Rutgers football could have an edge against Virginia Tech in this key area
PISCATAWAY – Rutgers football established the run successfully in its first two games.
Saturday’s contest against Virginia Tech could present a good opportunity to keep that momentum going.
The Scarlet Knights will look to win their third-straight game when they play the Hokies at Lane Stadium (3:30 p.m., ACC Network) in Blacksburg, Virginia, and their running game, the identity of their offense, has a chance to be a difference-maker.
Led by Kyle Monangai, who’s starting to become involved in Heisman Trophy chatter, Rutgers ran for 329 yards in the season-opening win over Howard (166 from Monangai) and then racked up 285 rushing yards (208 from Monangai) against Akron.
Two games is a small sample size, but that level of success, especially with the way the offensive line performed in run blocking, was an encouraging sign for the Scarlet Knights, who are averaging 6.8 yards per carry.
“I think it’s Coach Ciarrocca making a statement with his play calling – we like to run the ball,” Monangai said. “That’s no secret to anybody. We’ve definitely done well in the run game, but it’s just something we’ve got to continue to build off. Opponents are only going to get better and better as we go, we’re only going to see better and better defenses as we go.”
Virginia Tech's run defense has been vulnerable in first three games
Coach Greg Schiano and Monangai both spoke highly of what they’ve seen from Virginia Tech’s defense on film.
“They’ve got good players at all three levels,” Monangai said. “They play hard but we play hard too. It’s going to be a good match.”
The Hokies’ run defense, though, has looked vulnerable.
Virginia Tech through three games has allowed 190.3 rushing yards per contest, last in the ACC.
Old Dominion rushed for 243 yards against the Hokies.
Rutgers football's depth at running back includes promising true freshman Antwan Raymond
Rutgers’ rushing attack is going to present a significant challenge – for what it’s worth, the Scarlet Knights ran for 256 yards in their 35-16 win over the Hokies last season. Monangai had 143 of those yards.
Behind Monangai, Rutgers has solid depth and talent at running back. Sam Brown ran for 68 yards against Howard, but he wasn’t available against Akron.
MORE Rutgers football bowl projections 2024: The Scarlet Knights' status entering Virginia Tech game
So in stepped true freshman Antwan Raymond, who joined the program following spring practices after reclassifying into the Class of 2024. Raymond finished with 77 yards on 17 carries (4.5 yards per attempt) with one touchdown against the Zips.
“He's still learning his way, but for someone that just came in, he’s done a phenomenal job,” Monangai said. “I think he’s only going to get better. He’s shown some flashes, but once he really gets his groove and gets comfortable, I think he’s going to be a problem.”
Monangai's a good leader to follow.
"Kyle is so much to our program," Schiano said. "Yes, he's a very fine running back and one of the best. But he's a great leader, does things right, academically, on and off the field. So he's a guy that I as a head coach can point to as an example. And he's earned it. There was no 'gimmes' to him."
It’s unclear if Brown will be available against Virginia Tech – Schiano leaves any statuses to the availability report released two hours prior to kickoff – but Rutgers has shown that it has quality options to help shoulder the load with Monangai.
That could be on display against the Hokies on Saturday.
“I think we have great depth,” Monangai said. “I don’t see much of a falloff when any guy goes in the game. I don’t think there’s any play in the playbook Coach Ciarrocca’s not comfortable calling with any of us in the game. It says a lot to the talent that we have. I don’t think every running back room can say that. We push each other to be better every day.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football running game could thrive vs Virginia Tech
