Suffice it to say that if Rutgers were a cat, they used eight of their nine lives to eke out the win against a gritty Ohio squad in Brian Smith’s debut as the new full-time head coach.
Ohio matched the Knights blow-for-blow throughout most of the contest but a few second quarter mistakes by the visitors were the difference for the home team.
Throughout most of the game, the Knights offense was as good as advertised, with Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis showing a steady hand in guiding multiple first-half
scores en route to 252 yards passing and a perfect TD:INT ratio of 2:0 on the day.
Rutgers could not pull away in the first half, owing to a feisty and equally dominant Bobcat offensive attack.
Ohio’s QB Parker Navarro and company were a sight to behold as they moved through Rutgers’ defense like a hot knife through warm butter with stars like wide receiver Chase Hendricks, running back Sieh Bangura and a newly-minted offensive line making plays.
Navarro lit it up on the day with 339 combined yards rushing and passing with four touchdowns and no turnovers.
As the game moved into the second quarter, the teams traded offense blow-by-blow until Ohio dug itself a big hole with a few mistakes.
Up 10-7, Rutgers got an easy score on what looked to be an uncharacteristic coverage breakdown by Ohio on a 54-yard strike from Kaliakmanis to newcomer WR DT Sheffield. Later in the quarter with a play or two backing up the Bobcats to near its own endzone, Ohio skipped a snap off the turf deep resulting in a blocked punt touchdown recovered in the endzone by Rutgers’ Cam Miller.
Suddenly down 31-14, Ohio did what it always does: continue to fight.
As the second quarter wound down, Ohio’s offense continued to shine, scoring three points against a beleaguered Knights defense to bring the score to 31-17 before halftime, then wasted little time in their comeback attempt, scoring on a 17-yard Parker Navarro run on the first drive of the third quarter to cap a 75-yard drive and close the gap to 31-24.
As the third quarter wound down, Navarro and the sparkling offense got the game back to even, 31-31, on a nifty 13-yard pass to tight end Jake Bruno— their second connection of the night.
The teams battled fiercely in the fourth quarter with Rutgers gaining the slim, game-winning advantage on a 26-yard Jai Patel field goal early in the fourth quarter. Ohio looked like they might get one more offensive drive but a critical fourth down conversion salted things away for the Big Ten host.
NOTES:
- Ohio could have defeated a Big Ten team on the road. At the post-game press conference, Parker Navarro shared his thoughts on the current standard at Ohio:
“I think the standard is raised…I think the leaders on this team are holding everyone to that standard. So when we come to games like this, we expect to win.”
- QB Parker Navarro looked as good or better than ever in the passing game. He and new slot man Chase Hendricks got things going early and often, with Hendricks leading the club with nine catches for 115 yards while battling through what appeared to be a lower leg injury in the second half.
- Ohio’s defensive interior may prove excellent over the long haul, but they were strongly tested throughout the night by a Rutgers interior offensive line that may be the strength of the Knights’ 2025 club.
- Gold stars to LBs Jack Fries and Michael Molnar in their 2025 starting debuts. Both played a lot of snaps and hung in there against that talented Rutgers interior line while recording a combined 15 stops.
- Speaking of defense, Adonis Williams Jr. led the team with 11 tackles. When healthy, he might just be the best defensive backs the MAC has to offer.
- With the special teams debut in the rearview mirror, including a new kicker, punter, and long snapper, Ohio looks to next week to continue to grow here.
- Hats off to Rutgers offense converting all five of their fourth-down conversion attempts, one of the keys to victory as they picked up a few scores due to the conversions and held onto the ball late with a dagger conversion.
- The Knights wideout trio of Ian Strong, DJ Sheffield, and KJ Duff were as good or better than anticipated in the game preview, combining tonight for 16 catches for 239 yards and two scores. Look out, Big Ten defenses.
- Rutgers needed to see defensive improvement in 2025, and the early results are still cloudy. Ohio showed it is an excellent offense, but the Knights gave up over 200 yards on the ground for 6.5 yards per carry, not a winning formula long term. However, Ohio’s QB Navarro can do that to many teams.
Rutgers hosts the Miami RedHawks on Saturday, September 6th, at 3:30 Eastern time, while Ohio heads home to host West Virginia on the same day at 4:00 Eastern.
