PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) - Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs used to say that in football, you are never more than two hours away from a disaster. For the first few series of the game, it looked like that was going to be the case for Rutgers coach Chris Ash.
Coming off a 1-11 season without a win against an FBS team, lowly UMass was an ideal opponent for the fourth-year coach to get off the hot seat after receiving notice from his athletic director to make a significant improvement this season.
McLane Carter shook off an early interception - and three overall - to complete 21 of 31 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns in his Rutgers debut, leading the Scarlet Knights past UMass 48-21 in a season opener for both teams on Friday night.
UMass jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, looking poised for an upset in coach Walt Bell’s debut. After the Minutemen marched down the field on their opening 75-yard drive that ended in 20-yard pass from Randall West to Kyle Horn, Carter proceeded to throw an interception on the Scarlet Knights’ first possession. Cam Roberson ran 39 yards for a touchdown two plays later.
Carter, a Texas Tech graduate transfer, quickly shook off the turnover.
“Nothing really,” