Rutgers kicked off Saturday’s complete slate of college football games with a thrilling comeback victory.
With five Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the New York City area in action this week, Baseline has you covered from an eventful Saturday…
Army: Long Balls Not Enough to Conquer Coastal
Cade Ballard and Tyhier Tyler each launched deep scoring throws for the Army Black Knights but it wasn’t enough to counter the three aerial scores from Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall. The two-time defending Sun Belt player of the year united with a combined 224-yard rushing effort from Reese White and CJ Beasley to guide the Chanticleers to a 38-28 victory in Conway.
Army (0-1) failed to stretch its opening winning streak to four games despite a 135-yard rushing tally from Tyrell Robinson. The Black Knights were limited to 11 first downs in defeat but had a chance to get the ball back for the tie or win after Ballard’s 73-yard hook-up with Braheam Murphy narrowed the gap to three. But Coastal Carolina embarked on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended on McCall’s fourth score of the day, a five-yard rushing tally that created the final margin.
Army returns to West Point next Saturday for not only its home opener but the start to a three-game homestand. Part one will feature the University of Texas-San Antonio, who dropped a narrow triple-overtime decision to No. 24 Houston in their open opener (12 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network).
Buffalo: Bulls Bullied By Maryland Offense
Buffalo’s new-look offensive got off to a slow start, mustering only 268 yards in a 31-10 defeat at the hands of the Big Ten’s Maryland Terrapins. Redshirt freshman Al-Jay Henderson scored the only touchdown for the Bulls (0-1) after they had already fallen behind by 17. At quarterback, Rutgers transfer Cole Snyder (18-for-35) threw for 160 yards in his blue debut.
Roman Hemby and Antwain Littleton II had two touchdowns each for the Terps, who torched Buffalo’s defense for 446 yards, including 290 from the arm of quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. Hemby’s 70-yard run on the second half’s second play from scrimmage more or less put the game out of reach at 24-7.
Buffalo’s home opener will likewise be staged next Saturday, as an evening match with FCS Holy Cross awaits at UB Stadium (6 p.m. ET, ESPN+).
Connecticut: Huskies Exorcise Early Mistakes To Earn Mora’s First Win
Partly sustained by a defensive effort that allowed only 242 yards and tallied four sacks, the University of Connecticut earned the first win of the Jim E. Mora era with a 28-3 triumph over FCS Central Connecticut State. Sophomore Nathan Carter followed up a career-best performance in Week 0 play against Utah State with another triple-digit showing, putting up 123 yards and a score.
While UConn (1-1) held its lead this time around (scoring 28 unanswered) after dropping a two-score lead in Logan last weekend, it took a while to find its offensive footing. The Huskies first four possessions featured two punts, a lost fumble, and a missed field goal, a deadly combination that allowed the Blue Devils to post a brief 3-0 lead.
Dal’mont Gourdine and Collin McCarthy each had 1.5 sacks while Brandon Bouyer-Randle earned an interception and a 39-yard runback on the final defensive possession. Despite an interception just before the half that failed to grow a 7-3 lead, Connecticut quarterback Zion Turner threw two touchdown passes.
UConn will remain situated at home next weekend, as they’re set to battle Syracuse on Saturday night (7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network).
Rutgers: Knights Clip Eagles in Old Big East Battle
In a showing that would’ve made names like Brian Leonard and Jason McCourty proud, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights used defense and rushing to pace themselves toward a victory over a Big East opponent.
Three different Piscataway rushers visited the end zone on a 212-yard day while the defense earned four sacks and three turnovers en route to a 22-21 Rutgers victory over the Boston College Eagles. The Scarlet Knights (1-0) snapped a 14-game winless streak against their former conference foes, earning their first victor in the series since 1991. Rutgers also extended an active winning streak by prevailing in its fifth consecutive season opener.
Though penalties (10 infractions for 77 yards) and offensive questions threatened to stifle the Scarlet Knights (who used three different quarterbacks on their first three plays), Saturday’s early slate was partly highlighted by Rutgers’ comeback from 21-12 down in the second half. Their opening weekend magnum opus was a 12-play, 96-yard trek that gave them the lead with just under three minutes to go. Kyle Monangai and Al-Shadee Salaam earned all but one yard of that final tally on the ground, the latter picking up the last 45 on back-to-back big runs (the latter being a 22-yard score).
Sophomore Tyreem Powell had the first two sacks of his career, while Christian Braswell and Robert Longerbeam each intercepted Phil Jurkovec. Rutgers’ home opener welcomes Wagner on Saturday late afternoon (4 p.m. ET, BTN).
Syracuse: Orange Crush Cardinals in ACC Opener
It’s said that revenge is a dish best served cold. While the long-standing Carrier sponsorship is no longer attached to the JMA Wireless Dome, the hosting Syracuse Orange got to take that to a literal sense on their ACC kickoff on Saturday.
Behind three touchdowns for quarterback Garrett Shrader (2 passing, one receiving) and 183 total yards for running back Sean Tucker (98 on the ground, 85 through the air) the Orange rolled to a 31-7 victory over the Louisville Cardinals. Defensively, a three-turnover effort (which included interceptions for Derek McDonald and Garret Williams) helped Syracuse (1-0, 1-0 ACC) end a three-game losing streak to the Cardinals, who helped keep the Orange out of bowl eligibility with a 41-3 shellacking last November.
Syracuse hits the road to battle UConn next Saturday (7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network) before enjoying a four-game homestand.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
Baseline Sports NY is on Twitter @Baseline_NY
