Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 9 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M A lot of Rutgers fans surely looked with covetous eyes upon Indiana's 2024 foot- ball season. The Hoosiers last year did what Rutgers has been longing to do, rising up from the depths of the Big Ten standings to be- come national media darlings and College Football Playoff participants. The Scar- let Knights had been hyped during the summer by no less an authority than Kirk Herbstreit as dark horse CFP contenders. As it turned out, there was a dark horse lurking among the Big Ten's former East Division strivers. It just wasn't Rutgers. So, now the question for coach Greg Schiano and his team is whether they can put together a breakthrough of their own after back-to-back 7-6 finishes. The Scarlet Knights do appear to have one of the prerequisites: a talented quarterback to complement their typically rugged ground game. Senior Athan Kaliakma- nis transferred from Minnesota last year and threw for 2,696 yards, with 18 touch- downs and 7 interceptions. In doing so, he became the first Rutgers quarterback since Chris Laviano in 2015 to surpass 2,000 yards passing in a season. This year, Kaliakmanis will have some proven wideouts at his disposal. Ian Strong and KJ Duff combined to make 70 catches for 1,101 yards and 6 touch- downs during the 2024 season. The Scar- let Knights have also added transfer DT Sheffield, who had 66 catches for 822 yards and 11 scores at North Texas in 2024. In the backfield, Rutgers will miss Kyle Monangai, a 1,200-yard rusher each of the past two seasons. But the staff likes what it has in returnee Antwaan Ray- mond and Florida Atlantic transfer CK Campbell Jr. Last year, Raymond totaled 457 yards and 8 touchdowns backing up Monangai, while Campbell finished with 844 yards and 11 scores at FAU. With three starters back on the offen- sive line, Rutgers' ground game should be solid coming off a 2024 season in which it produced 175.3 yards per game to rank 45th in the FBS. The defense has a lot less manpower returning than the offense, so Rutgers hit the transfer portal hard. Among its acquisitions was former Penn State cor- nerback Cam Miller, who appears poised to start in a new-look secondary. Other key additions include safety Jett Elad (formerly of UNLV) and defensive ends Eric O'Neill (James Madison) and Bradley Weaver (Ohio). O'Neill had 18.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks last year for the Dukes. He and his fellow transfers will need to tighten up a unit that yielded 393.8 yards per game, second-most in the Big Ten. While the Scarlet Knights haven't bro- ken out on a national level to this point in Schiano's second stint in Piscataway, they have developed into the kind of team that can handle the beatable opponents on its schedule. That in itself is a big improve- ment. Before the past two years, Rutgers hadn't posted back-to-back winning sea- sons since 2011-12 when it was still play- ing in the Big East. The Scarlet Knights haven't posted three consecutive winning seasons since 2005-09, during Schiano's first stint. Facing one of the Big Ten's tougher schedules, one certainty is that they'll have a strong incentive to achieve bowl eligibility by mid-November. Rutgers is set to wrap up its regular season with a trip to Ohio State followed by a visit from Penn State. Does anyone in the country have a tougher finish? — Matt Herb N O V . 2 9 | T I M E T B A | T V T B A | S H I S T A D I U M | P I S C A T A W A Y , N . J . Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis threw for 2,696 yards and 18 touchdowns in his first season with the Scarlet Knights. PHOTO COURTESY RUTGERS ATHLETICS GAME 12 RUTGERS BEST-CASE SCENARIO QB Athan Kaliakmanis could continue his ascent, helping Rutgers go from "tough out" to giant killer, upgrading its bowl outlook in the process. WORST-CASE SCENARIO The schedule could be too much to handle, especially for a defense that has largely been pieced together through the transfer portal. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Penn State leads, 32-2 Last Meeting: The Nittany Lions held visiting Rutgers to 229 yards and a pair of field goals in a 27-6 victory on Nov. 18, 2023 Head Coach: Greg Schiano (94-101 in 16 seasons at Rutgers; career collegiate coaching record: same) 2024 Record: 7-6, 4-5 Big Ten Returning Starters: 12 (8 offense, 2 defense, 2 specialists) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Antwan Raymond (457 yards, 8 TD) Passing: QB Athan Kaliakmanis (2,696 yards, 18 TD) Receiving: WR Ian Strong (676 yards, 5 TD) Tackles: LB Dariel Djabome (105) Sacks: DE Jordan Walker (4) Interceptions: NB Bo Mascoe, DE Jordan Thompson (1) 2025 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2024 Result Aug. 30 Ohio — Sept. 6 Miami (Ohio) — Sept. 13 Norfolk State — Sept. 20 Iowa — Sept. 27 at Minnesota W, 26-19 Oct. 11 at Washington W, 21-18 Oct. 18 Oregon — Oct. 25 at Purdue — Nov. 1 at Illinois L, 38-31 Nov. 8 Maryland W, 31-17 Nov. 22 at Ohio State — Nov. 29 Penn State —