Rutgers football is listed as 3.5-point underdogs in next week’s matchup vs Boston College, according to FanDuel, after suffering an embarrassing 37-21 loss to UMass last week. The line initially opened with the Eagles as 6.5-point favorites, but quickly moved to where it is now after Boston College suffered a 34-15 blowout loss to Cincinnati.
In their loss against the Minutemen, Rutgers’ defense surrendered 197 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and 40 rushing yards to the Minutemen’s William
Watson, who saw his first major amount of playing time in two years after transferring from Virginia Tech. They also surrendered 200 rushing yards and one touchdown. On the flip side, the Knights’ starting quarterback, Boston College transfer Dylan Lonergan, completed 16 of his 29 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions. Running back Antwan Raymond averaged just three yards per carry in this matchup as he ran for 42 yards on 14 attempts.
In their loss against Cincinnati, Boston College starting quarterback Mason McKenzie completed 18 of 35 passes for 223 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He finished the game with an overall quarterback rating of 108.7. The Eagles’ leading rusher against the Bearcats was Evan Dickens, who carried the ball 11 times for 47 yards and one touchdown, while their leading receiver, Johnathan Montague, caught two out of three passes for 55 yards and one touchdown.
While racking up more first downs than their opponent, Boston College turned the ball over on downs three times and added an interception and a fumble lost, giving their opponent extra possessions. The Eagles’ offensive line also surrendered 4 sacks, while the entire team committed 7 total penalties.
Much like Rutgers’ two meaningless scores at the end of their game against the Minutemen, the Eagles also scored a last-second touchdown to make the ending score look better than the game actually was.
The Knights’ game against Boston College will be the Eagles’ Red Ribbon game. In this annual tradition, the Eagles wear a special red bandana-patterned uniform to honor former Boston College lacrosse player Welles Crowther, who saved lives on 9/11 while wearing a red bandana over his mouth. This game usually brings one of the best atmospheres at Boston College during football season.
Rutgers vs Boston College will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 11, the 25th anniversary of 9/11. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
