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American college football season
The 2018 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Scarlet Knights played their home games at HighPoint.com Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey and competed as members of the East Division of the Big Ten Conference . They were led by third-year head coach Chris Ash .
Rutgers began the year with a 35–7 victory over Texas State , but things quickly turned south for the team. After a blowout loss to Ohio State in Rutgers' conference opener, the team traveled to play Kansas , who had lost 39 of their previous 42 games against FBS opponents.[ 1] Rutgers lost in a blowout, 55–14. The next week, the team was blown out 42–13 by Buffalo of the Mid-American Conference . In the remainder of conference play, the Scarlet Knights were mostly outmatched, losing the rest of their games, despite holding fourth quarter leads in games against Northwestern and Michigan State .[ 2] [ 3] Rutgers' final record of 1–11 matched the previous school record for losses in a season with their 1–11 2002 team and 0–11 1997 team .[ 4]
Freshman quarterback Artur Sitowski led the team in passing, finishing with 1,158 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. Sophomore running back Raheem Blacksheer led the team in both rushing and receiving yards, and had 953 yards from scrimmage on the year.[ 5] On defense, senior linebacker Trevor Morris finished in sixth in the conference with 105 total tackles. He concluded his career in ninth on the school's all-time leaderboard for total tackles.[ 6]
Previous season
The Scarlet Knights finished the 2017 season 4–8, 3–6 in Big Ten play to finish in fifth place in the East Division.
Offseason
Recruits
The Scarlet Knights signed a total of 21 recruits.
US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Jarrett Paul CB
Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus Catholic High School
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
197 lb (89 kg)
Apr 22, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Jalen Chatman QB
Harbor City, California
Narbonne High School
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
May 15, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Zihir Lacewell WR
Staten Island, New York
Tottenville High School
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Jun 13, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Isaih Pacheco RB
Vineland, New Jersey
Vineland High School
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Jun 21, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Kessawn Abraham CB
Brooklyn, New York
Erasmus Hall High School
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
Jun 22, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Matt Rosso OT
Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania
Pennsbury High School
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
260 lb (120 kg)
Jun 24, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Deion Jennings CB
Erial, New Jersey
Timber Creek Regional High School
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Jun 26, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Reginald Sutton OG
Baltimore, Maryland
Calvert Hall College High School
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
278 lb (126 kg)
Jun 27, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Avery Young CB
Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Coatesville Area High School
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Jun 30, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Paul Woods WR
Buffalo, New York
Canisius High School
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
Jul 11, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Adam Korsak P
Maribyrnong, Victoria
Prokick Australia
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Jul 12, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Raiqwon O'Neal OT
Conway, South Carolina
Conway High School
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
270 lb (120 kg)
Aug 16, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Matthew Thomas DE
Brooklyn, New York
Midwood High School
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
237 lb (108 kg)
Aug 25, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Christian Izien DB
Brooklyn, New York
Erasmus Hall High School
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Oct 13, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Artur Sitkowski QB
Old Bridge, New Jersey
IMG Academy
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Nov 1, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Jalen Jordan WR
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
IMG Academy
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Dec 13, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Daevon Robinson WR
