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.