Game 5: Football vs. Michigan

Saturday, November 21

Piscataway, N.J.

7:30 p.m.

Rutgers University

Michigan

Photo by: Ben Solomon/Rutgers Athletics

Nov 16 | Football

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Game presented by RWJBarnabas Health

RUTGERS (1-3) vs. MICHIGAN (1-3)
November 21, 2020 • 7:40 p.m. ET • Big Ten Network
SHI Stadium • Piscataway, N.J.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers football remains home to host Michigan Saturday at SHI Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:40 p.m. on Big Ten Network for the Scarlet Knights' second night game in three weeks. The contest is presented by RWJBarnabas Health.

Rutgers has scored at least 20 points in all four Big Ten games in 2020 after only reaching the mark five times in the previous 36 conference games and 12 times in the first 52 league games since joining the Big Ten in 2014. The last time RU posted 20 or more points in four consecutive conference games was in 2011, the final year of head coach Greg Schiano's first stint at Rutgers, as a member of the Big East.

TV: Big Ten Network (FOX Sports App)
Play-By-Play: Mark Followill
Analyst: James Laurinaitis
Sideline: Elise Menaker

Radio: RWJBarnabas Health Rutgers Sports Network
WCTC 1450-AM, WOR 710-AM, WENJ 97.3-FM, XM 195, Sirius 133
Play-By-Play: Chris Carlin
Analyst: Ray Lucas
Analyst: Eric LeGrand
Sideline: Anthony Fucilli
Engineer: Paul Shrager
Pregame: 6:30 p.m. (Marc Malusis & Julian Pinnix-Odrick)

Student Radio: WRSU 88.7-FM
Chris Tsakonas & Troy DeSavino

SCOUTING RUTGERS

The Scarlet Knights fell to Illinois, 23-20, on a field goal with three seconds remaining most recently. Wide receiver Bo Melton, who finished with a career-high 150 receiving yards, posted his second two-touchdown game of the season with scores of 29 and 66 yards from quarterback Noah Vedral. Running back Isaih Pacheco added 133 yards on the ground to make it the third time in Big Ten play RU had both a 100-yard rusher and receiver in the same game.

Overall, the offense posted season highs in total yards (422), rushing yards (166), passing yards (256) and yards per play (6.3). Rutgers has racked up 652 more yards of total offense with 99 more points compared to through four Big Ten games last season.

Melton paces the team with 458 all-purpose yards, including 334 receiving yards. His five total touchdowns (four receiving, one punt return) rank second in the conference, as he has posted at least four catches in each game so far. Pacheco sits sixth in the league with 5.2 yards per rush following his sixth career 100-yard rushing performance. Vedral is averaging 20.5 completions per game and is coming off recording a career-high 256 passing yards.

Defensively, linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi reached double-digit tackles for the fourth-straight outing with 13 against Illinois. He has a league-high 50 tackles on the season, the most for a Scarlet Knight through four games since Jabari Moore's 60 to start 1999. Linebacker Tyshon Fogg is second in the conference with 41 stops. Fatukasi has 6.5 tackles-for-loss to help the defensive unit lead the Big Ten with eight stops in the backfield per game. In addition to tying his personal best with seven tackles, defensive lineman Mike Tverdov forced a fumble last week recovered by defensive back Max Melton. RU is 10^th in the nation with seven fumble recoveries in 2020.

Kicker Valentino Ambrosio, a former member of the Rutgers men's soccer team, made his debut on the gridiron with two successful field goals and two extra points last week. Punter Adam Korsak boomed a 66-yarder to help raise the team's net punt to 41.5 yards, on pace with the school record set last year.

VERSUS MICHIGAN

• Rutgers will play Michigan for the seventh time since joining the Big Ten in 2014. The programs did not previously meet.
• In one of the more memorable games in Rutgers football history, the Scarlet Knights earned a 26-24 victory over Michigan on Oct. 4, 2014 in a home night game to pick up the program's first league win as a member of the Big Ten Conference.
• Gary Nova led RU with 404 passing yards (third-most in RU history) and three touchdowns, while Kyle Federico converted two field goals. The game was sealed with 3:01 remaining in the fourth quarter when Kemoko Turay skied above the line to block a potential go-ahead 56-yard field goal.
• The sellout crowd of 53,327, the third-largest in Rutgers history, stormed the field to celebrate the win.
• Both the longest rushing (Pacheco 80-yard touchdown in 2018) and passing (Nova to Andrew Turzilli 80-yard touchdown in 2014) play for Rutgers in conference play against a Big Ten opponent came against Michigan.
• Defensive lineman Michael Dwumfour played in 33 games for Michigan from 2016-19, while linebacker Drew Singleton saw action in seven games for the Wolverines in 2018.
• Rutgers game highs versus Michigan:
Rushing Yards: Isaih Pacheco, 143 (2018)
Passing Yards: Gary Nova, 404 (2014)
Receiving Yards: Andrew Turzilli, 94 (2014)

UP NEXT

Rutgers travels to Purdue on Nov. 28 for its first trip to Ross-Ade Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. on FS1.

Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding football, follow the program on Twitter (@RFootball), subscribe to the YouTube channel and visit Rutgers.Football.