RUTGERS (4-2, 1-2) vs. MICHIGAN STATE (2-3, 0-2)
October 14, 2023 • Noon ET • Big Ten Network
SHI Stadium • Piscataway, N.J.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers football returns to SHI Stadium to host Michigan State Saturday for Homecoming & Family Weekend in a game presented by RWJBarnabas Health. Kickoff is set for noon. The Scarlet Knights are 4-0 at home this season.
BTN Tailgate will broadcast at Athletes Glen adjacent to The Rutgers Boardwalk. The show, open to the public, airs live at 10 a.m. to preview the day ahead and features special guests.
The Rutgers Boardwalk, presented by VisitNJ.org, opens at 8 a.m. and will feature trick-or-treating for the first time. Food trucks will have different Halloween treats for children, who are encouraged to wear their costumes. The pregame parade and pep rally is set to take place at 9:30 a.m., followed by the Scarlet Walk.
This will be the 89th Homecoming game in program history. The Scarlet Knights are 54-33-1 on Homecoming weekend, with the event held every season since 1933, except 1943 and 2020. RU defeated Indiana, 24-17, last season for Homecoming. Click
here for more information on the events surrounding Homecoming & Family Weekend.
In an effort to encourage a safe environment for fans as well as improve the ease of entry into the stadium, Rutgers has moved to mobile-only tickets, which can be added to an Apple Wallet or Google Wallet app. Digital tickets provide for contactless entry, limiting person-to-person interactions, while speeding up entry time into the venue and also offers a secure means to transfer and exchange tickets. Representatives from the Rutgers ticket staff will be on hand to help assist customers with any digital ticket-related matters. Fans will also receive mobile parking passes that they can manage like their digital tickets. Fans are encouraged to download mobile tickets and parking passes to their Apple Wallet or Google Wallet apps prior to arriving at the stadium.
Fans who park in the Jersey Mike's Arena lots can take the free campus buses over to SHI Stadium (
MAP). The drop-off area will be at Lot 53A, allowing fans to walk through The Rutgers Boardwalk on the way to the stadium. Buses from College Ave will run to Johnson Park. All buses run three hours prior to kickoff and return up to one hour following the conclusion of the game.
The
ADA shuttles will continue to deliver to and from the stadium with locations at the Blue Lot, Silver Lot and Jersey Mike's Arena, in service until 2.5 hours after the game.
Guests are advised to review
Football Game Day Central before arriving, including the bag policy.
The game will broadcast on Big Ten Network. Viewers can find the channel through
btn.com/gamefinder and through the
New Jersey listing. The FOX Sports app will also stream the game.
Big Ten Network (FOX Sports app)
Play-By-Play: Cory Provus
Analyst: Matt Millen
Reporter: Elise Menaker
Radio: RWJBarnabas Health Rutgers Sports Network
WFAN 660-AM/101.9-FM, FOX Sports New Jersey 93.5-FM/1450-AM, SiriusXM 113 or 195, SXM app, Audacy app, Scarlet Knights app
Play-By-Play: Chris Carlin
Analyst: Eric LeGrand
Analyst: Mike Teel
Sideline: Anthony Fucilli
Engineer: Paul Shrager
Pre/Post: Marc Malusis & Julian Pinnix-Odrick
Student Radio: WRSU 88.7-FM
Eddie Kalegi, Alex Carmenaty & Jess Buckley
• Rutgers seeks to start 5-2 for the first time since 2014 and 2-2 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2017.
• Rutgers is 4-0 at home for the first time since 2011, last starting 5-0 at home in 2006.
• Rutgers has allowed 88 points, the fewest through six games since permitting 69 in 2012.
• Rutgers is 11-1 since 2020 when not committing a turnover in a game.
• Rutgers scored first in 5-of-6 games this season. That includes points on the first offensive drive in four games.
• Rutgers has permitted just three sacks, ranking second in the nation (0.50 per game). The Scarlet Knights also rank seventh in red zone defense (0.625), ninth in fewest penalties per game (4.0), 10th in passing defense (165.2), 10th in fewest turnovers surrendered (4), 13th in scoring defense (14.7), 14th in total defense (282.7) and 23rd in turnover margin (0.67, +4).
• Rutgers outscored Wisconsin in the second half, 13-7, but was unable to overcome a 17-0 halftime deficit in a 24-13 loss at Camp Randall Stadium.
