Antwan Raymond ran for 140 yards and three touchdowns to lead Rutgers to a 58-7 victory over Howard on Friday night in Piscataway, N.J.
The Scarlet Knights (1-3) scored on 10 of their 12 possessions, totaling 534 yards. Dylan Lonergan had a breakout game for Rutgers, passing for 214 yards and two TDs in three quarters against the Championship Subdivision’s Bison. He entered the game with five interceptions.
KJ Duff, an AP pre-season second-team All-America wide receiver, caught five passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.
Howard (1-3) totaled 184 yards with 75 of those coming on a touchdown run from Eden James, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Edgerrin James. He finished with 116 yards on seven carries.
The win gave coach Greg Schiano his 100th victory at Rutgers. Schiano is 100-111 in 18 years over two stints with the Scarlet Knights. He joins Kirk Ferentz (Iowa), Dabo Swinney (Clemson), Troy Calhoun (Air Force) and Kirby Smart (Georgia) as active Bowl Subdivison head coaches to win 100 games at their current school.
The takeaway
Howard: The Bison have been overwhelmed against FBS schools. They beat UNLV 43-40 in 2017 for their lone win over an FBS school. Rutgers has outscored Howard 318-67 in their seven games. The Bison have been outscored in their last two games against Indiana and Rutgers by a combined 113-7.
Rutgers: Duff contemplated transferring out of Rutgers over the winter after a disappointing season when the Scarlet Knights went 5-7. His decision to stay in Piscataway has paid off. Duff became the 11th player in program history to reach 2,000 career receiving yards and the first player in Rutgers’ history to catch a touchdown in five straight games.
Defense steps up
In its first three games, Rutgers gave up an average of 35.6 points a game and turned the ball over 10 times. Against FCS member Howard, the Scarlet Knights didn’t commit a turnover, gave up just one play over 20 yards and recorded four sacks, two interceptions and forced a fumble.
“It was very perplexing, very frustrating,” Schiano said of the turnovers. “But tonight, we took it away three times, and that’s what we have to do to win.”
Dynamic duo
Raymond and Duff eclipsed the 2,000-yard barrier for rushing and receiving yards, respectively, in the win. Raymond is the 17th Scarlet Knight to reach 2,000 rushing yards since 1956. Duff is on pace to set the program’s single-season TD record (10). He already has seven in four games.
“They (Duff and Raymond) are super players, committed players and leaders,” said Schiano. “There is a lot of great football ahead of them at the college and pro levels and I’m looking forward to watching them.”
Up next
Howard hosts Hampton on Oct. 3.
Rutgers hosts defending champion Indiana on Oct. 3.
