Rutgers routs Howard 58-7
Rutgers routed Howard 58-7. Share this game
We had Rutgers favored. It won.
Next: Howard beat Hampton 27-13, Sat Oct 3
How it swung
Before kickoff, our ratings gave Rutgers an 85% chance, and the closing betting line (Rutgers was a 42.5-point favorite) put it above 99%.
Rutgers led by 14 after the first quarter and by 34 at the half.
Rutgers · Q1 10:0075-yard TD run
Howard · Q1 4:15Rutgers 58-7 HowardRutgers wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.Howard 7-58 RutgersHoward lostMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.No single play moved the chance by 20 points.
No single play moved the chance by 20 points.
How to read this chart
Starts from the pregame line (Rutgers -42.5), at 99% for Rutgers (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. Outlined diamonds mark rare plays.Watch the plays
The bar and the arrow show Rutgers’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.
- Q1, 12:22Lonergan 16-yd TD pass to BlackRutgers goes ahead 7-0Q1, 12:22 · Rutgers 7, Howard 07-0score after the play7-0score after the play▶Watch from this playCFB ON FOX
- Q1, 10:12Scroggins intercepted by Jones at the Rutgers 23Q1, 10:12 · Rutgers 7, Howard 07-0score after the play7-0score after the play▶Watch from this playCFB ON FOX
- Q1, 10:00Lonergan 77-yd TD pass to DuffRutgers leads 14-0Q1, 10:00 · Rutgers 14, Howard 014-0score after the play14-0score after the play▶Watch from this playCFB ON FOX
- Q1, 4:28Raymond 18-yd TD runRutgers leads 21-0Q1, 4:28 · Rutgers 21, Howard 021-0score after the play21-0score after the play▶Watch from this playCFB ON FOX
- Q1, 4:15James 75-yd TD runcuts it to 21-7Q1, 4:15 · Rutgers 21, Howard 721-7score after the play21-7score after the play▶Watch from this playCFB ON FOX
- Q2, 14:15Raymond 1-yd TD runRutgers leads 28-7Q2, 14:15 · Rutgers 28, Howard 728-7score after the play28-7score after the play▶Watch from this playCFB ON FOX
- Q2, 13:21Scroggins intercepted by Jones at the Howard 38Q2, 13:21 · Rutgers 28, Howard 728-7score after the play28-7score after the play▶Watch from this playCFB ON FOX
- Q3, 4:42Freeman sacked for a 7-yd lossQ3, 4:42 · Rutgers 48, Howard 748-7score after the play48-7score after the play▶Watch from this playCFB ON FOX
- Q4, 12:55Surace 9-yd TD pass to AllenRutgers leads 58-7Q4, 12:55 · Rutgers 58, Howard 758-7score after the play58-7score after the play▶Watch from this playCFB ON FOX
Every drive
Rutgers scored on 10 of its 12 drives; Howard on 1 of its 12.
Rutgers’s drives are teal, Howard’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.
Where fans got loudest
The loudest stretch came in the first quarter.
- first quarter
- second quarter
- third quarter
- fourth quarter
How we know
We look at when the most different fans were posting during the game thread, then name the part of the game it falls in. Only threads with a clear peak and enough fans get a word.
Never in doubt.
Box score
Rutgers 58, Howard 7
Rutgers covered −42.5 by 8.5. The total, 65, went over 57.5.
| Team totals | Howard | Rutgers |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 184 | 534 |
| Passing | 8 of 19, 51 yds | 16 of 25, 268 yds |
| Rushing | 29 for 133 yds | 47 for 266 yds |
| First downs | 9 | 29 |
| Third down | 3 of 11 | 7 of 12 |
| Fourth down | 0 of 0 | 0 of 0 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Penalties | 10 for 115 yds | 2 for 15 yds |
| Time of possession | 23:16 | 36:44 |
Howard leaders
- Passing Ja'Shawn Scroggins 5 of 14, 38 yds, 2 INT
- Rushing Eden James 7 for 116 yds, 1 TD; Ja'Shawn Scroggins 7 for 18 yds
- Receiving Zaden Jackson 4 for 33 yds; Antonio Hunter 1 for 18 yds
Rutgers leaders
- Passing Dylan Lonergan 12 of 17, 214 yds, 2 TD
- Rushing Antwan Raymond 16 for 140 yds, 3 TD; Clay Thevenin 16 for 69 yds, 1 TD
- Receiving KJ Duff 5 for 131 yds, 1 TD; Jourdin Houston 3 for 50 yds
No rain, gusts to 30 mph
68° at kickoff · no rain recorded · wind 10 mph from the north-northeast, mostly along the field, gusts to 30
A 30 mph gust is stronger than the peak gust in 94% of games since 2018.
Each gray tick is one game. The black line is the typical game.
September game-day temperatures at SHI Stadium
Drag along the chart, or step through the game.
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Where this weather comes from
Measured at Somerville airport, 13 miles away. Rain is NOAA's radar-and-gauge estimate at the stadium and wind is an airport reading; neither is measured on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; rain radar from NOAA MRMS, through Iowa State University. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.Before kickoff
Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.
Recent games
Last three games
Howard · 1-2
Rated 235th in our preseason ratings, 227th now.
1-2 in its last three, including a 7-point win over Alabama A&M as a 1.5-point underdog.
L 21-28 vs Richmond #185 of 668
lost by 7 as a 14-point underdog
W 31-24 vs Alabama A&M #213 of 668
won by 7 as a 1.5-point underdog
Last three games
Rutgers · 0-3
Rated 68th in our preseason ratings, 89th now, down 21 spots.
Three straight losses.
Week by week
Rutgers
- Wk 1Lvs Massachusetts21-37
- Wk 2Lat Boston College21-28
- Wk 3Lvs USC35-42
Howard
- Wk 1Wvs Alabama A&M31-24
- Wk 1Lvs Richmond21-28
- Wk 2Lat Indiana0-55
Power rating by week
Rutgers is rated 8.4 points ahead as of week 3. Our power rating by week; higher is better.
The series
Rutgers leads the series 6-0
6 meetings since 2006 · Rutgers has won the last 6
- 2024Rutgers 44-7
- 2016Rutgers 52-14
- 2014 · neutral siteRutgers 38-25
- 2012 · neutral siteRutgers 26-0
- 2009 · neutral siteRutgers 45-7
Each line is Rutgers’s chance to win through that meeting. Older meetings have no play by play, so no line.
Line, fans and home field
The betting line, and the fans
Our model and the betting line don’t fully agree on Rutgers’s chances here.
Rutgers favored by 42.5 · Total 57.5
How games like this usually go
Rutgers by 42.5, and it went to form
Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game
The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 411 games since 2025 with a favorite of 21.5 points or more.
The market
The spread moved 1 point toward Rutgers.
The total rose 2 points.
Spread: −41.5 → −42.5 · Total: 55.5 → 57.5
Home field
Rutgers is worth +2.0 points (±4.3) more at home than on the road since 2018 — bottom third of FBS, 17th percentile.
31% at home, 33% on the road against FBS opponents (16-35 home, 14-29 away).
Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads -2.7 at home vs. away over 99 games — inside the ±6.3 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.
Night kickoff — historically worth about half a point more to the home side against the number, and not much more than that. The visitors travel about 175 miles to get here.