• DL
Wesley Bailey posted a career-high two sacks, with DB
Max Melton and LB
Mohamed Toure each forcing a fumble.
• QB
Gavin Wimsatt and QB
Evan Simon each had a touchdown pass, finding WR
Ian Strong and RB
Aaron Young, respectively, for scores.
•
Kirk Ciarrocca is in his first season back as Rutgers' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Ciarrocca, who has over 30 years of coaching experience (19 as an offensive coordinator), returns to Piscataway after serving on Schiano's staff for three seasons and winning two bowl games from 2008-10. He has previously been selected as a semifinalist for the Broyles Award and coached 26 players who had their name called in the NFL Draft (six in the first round).
• The offense has surrendered just three sacks and three turnovers through six games, posting at least 250 rushing yards three times.
• QB
Gavin Wimsatt has accounted for 10 touchdowns (six passing, four rushing) to rank fourth in the Big Ten in points responsible for (60).
• RB
Kyle Monangai is third in the Big Ten with 487 rushing yards on 96 carries with six scores.
• WR
JaQuae Jackson leads the team with 253 receiving yards, while WR
Christian Dremel has scored three touchdowns.
•
Joe Harasymiak is in his second season as defensive coordinator and was named a nominee for the 2022 Broyles Award. Statistically, the unit allowed 46.7 fewer yards per game last season compared to 2021, 28.1 fewer passing yards and 18.6 fewer rushing yards. The Scarlet Knights posted their best mark in total defense (349.8) in 10 years.
• Rutgers has held three opponents to seven points or less.
• Rutgers has had 10 players combine for 15 sacks, led by three apiece from DL
Wesley Bailey and DL
Aaron Lewis.
• LB
Tyreem Powell ranks seventh in the Big Ten with 7.8 tackles per game.
• DB
Robert Longerbeam owns 20 career pass breakups.
• RU has blocked 67 kicks under head coach
Greg Schiano (12 times scoring off a blocked punt), including five in 2022. That includes 12 games under Schiano with multiple blocked kicks.
• PK
Jai Patel was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week following the Temple win after going 3-for-3 with a long of 51 yards.
• P
Flynn Appleby and the punt unit have netted 40.1 yards with a long of 75 yards.
• Rutgers is set to take on Michigan State for the 10th time in a Big Ten game, seventh time in New Jersey and 15th time overall.
• Last season in East Lansing, Rutgers outgained Michigan State, 460-453, but fell short in a 27-21 loss. RB
Kyle Monangai sparked the run game with 162 rushing yards, the most by a Scarlet Knight in a Big Ten game. QB
Gavin Wimsatt had his first game with multiple touchdown passes, finding RB
Aaron Young (18 yards) and
Shameen Jones (31 yards) in the end zone, and also set career highs with 20 completions and 236 passing yards. The passing game saw seven plays of at least 15 yards (three on third down, one on fourth down). TE
Johnny Langan had a personal-best 73 receiving yards on five catches.
• In the last meeting at SHI Stadium in 2021, Rutgers scored a touchdown on its opening drive when Langan connected with
Aron Cruickshank to cap a nine-play drive, but No. 11 Michigan State answered, took a 21-13 lead into halftime and closed out a 31-13 win. It was the 87th Homecoming game for the Scarlet Knights.
• In the 2020 season opener in East Lansing, Rutgers put together a 75-yard touchdown drive on the first possession and forced a fumble on its first defensive play on the way to a wire-to-wire 38-27 win in the return of
Greg Schiano as head coach. RU forced seven turnovers in the road victory.
• 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 the win, Eric Young caught nine passes for 124 yards, including the game's first touchdown on a 61-yard pass from Scott Erney. In front of an ABC television audience and a sellout crowd at Rutgers Stadium, Rutgers stopped Michigan State, 19-14, to start the 2004 season. Jeremy Ito connected on four field goals, Brian Leonard rushed for 150 yards and Ryan Neill returned an interception 31 yards for a score in the win. RU held the ball for 40:14, the second-highest time of possession for the Scarlet Knights in the Schiano era.
• Rutgers game highs versus Michigan State:
Rushing Yards:
Kyle Monangai, 162 (2022)
Passing Yards: Ryan Hart, 266 (2003)
Receiving Yards: Leonte Carroo, 134 (2015)
Rutgers is back on the road on Oct. 21 to face Indiana at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon on Big Ten Network. The Scarlet Knights won 38-3 in their last trip to Bloomington.
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