.

Wide receiver Christian Dremel has seen a lot in his six seasons with Rutgers – that includes the progress of an offense that not too long ago was anemic.

“It just shows growth,” Dremel said. “This offense is only going to get better. A lot of guys coming back. A great quarterback coming back. I’m excited to watch them because I feel like we were able to lay a foundation these past two years and this year toward the end we were able to see it. I think the sky’s the limit. There’s more meat on the bone, still.”

With Rutgers’ 2024 season over, its future begins now.

It has questions to answer defensively and potential to build on offensively.

Only time will tell how it will come together in 2025.