Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
9 8 A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M At this point, Rutgers must be wondering if some sort of curse has been placed on its football program, ensuring eternal anguish in its bat- tles with Penn State. The Scarlet Knights have ab- sorbed their share of double-digit losses to PSU over the years — nine in the Big Ten era alone — but even when they've had their hated bor- der rival on the ropes, something inexplicable has happened to snatch victory from their grasp. Last year, with Rutgers holding a late four-point lead and threaten- ing to add to it, quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis lost his grip on the ball while dropping back to pass. Line- backer Amare Campbell picked it up and dashed 61 yards for the deciding touchdown in a 40-36 Penn State road win. The late collapse cost Rutgers a bowl opportunity and put a damper on its best offensive season since Greg Schiano returned as head coach in 2020. Now, the Scarlet Knights have to fig- ure out a way to bounce back without Kaliakmanis, who was chosen by Wash- ington in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. The top contenders are senior Dylan Lonergan and junior AJ Surace. Surace didn't see much action play- ing behind Kaliakmanis last year. He got into three games and completed 4 of 9 attempts for 58 yards and 2 touchdowns, both coming versus Norfolk State. Lonergan is the son of Dan Lonergan, a backup quarterback on Penn State's 1982 national championship team. He started nine games for Boston College last year, completing 66.9 percent of his attempts for 2,025 yards, with 12 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Those are solid numbers, but BC went 2-7 in games he started, and he was benched late in the year, prompt- ing his entry into the portal. Whoever wins the job will have a cou- ple of playmakers to work with after a season in which Rutgers averaged 407.1 yards per game to rank 44th in the FBS. Junior receiver KJ Duff finished third in the Big Ten with 1,084 yards on 60 catches, and he scored 7 touchdowns. Junior running back Antwan Raymond was third in the league with 1,241 rush- ing yards, and he, too, was a touchdown maker, totaling 13 scores. Aside from the outcome of the quarterback battle, the big questions at Rutgers are on defense. The Scarlet Knights were terrible last year, allow- ing 31.8 points and 432.8 yards per game to rank 115th and 125th in the FBS, respectively. A Big Ten assistant coach quoted anonymously by Ath- lon said of Rutgers, "You turn on the tape, and they didn't have anybody that could do anything." Given that brutal assessment, it's perhaps for the best that the Scar- let Knights have lost much of last year's personnel, including their co- defensive coordinators. Schiano has revamped his defen- sive staff, bringing in Travis Johan- sen from FCS power South Dakota to take charge. Johansen was the Jack- rabbits' DC from 2019-24 and their head coach last year. He brought along one of his best players in junior cornerback Mikey Munn, a second-team FCS All-American after finishing with 59 tackles and 5 interceptions last season. The Scarlet Knights return junior safety Kaj Sanders, who ranked third on the team with 65 tackles. It would benefit Sanders, Munn and the rest of the sec- ondary if Rutgers were able to put more heat on opposing passers after a season in which it managed just 11 sacks. Only one FBS team — UCLA — had fewer. — Matt Herb N O V . 2 1 | T I M E T B D | T V T B D | B E A V E R S T A D I U M | S T A T E C O L L E G E , P A . Junior receiver KJ Duff amassed 1,084 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns as a sophomore. PHOTO BY DAKOTA MOYER/RUTGERS ATHLETICS GAME 11 RUTGERS RISING STAR JOURDIN HOUSTON | WR Houston looks to be a rising star in a position group that has made big strides. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder played in only two games as a true freshman last year, but the coaching staff named him its most improved of- fensive player in spring practice. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Penn State leads, 33-2 Head Coach: Greg Schiano (99-108 in 17 seasons at Rutgers; career coaching record: same) 2025 Record: 5-7, 2-7 Big Ten Returning Starters: 8 (4 offense, 4 de- fense) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Antwan Raymond (1,241 yards, 13 TD) Passing: QB AJ Surace (58 yards, 2 TD) Receiving: WR KJ Duff (1,084 yards, 7 TD) Tackles: S Kaj Sanders (65) Sacks: None Interceptions: DT Farell Gnago (1) 2026 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2025 Result Sept. 3 Massachusetts — Sept. 11 at Boston College — Sept. 19 USC — Sept. 26 Howard — Oct. 3 Indiana — Oct. 17 at Maryland W, 35-20 Oct. 24 at Northwestern — Oct. 31 Michigan — Nov. 7 at Wisconsin — Nov. 14 Nebraska — Nov. 21 at Penn State L, 40-36 Nov. 28 Michigan State —