Game 1: Football vs. UMass

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers soccer opens its 2026 season by internet hosting UMass Thursday at SHI Stadium. Kickoff is about for six p.m. on Big Ten Network. The Scarlet Knights are 13-4 in season openers underneath head coach Greg Schiano, together with victories every of the previous six years.

Celebrate Youth Sports Knight at SHI Stadium, as youth groups from throughout the world will take part within the pregame parade down The Rutgers Boardwalk and will likely be featured throughout the sport. Stick round after the ultimate whistle for a postgame fireworks present. Guests are suggested to overview Football Game Day Central earlier than arriving.

Rutgers Athletics is proud to announce the launch of R Guest Services, a brand new sport day unit devoted to offering distinctive assist and help to followers attending Scarlet Knights sporting occasions. R Guest Services has been established to reinforce the general fan expertise by serving as a visual, approachable useful resource all through athletic venues on sport day. Team members will likely be stationed strategically throughout venues to reply questions, present instructions and data, help with visitor wants and reply to buyer issues in actual time. A brand new helpline will likely be accessible to followers to report points and obtain help in venue once they textual content “KNIGHTS” to 69050 on sport days. The R Guest Services workers will also be reached by way of e-mail at guestservices@scarletknights.com.

Fans will see an improved entry course of at SHI Stadium with extra screening and ticket scanners all through. Visitors will likely be directed to entry optimum gates. Through the suggestions obtained from postgame surveys accomplished by season ticket holders, followers and company, the next changes will proceed to stay in place:

• Fans are permitted to enter stadium gates with an permitted bag.

• All college students should enter the stadium via the South Gate (G&H).

• A full listing of permitted bag sizes and dimensions is obtainable here. An exception will likely be made for medically vital gadgets after correct inspection.

• Lockers for a $12 charge are situated in Athletes Glen throughout from North Gate (C&D) and South Gate (G&H).

Fans are suggested to reach early to make sure a clean entry into the stadium earlier than kickoff. The walk-through weapons detection system, acquainted to spectators who’ve attended different occasions within the area, doesn’t require people to empty their pockets to enter. Those attending the occasion are requested to observe the directions of public security personnel.

The Rutgers Boardwalk, introduced by Visit New Jersey, returns for yr 5 to spotlight the pregame festivities round SHI Stadium. The enjoyable on Scarlet Knight Way begins at 2 p.m. and is free for all followers to take pleasure in. Check out the highest meals vans in New Jersey, plus free rides, mini golf, petting zoos, pony rides, prizes and dwell leisure. Get to The Rutgers Boardwalk early for the pregame parade and pep rally that includes The Marching Scarlet Knights, Spirit Team, our mascot “Sir Henry,” the Scarlet Knight horse “Excalibur” with the Knight and the Scarlet Walk.

Third-party consultants Populous and WSP carried out an intensive overview of site visitors patterns and parking, and pedestrian circulate final season. As a results of these findings, followers will see an improved course of for ingress and egress on the parking heaps and gates at SHI Stadium. Traffic flows have been modified to direct vehicles into the most optimal routes for respective parking heaps when leaving the stadium postgame.

Parking heaps are set to open 5 hours previous to kickoff. Game day heaps at Jersey Mike’s Arena value $32 per automobile (tax included). Johnson Park is not a parking choice.

Rutgers will function a courtesy shuttle on the Busch campus to serve followers parking within the outer heaps. Shuttle bus pickup begins three hours earlier than kickoff between the Purple and Black Lots on the nook of Brett Road and Bartholomew Road, and it’ll drop followers off close to Athletes Glen. The shuttle will run for one hour following the sport. Rutgers will proceed to supply ADA shuttle service as in years previous with pickup places at Jersey Mike’s Arena, the Busch Student Center and Lot 53. Click here for extra data on complimentary shuttles accessible on sport day. Additionally, ridesharing apps supply followers one other secure and dependable choice to journey to and from SHI Stadium. The Light Blue Lot (Taylor Road, Piscataway NJ 08854) is designated because the drop-off and pick-up location on sport day.

