It’s never a good sign when a football team opens the season without its starting quarterback.
That’s exactly the situation Rutgers found itself in Saturday in its 2022 season opener at Boston College. Noah Vedral, a senior who threw for 1,813 yards and completed 59.4% of his passes last season, was out with an undisclosed injury.
However, the show must go on, and Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano and offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson began Saturday’s game with an unusual strategy—they used three different players under center on the first drive.
Here’s what transpired:
Rutgers received the opening kickoff and began its first drive at their own 28-yard line.
On first-and-10, Johnny Langan (who’s listed as a tight end) took the snap and ran for four yards. For what it’s worth, Langan played quarterback in high school at prep powerhouse Bergen Catholic.
On second-and-6, Gavin Wimsatt took the snap and handed off to running back Kyle Monangai for a three-yard gain.
On third-and-3, Evan Simon took the snap and threw an incomplete pass.
On fourth down, the Scarlet Knights were penalized for delay of game before punting the ball away.
Woof.
Later, Rutgers advanced to the Boston College 8-yard line. Then the Scarlet Knights committed offensive pass interference and holding, lined up in an illegal formation and allowed a sack. That led to fourth-and-goal from the BC 43-yard-line. The subsequent punt was downed at the Eagles’ 3.
Double woof.
Senior wide receiver Aron Cruickshank finally got Rutgers on the board with a 26-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The extra point by kicker Jude McAtamney failed.
All that said, the Scarlet Knights played with resilience and rallied for a 22-21 victory. Simon was the leading passer for Rutgers, completing eight of 12 passes for 63 yards.
