Rutgers football (6-5, 3-4) wraps up the regular season with a road trip to Spartan Stadium to face Michigan State (5-6, 3-5) on Saturday. This matchup will mark the 11th consecutive year the two teams square off on the gridiron. Michigan State will look to win its sixth game of the season and become bowl-eligible as it hosts Rutgers on Senior Day.
Rutgers football travels to MSU to face the Spartans
Last week, Rutgers football dropped a heartbreaking loss to No. 24 Illinois, 38-31. Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis led a 10-play, 65-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 13-yard passing score to running back Kyle Monangai with 1:08 left.
Kyle Monangai comes up CLUTCH for Rutgers! 🔥
📺 Peacock | @RFootball pic.twitter.com/FlDlofK045
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) November 23, 2024
However, the Fighting Illini answered Rutgers’ scoring drive by posting a go-ahead touchdown with four seconds left to claim the victory.
Pray for Rutgers Football fans
They called a timeout to ice the kicker who missed the 58-yarder…
Illinois got the play back and answered with THIS
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) November 23, 2024
Rutgers rushed for 213 yards (most in Big Ten play this season) and picked up 30 first downs (most in a Big Ten game since joining the league in 2014). Monangai finished the contest with a career-high 28 carries, recording 122 rushing yards. He reached 3,000 career yards on the ground in this game. Meanwhile, Kaliakmanis finished with a career-high 84 rushing yards as he recorded his first game with multiple rushing scores. He also added two throwing touchdowns through the air.
Saturday’s loss denied Rutgers a three-game win streak as the Scarlet Knights beat Minnesota, 26-19, on November 9 and won 31-17 at Maryland on November 16.
As for the Spartans, Michigan State improved to 5-6 and 3-5 in Big Ten play with a 24-17 win over Purdue last Friday night. Wide Receiver Montorie Foster Jr. caught four passes for 59 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown in the first quarter, to lead the Spartan wide receivers.
Sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles completed 15 of his 31 attempts for 159 yards and two touchdowns, marking his second straight game with multiple touchdown passes. On the ground, senior Kay’ron Lynch-Adams recorded 18 carries for 85 yards. He also added three catches for 18 yards through the air.
Rutgers football vs the Spartans: Series History
Saturday’s game marks the 16th meeting between Michigan State and Rutgers. The Spartans lead the overall series, 10-5, including an 8-2 mark in Big Ten play. MSU is 5-3 against Rutgers in East Lansing, including a 27-21 victory in the last meeting in Spartan Stadium in 2022. However, Rutgers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Spartans, 27-24, last year in Piscataway.
Two of the signature victories in school history for the Scarlet Knights have come against Michigan State. Rutgers opened the 1988 campaign with a 17-13 victory over the 15th-ranked and defending Rose Bowl-champion Spartans at Spartan Stadium. In 2004, Rutgers defeated Michigan State, 19-14, to start the season.
Key Players for Rutgers football
The Scarlet Knights are led by Kaliakmanis, Monangai, and wide receiver Dymere Miller on offense. Miller leads Rutgers in receiving this season, recording 53 receptions for 683 yards and four touchdowns. He is averaging 12.9 yards per catch and 62.1 yards per game.
Kaliakmanis has been solid through the air, posting 2,302 yards on 186 completions for 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has completed 54.6 percent of his passes (186-of-341), averaging 209.3 yards per game.
Monangai has been the anchor for RU on the ground, rushing for 1,150 yards on 225 carries and 12 touchdowns. The senior running back has averaged 5.1 yards per carry and 115 yards per game.
On defense, junior linebacker Dariel Djabome has been all over the field, recording 95 tackles, 6.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks, one pass breakup, and two forced fumbles.
Key Players for Michigan State
Sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles has been leading the Spartans in his first year behind center at MSU. Chiles has completed 60 percent of his passes (179-of-300) for 2,265 yards (205.9 yards per game), 12 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in his first year. He ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 37th in the FBS in passing yards per completion (12.7).
The Spartans also have one of the best freshman wide receivers in the nation. Nick Marsh ranks 10th in the Big Ten with 63.6 receiving yards per game, ranking, third among FBS freshmen and tied for 80th overall in the FBS. He leads the team in receiving yards (636) and ranks second in receptions (39). He also ranks eighth in the Big Ten with 16.3 yards per catch.
Keys to victory for Rutgers
Heading into their matchup against MSU, Rutgers is eighth in the Big Ten in scoring offense (26.7 points per game), and 13th in scoring defense (24.7 ppg). Also, Rutgers’ offense is eighth in the conference in total offense (382.6 yards per game).
Michigan State’s run defense is legit, but the Spartans tend to turn the ball over a lot on offense. If Kaliakmanis and the Rutgers’ offense can take care of the football, they have a high chance of winning this game.
Sure, Michigan State is fighting to become bowl-eligible, but Greg Schiano will have his guys prepared in the biggest possible way. Schiano is a defensive-minded coach, and everything is about effort and finishing as RU tries to finish the regular season on a high note.
Mike Cavallo
A sportswriter for The League Winners covering all Rutgers athletics. Follow my social media page for all coverage of Rutgers sports. X (Twitter): @M_Cavs55