TV: Big Ten Network

Play-by-Play: Jason Horowitz

Analyst: Anthony Herron

Reporter: Dannie Rogers

Radio: RWJBarnabas Health Rutgers Sports Network

WFAN 660-AM/101.9-FM, FOX Sports New Jersey 93.5-FM/1450-AM, SiriusXM 257, SXM app, Audacy app, Scarlet Knights app

Play-by-Play: Chris Carlin

Analyst: Eric LeGrand

Analyst: Mike Teel

Sideline: Anthony Fucilli

Engineer: Paul Shrager

Pre/Post: Marc Malusis & Gus Zilinskas

Student Radio: WRSU 88.7-FM

Will Carmenaty, Sean Newcomb & Mo Golubtchik

 

• RB Antwan Raymond is the Big Ten’s main returning rusher, whereas WR KJ Duff is second in returning receiving yards.
• OL Kwabena Asamoah joins Duff and Raymond as preseason All-America picks, giving the Scarlet Knights three such picks for the primary time since 2008.
• Rutgers is 104-40-11 all-time in house openers, successful 14 of the final 16, and is 12-5 underneath head coach Greg Schiano.
• Rutgers is 15-0 in non-conference common season video games since Schiano returned. The Scarlet Knights are 56-21 general in non-conference video games underneath Schiano.
• Since 2020, Rutgers is 20-3 when not committing a turnover in a sport.
• Rutgers has scored 66 non-offensive touchdowns underneath Schiano, together with 15 since 2020 and three final season.
• Rutgers has not less than one NFL Draft choose every of the previous 5 years, matching a program document additionally accomplished from 1981-85.
• Rutgers, “The Birthplace of College Football,” has performed 1,434 video games in program historical past, relationship again to 1869, probably the most within the sport.

Preseason All-America
• OL Kwabena Asamoah
• WR KJ Duff
• RB Antwan Raymond

Senior Bowl Top 300

(acknowledges the highest draft-eligible prospects)

• WR KJ Duff (Aug. 20)

• RB Antwan Raymond

Comeback Player of the Year Watch List

• OL Dantae Chin (Aug. 20)

• LB Moses Walker

Biletnikoff Award Watch List

(acknowledges the faculty soccer season’s excellent FBS receiver, no matter place)

• WR KJ Duff (Aug. 19)

Walter Camp Player of Year Watch List

• WR KJ Duff (Aug. 17)

Maxwell Award Watch List

(introduced to the excellent participant in school soccer)

• RB Antwan Raymond (Aug. 3)

Big Ten Preseason Honors List

• WR KJ Duff (July 28)

• RB Antwan Raymond

Shriners Children’s 1000 Watch List

(assortment of the highest 1,000 all-star-game eligible gamers on the FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA ranges, and serves as an early look into the scouting course of forward of the 2027 NFL Draft)

• OL Kwabena Asamoah (July 22)

• DL J’Dan Burnett

• DL Malachi Davis

• WR KJ Duff

• QB Dylan Lonergan

• LB Ty Morris

• OL Tyler Needham

• DL Rondo Porter

• RB Antwan Raymond

• DB Kaj Sanders

Allstate AFCA Good Works Team

(nominees honor school soccer gamers making a distinction of their communities)

• LS Michael O’Connor (July 22)

Frank R. Burns Award

(named after former Scarlet Knight All-America quarterback Frank Burns and awarded to the participant who demonstrates extraordinary psychological and bodily toughness throughout the spring)

• TE Logan Blake

Mark Mills Second Effort Award

(named in reminiscence of former Scarlet Knight working again Mark Mills and awarded to the offensive participant who via willpower, dedication and onerous work has proven probably the most enchancment throughout the offseason and spring practices)

• WR Jourdin Houston

Douglas A. Smith Second Effort Award

(named in reminiscence of former Scarlet Knight defensive sort out Doug Smith and awarded to the defensive participant who via willpower, dedication and onerous work has proven probably the most enchancment throughout the offseason and spring practices)

• DB Jesse Ofurie

 

