PISCATAWAY – There was Kyle Monangai, bursting into the open field for a 46-yard gain in the first quarter against Akron at SHI Stadium Saturday, setting up his three-yard scoring run a play later for the first Rutgers TD of the game.

The second quarter saw the senior running back break a 62-yarder right up the gut, setting up the Scarlet Knights’ second TD of the afternoon.

You see where this is going.

The buzz surrounding Rutgers football this season might not have been deafening, but it was the loudest it’s been in a while. And it all hinged on taking care of business in the first two games.

By the time Rutgers put the finishing touches on a 49-17 victory, Monagai had a career-best 208 yards rushing, with three TDs.

“When everyone is doing their job and Kyle gets the ball, it’s like ‘go Kyle, go.’  Put him in one-on-one situations, I’m going with Kyle,“ said quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. “Everything about his game makes him difficult. Not only the way he moves but the intelligence, the way he sees the field, it’s awesome. It really is.”

It was the latest seminal effort for a guy who’s already being mentioned among the greatest backs Rutgers has ever had, but whose ability is still largely underappreciated in the college football universe.

Monangai now has 371 yards and four TDs in the first two games. Could a Heisman Trophy candidacy be in the cards?

“That’s like a childhood dream and something you aspire to get as a kid, so to even have that be a consideration is beyond and honor," Monagai said. "But if that does happen we know why. It’s those five guys up front.”

“If he continues to play at the level he is, I think that stuff takes care of itself,” head coach Greg Schiano said. “I know this. Winning games is a huge contributing factor to that as well. So as a team we need to continue to improve and win games.”

Without him, things might not have gone as smoothly against the Zips, who slugged it out on the road for most of the afternoon. Same last season, when he ran for 1,262 yards and eight TDs to lead the Scarlet Knights to a Pinstripe Bowl appearance, where he ran for 163 yards to spearhead a victory over Miami (Fla.).

He’s the latest in a lineage that includes Isiah Pacheco, part of the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl machine, and by day’s end he had moved into ninth place on the Rutgers all-time rushing list.

Monagai fits the mold perfectly. The Don Bosco Prep product feeds off his underdog status. He’s the constant you can count on every game to provide punishing, physical runs, and chunk plays when they present themselves.

“Explosive plays are critically important,” Schiano said. “If you have to have a 16-play drive to score you almost have to be perfect. And none of us are perfect. So when you get those chunk plays, whether it’s flyover yards or those big runs like Kyle has supplied at times, it’s hugely important to your overall success as an offense.”

Through two games, he’s the biggest reason Rutgers is still on schedule at 2-0. Now everyone can take a deep breath before focusing on the next game at Virginia Tech, not as daunting a test as originally thought after the Hokies lost to Vanderbilt in the opener. And while there are some very good teams remaining, none of them are named Ohio State, Michigan or Penn State, three games that were penciled in as losses for the past decade.

A year ago, Monangai worked his magic without the benefit of a competent passing game. This season, Kaliakamanis, a transfer portal pickup who threw for three TDs Saturday, along with additions like former Monmouth University star receiver Dymere Miller, have bolstered the aerial attack. That should create more openings for Monangai, with opposing defenses unable to crowd the line of scrimmage anymore.

But the ever-humble Monangai continually points to the guys up front as the starting point for everything.

“They are the reason we had the success we had on offense No question about it,” Monangai said. ”There’s five reasons. Hollin Pierce, Bryan Felter, Gus Zilinskas, Kobe Asamoah, Tyler Needham. They played their guts out today.”

What Monangai’s early season performances have done is help put Rutgers in an enviable position. One where almost anything seems possible right now, including a spot in the college football playoffs.

Who knows? Everything’s still on the table in early September, including one of the greatest seasons ever by a Rutgers running back. And after two games, that’s all anyone could have hoped for.

Stephen Edelson is a USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey sports columnist who has been covering athletics in the state and at the Jersey Shore for over 35 years. Contact him at: @SteveEdelsonAPP; sedelson@gannettnj.com.

“If he continues to play at the level he is, I think that stuff takes care of itself,” Schiano said. “I know this. Winning games is a huge contributing factor to that as well. So as a team we need to continue to improve and win games.”

“Explosive plays are critically important,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said. “If you have to have a 16-play drive to score you almost have to be perfect. And none of us are perfect. So when you get those chunk plays, whether it’s flyover yards or those big runs like Kyle has supplied at times, it’s hugely important to your overall success as an offense.”

“When everyone is doing their job and Kyle gets the ball, it’s like ‘go Kyle, go.’  Put him in one-on-one situations, I’m going with Kyle,“ said quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. “Everything about his game makes him difficult. Not only the way he moves but the intelligence, the way he sees the field, it’s awesome. It really is.”

Ever humble

“They are the reason we had the success we had on offense No question about it,” Monangai said. ”There’s five reasons. Hollin Pierce, Bryan Felter, Gus Zilinskas, Kobe Asamoah, Tyler Needham. They played their guts out today.”

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This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers football, Kyle Monangai beat Akron