Medford, New Jersey
Shawnee High School
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Dec 18, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Jamree Kromah DE
Springdale, Maryland
Charles Herbert Flowers High School
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
246 lb (112 kg)
Dec 20, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Malik Dixon S
Thatcher, Arizona
Eastern Arizona College
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Jan 5, 2018
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Robin Jutwreten DE
Stockholm, Sweden
N/A
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
235 lb (107 kg)
Jan 21, 2018
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Eddie Lewis WR
New Monmouth, New Jersey
Mater Dei High School
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
179 lb (81 kg)
Feb 1, 2018
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:
Award watch lists
Listed in the order that they were released
Schedule
Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance September 1 12:00 p.m. Texas State * BTN W 35–740,124
September 8 3:30 p.m. at No. 4 Ohio State BTN L 3–5293,057
September 15 12:00 p.m. at Kansas * FSN L 14–5528,044
September 22 12:00 p.m. Buffalo * HighPoint.com Stadium Piscataway, NJ BTN L 13–4234,574
September 29 12:00 p.m. Indiana HighPoint.com Stadium Piscataway, NJ BTN L 17–2432,056
October 6 12:00 p.m. Illinois HighPoint.com Stadium Piscataway, NJ BTN L 17–3836,702
October 13 12:00 p.m. at Maryland BTN L 7–3432,995
October 20 12:00 p.m. Northwestern HighPoint.com Stadium Piscataway, NJ BTN L 15–1832,514
November 3 12:00 p.m. at Wisconsin BTN L 17–3174,379
November 10 3:30 p.m. No. 4 Michigan HighPoint.com Stadium Piscataway, NJ BTN L 7–4243,786
November 17 12:00 p.m. No. 16 Penn State HighPoint.com Stadium Piscataway, NJ BTN L 7–2044,840
November 24 4:00 p.m. at Michigan State FOX L 10–1464,951
*Non-conference game HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time
Roster and coaching staff
Game summaries
Texas State
1
2
3
4
Total
Bobcats
0
0
7
0
7
Scarlet Knights
7
14
7
7
35
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
First meeting
at No. 4 Ohio State
1
2
3
4
Total
Scarlet Knights
0
0
3
0
3
No. 4 Buckeyes
14
21
10
7
52
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
0–4
2017
L , 0–56
at Kansas
1
2
3
4
Total
Scarlet Knights
7
7
0
0
14
Jayhawks
17
14
10
14
55
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
1–0
2015
W , 27–14
Buffalo
1
2
3
4
Total
Bulls
14
21
0
7
42
Scarlet Knights
3
3
0
7
13
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
5–1
2007
W , 38–3
Indiana
1
2
3
4
Total
Hoosiers
7
17
0
0
24
Scarlet Knights
7
0
0
10
17
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
2–2
2017
L , 0–41
Illinois
1
2
3
4
Total
Fighting Illini
10
14
0
14
38
Scarlet Knights
7
7
0
3
17
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
2–2
2017
W , 35–24
at Maryland
1
2
3
4
Total
Scarlet Knights
0
0
0
7
7
Terrapins
10
14
10
0
34
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
6–7
2017
W , 31–24
Northwestern
1
2
3
4
Total
Wildcats
7
0
3
8
18
Scarlet Knights
0
12
3
0
15
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
3–0
1991
W , 22–18
at Wisconsin
1
2
3
4
Total
Scarlet Knights
0
0
3
14
17
Badgers
7
3
14
7
31
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
0–2
2015
L , 10–48
No. 4 Michigan
1
2
3
4
Total
No. 4 Wolverines
7
14
14
7
42
Scarlet Knights
7
0
0
0
7
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
1–3
2017
L , 14–35
No. 16 Penn State
1
2
3
4
Total
No. 16 Nittany Lions
3
10
0
7
20
Scarlet Knights
0
0
0
7
7
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
2–26
2017
L , 6–35
at Michigan State
1
2
3
4
Total
Scarlet Knights
7
0
0
3
10
Spartans
0
7
0
7
14
Overall record
Last meeting
Result
3–6
2017
L , 7–40
Players drafted into the NFL
References
^ Fonseca, Brian (June 5, 2018). "Rutgers Football 2018 Preview: Kansas at a glance" . 247Sports.com . Note: the source lists 39 of 41 as of the beginning of the 2018 season, and Kansas defeated FBS team Central Michigan the week prior.
^ "Bowser's second TD run rallies Northwestern past Rutgers" . ESPN.com . Associated Press. October 20, 2018.
^ "Michigan State scores late TD, beats Rutgers 14-10" . ESPN.com . Associated Press. November 24, 2018.
^ "Rutgers Scarlet Knights Football Record By Year" . Sports-Reference.com . Retrieved May 20, 2019 .
^ "2018 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Stats" . Sports-Reference.com . Retrieved May 20, 2019 .
^ Kratch, James (March 12, 2019). "Trevor Morris flying under NFL Draft radar after standout Rutgers career: 'It's better to be the underdog' " . NJ.com .
^ "2018 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List Released" (PDF) . July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018 .
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