Rutgers bent but did not break in a down-to-the-wire, 21-18 win over Washington — last year’s national championship runner-up — Friday, moving to 4-0 for the first time since 2012. 

Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and running back Kyle Monangai led the offense.

And when they needed it, several boneheaded Huskies penalties helped out the Scarlet Knights.

The nationally televised game against was Rutgers’ first Big Ten matchup of the year after facing Howard, Akron and Virginia Tech to start the season. 

Kaliakmanis completed 14 of 24 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Monangai produced his third consecutive 100-plus yard rushing game on a night that he surpassed Isiah Pacheco for seventh on Rutgers’ all-time rushing list. 

Monangai ran for 132 yards, which included a commanding rush in which he broke a number of tackles for a 42-yard gain in the third quarter. 

The Huskies managed to make the game interesting with a drive in the final minute, down by just three.

Washington was able to get the ball into Rutgers territory with a series of passes before kicker Grady Gross missed a 55-yard field-goal attempt wide left as time expired.

It was his third missed field goal of the game. 

The Rutgers sideline poured out onto the field and the lights flickered in celebration when the final whistle sounded.

The Blackout Game at SHI Stadium drew 54,079 fans, the second-highest attendance in its history. 

“You could feel it in that stadium tonight. That’s what Big Ten football is, and that’s what I want for New Jersey,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said. “That’s what I’ve always wanted for New Jersey, is to have that in our state. … Tonight was a good step, but that’s all it is. It’s one win. It’s an exciting one; it’s a good one.” 

Monangai’s 1-yard rushing touchdown run with 11:16 left in the second quarter erased a 3-0 Scarlet Knights deficit. 

Later in the second, the Scarlet Knights took advantage of one of the Huskies’ biggest blunders of the night.

Washington blocked a 38-yard Rutgers field-goal attempt, only to have that negated when Vince Holmes was called for an illegal substitution to give Rutgers new life. 

On the ensuing play, Kaliakmanis connected with receiver Ian Strong for a jump-ball touchdown to extend the Scarlet Knights’ lead to 14-3 with 30 seconds left in the half. 

Washington finally found the end zone late in the third quarter on a six-play drive that culminated with Huskies quarterback Will Rodgers finding Denzel Boston for a 51-yard touchdown pass. 

While the late third-quarter touchdown pulled the Huskies within five, Rutgers answered back with a touchdown of its own 4:03 into the final quarter as Samuel Brown V bulldozed his way to a 37-yard scoring run, extending the lead to 21-10. 

The Huskies managed to make it close with a late-game drive in the fourth quarter to cut the Rutgers lead back to three on a drive that started on Washington’s 24-yard line.

It culminated in the Huskies keeping it alive with a short rush on fourth-and-1 before Rodgers connected with Boston in the end zone.

The Huskies completed the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 21-18 with 1:40 left on the clock. 

Washington scored first with a 22-yard field goal, marking the first time since Nov. 25 that Rutgers allowed an opponent to score in the first quarter. 

Friday was the first time that the Huskies and Scarlet Knights faced one another since 2017 and it marked Washington’s first road game against a Big Ten opponent as a member of the conference. 

“Hats off to what Greg [Schiano’s] been doing. He’s built this thing right back up. I think that the fans and the students are evolving and growing with him,” Huskies coach Jedd Fisch. 

As the Washington Nationals finish up the regular season, there is a lot of excitement about what’s to come in 2025. 

This campaign was all about development for the Nationals. This was never going to be a team that was going to compete for a World Series this year, but the plan for their rebuild is looking good. 

Washington has been able to stockpile a lot of top prospects and good young players, as now the franchise is watching these players grow. While young players and prospects provide hope and excitement for a franchise, they don’t always pan out. 

In 2019, the Nationals saw the emergence of a talented young outfielder in Victor Robles. The then 22-year-old totaled a batting average of .255 with 17 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases. The 4.4 WAR Robles was able to record made it appear like Washington had a star on their hands. 

Unfortunately for Washington and Robles, the 2019 season seemed like an outlier, as he didn’t produce anywhere near that level in the years to follow. This campaign, the Nationals decided that it was time to move on from their once talented prospect, as he was picked up by the Seattle Mariners. 

Whether it was the realization of being let go, or the Mariners finding something to help him improve, Robles is playing arguably the best baseball of his career with Seattle. Recently, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report named the outfielder as one of the Top-5 most important position players on the team. 

Even though the Mariners had a really tough stretch during the season offensively that likely cost them the American League West, the play of Robles for them was really impressive. In 75 games with Seattle, the slugger has totaled a .327 batting average, four home runs, 25 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases. 

While Robles is playing excellently for the Mariners, the Nationals shouldn’t feel bad about moving on from him. Washington gave him plenty of opportunities over the last few years to produce. 

Since the Nationals moved on from Robles, the team has been able to get more playing time for young outfielders like Jacob Young, James Wood, and Dylan Crews. With those players being potential starters and stars for years to come, Washington should have no regrets. 

For Robles, it has been an excellent half of a season in Seattle. He was a player that was once considered a top prospect, and he might be finding his groove once again. 

The Washington Wizards should absolutely be on the lookout for young talent, and the Golden State Warriors may have the answer for them.

Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz has named Warriors young forward Jonathan Kuminga as a potential trade target for the Wizards this coming season.

“Another high-upside player on their rookie deal who hasn’t agreed to an extension with his team, Kuminga would bring a great deal of excitement to Washington,” Swartz wrote.

Swartz added that Kuminga would make even more sense if Kyle Kuzma is traded, which may very well happen.

The question is whether or not Golden State would actually want to move Kuminga.

Of course, Washington could always trade Kuzma in a deal for Kuminga, but the Warriors may not be so open to such a move.

Golden State seems to really like Kuminga, who had sort of a breakout year this past season when he averaged 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds over 26.3 minutes a night on 52.9/32.1/74.6 shooting splits.

The 21-year-old took major strides offensively during the 2023-24 campaign, and while the consistency is not yet there on the defensive end, he has certainly shown flashes of being a terrific defender.

The Wizards are certainly in need of more young pieces. The quintet of Bilal Coulibaly, Deni Avdija, Corey Kispert, Daniel Gafford and rookie Bub Carrington is solid, but Washington doesn’t appear to have a whole lot of elite talent there.

Kuminga would represent a breath of fresh air for a Wizards team that won just 15 games a year ago and will absolutely be in contention for the No. 1 overall pick this coming season.

The Warriors are trying to figure out a way to contend with Stephen Curry while not completely mortgaging their future. It’s quite a tightrope, and Golden State has to find a happy medium.

Would that entail trading Kuminga for a player who could help the Dubs more right now? It remains to be seen. Perhaps Washington could get a third team involved in a potential trade.

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