• Kirk Ciarrocca is in his fourth season again as Rutgers’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2026. Ciarrocca, who has over 30 years of teaching expertise (22 as an offensive coordinator), beforehand served on head coach Greg Schiano‘s workers for 3 seasons, successful two bowl video games from 2008-10. He has been chosen as a semifinalist for the Broyles Award and coached 29 gamers who had their title referred to as within the NFL Draft (six within the first spherical). Ciarrocca has mentored a primary or second staff All-Big Ten working again every of the previous 4 seasons, because the Scarlet Knights are the one energy convention program to characteristic a 1,200-yard rusher every of the previous three seasons. In 2025, the RU offense produced three All-America picks.
• In 2025, Rutgers averaged 407.1 yards of complete offense and 389.1 in Big Ten play, the staff’s finest marks since becoming a member of the league. The Scarlet Knights handed for 266.1 yards per sport to put third within the Big Ten for this system’s finest placement, additionally rating ninth nationally in fewest turnovers misplaced (9) and thirteenth in time of possession (32:31) and yards per completion (13.7). The 28.7 factors per sport marked the second most within the Big Ten period, whereas the unit set a program document with 23.2 first downs per sport and completed fifth within the college document ebook in complete offense (4,885 yards).
• QB Dylan Lonergan was named the starter for the season opener on Aug. 24, totaling 2,025 passing yards and 12 touchdowns for Boston College in 2025.
• RB Antwan Raymond owns 1,698 profession dashing yards on 344 carries, together with 5 video games with not less than 100 yards. The Canadian has 21 profession dashing touchdowns, two shy of shifting into this system’s top-10 profession listing.
• WR KJ Duff owns 87 profession receptions for 1,509 yards and eight touchdowns, main the nation with 22 contested catches in 2025.

• Travis Johansen is in his first season as Rutgers’ defensive coordinator in 2026. Leading South Dakota to the FCS Playoffs quarterfinals in his first season as head coach in 2025 and beforehand successful a nationwide championship at Grand View, the Minnesota native has directed six top-10 defenses in bringing 14 years of defensive coordinator expertise to New Jersey. Johansen has produced 16 defensive gamers who’ve gone on to be drafted within the NFL, signed as a free agent or obtained camp invitations in his teaching profession.
• Rutgers is 56-8 underneath head coach Greg Schiano when permitting fewer than 300 yards of complete offense.
• DL Zaire Angoy leads the protection with 37 video games of expertise for Rutgers, whereas DL J’Dan Burnett is first on the roster with 42 profession FBS video games performed.
• LB Sean Allison brings 289 profession tackles from Drake, together with 14.5 for loss.
• DB Kaj Sanders has totaled 108 tackles the previous two seasons at Rutgers, including two blocked punts in 2025.
 

• Rutgers has blocked 76 kicks (46 punts, 17 area targets, 13 additional factors) underneath head coach Greg Schiano, together with three blocked punts returned for touchdowns final season.
• PK Jai Patel has linked on 43-of-55 profession area targets with an extended of 51 yards, rating seventh in program historical past with 240 factors scored.
• P Jakob Anderson has compelled a good catch on 46-of-83 profession makes an attempt with 12 punts of not less than 50 yards and 25 downed contained in the 20.
• PK Jack Scullion has booted 67-of-135 profession kickoffs for a touchback.

• Rutgers and Massachusetts are set to satisfy for the sixth time general and fourth time in New Jersey. The Scarlet Knights have gained the final three conferences, most not too long ago in 2019.
• Rutgers scored 41 unanswered factors to win the 2019 season opener over UMass, 48-21. That included 38 factors within the first half. Isiah Pacheco turned the ninth participant in Rutgers historical past to have 4 dashing touchdowns in a sport, ending with 156 dashing yards within the sport. McLane Carter threw scoring passes to Bo Melton and Raheem Blackshear.
• In 1973, “JJ” Jennings rushed for 230 yards, probably the most in a sport in Rutgers historical past on the time and at present the fifth most.
• DB Jesse Ofurie (Salem) is the one Scarlet Knight on the roster from the state of Massachusetts.
• UMass head coach Joe Harasymiak beforehand served three seasons (2022-24) as Rutgers’ defensive coordinator.
• Rutgers sport highs versus UMass:
Rushing Yards: “JJ” Jennings, 230 (1973)
Passing Yards: McLane Carter, 340 (2019)
Receiving Yards: Mark Twitty, 135 (1976)
 

• Rutgers is on the street for the primary time in 2026 with a Friday, Sept. 11 matchup at Boston College. The Scarlet Knights gained the final assembly at Alumni Stadium in 2022. Kickoff is about for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

Follow Rutgers soccer on X (@RFootball & @RUboardwalk), Facebook (/RFootballShow) and Instagram (@rfootball & @ruboardwalk) for the newest information and updates. Also subscribe to the YouTube channel.