On Thursday, August 29, it will be Rutgers football vs Howard Bison in their Week 1 matchup to kick off the 2024 season. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at SHI Stadium with TV coverage on the Big Ten Network.
The Scarlet Knights are 11-4 in season openers under head coach Greg Schiano, including victories in the past four years. Rutgers has a program record of 102-40-11 all-time in home openers, winning 12 of the last 14. The Scarlet Knights’ roster includes 14 players who started at least seven games last season, giving them plenty of experience heading into Thursday’s matchup. Also, Rutgers is returning nine all-conference players, the fifth-most in the Big Ten.
Rutgers vs Howard History
On Thursday, the Scarlet Knights and Howard are set to meet on the gridiron for the sixth time with all the meetings taking place in Piscataway. The series started in 2006, and Rutgers has won the previous five matchups by a combined margin of 217-53, including a 26-0 shutout in 2012. The Scarlet Knights are 14-0 all-time against teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, winning by a combined score of 623-88.
The last time the Scarlet Knights and the Bison faced off was in 2016, when Rutgers wide receiver Janarion Grant logged 248 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in a 52-14 win. Rutgers recorded five touchdowns in the second half while limiting the Bison to five yards of total offense after halftime.
Rutgers game highs versus Howard
- Rushing Yards: RB Jourdan Brooks, 124 yards (2009)
- Passing Yards: QB Gary Nova, 282 yards (2014)
- Receiving Yards: WR Tim Brown, 132 yards (2009)
Key Players for Rutgers football
Howard has to prepare for the reigning Big Ten rushing leader, Kyle Monangai. Monangai enters 2024 with 1,942 career rushing yards, seeking to become the 16th player in program history to reach 2,000 yards. He ran for 1,262 yards last year, posting seven games with 100 or more. If Monangai can dominate the rushing attack, Rutgers should capture their first victory in the 2024 season on Thursday.
Making his Rutgers debut on Thursday, look for transfer quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis to control the Scarlet Knights’ offense. He has plenty of Big Ten experience, playing in 23 games at Minnesota. While at Minnesota, Kaliakmanis completed 216-of-405 passes for 2,784 yards and 17 touchdowns.
At wide receiver, Christian Dremel is expected to lead the Scarlet Knights in receptions on Thursday. Dremel led the Rutgers’ roster with 45 games as a Scarlet Knight and paced the offense with 36 receptions and 468 receiving yards last year.
Key Players for Howard
For the past two years, the Howard University football program has established itself as one of the top teams within the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Last season, Howard ended in a tie for first place, securing their first-ever berth in the Celebration Bowl. Despite the disappointing 31-26 loss to Florida A&M, the Bison program showed that it is a force to be reckoned with moving forward.
Heading into the 2024 season, the Bison will have to replace Quinton Williams, a four-year starter at quarterback. After a competitive battle among redshirt sophomore Ja’Shawn Scroggins, redshirt senior Jaylon Tolbert, and North Carolina A&T State graduate transfer Zachary Yeager, the Bison will look for one of these quarterbacks to run the talented and balanced offensive attack.
Although the offensive line lost three key starters, the team returns one of the premier players on the FCS level, senior guard Darius Fox. A two-time All-MEAC selection and a first-team preseason pick, Fox is confident the Bison can still win in the trenches.
Rutgers Blueprint for Victory
If Rutgers can play a clean football game, they should handle Howard easily in Week 1 and start the season 1-0. Since 2020, the Scarlet Knights have a 13-1 record when not committing a turnover in a game.
In 2023, Rutgers was the most improved team in the Big Ten by total offense (+24.1) and one of just four teams in the league to increase its average from 2022 (Wisconsin +17.6, Illinois +13.0, Indiana +4.6). If the Scarlet Knights can continue this trend against Howard, Rutgers should have no problem taking care of the Bison.
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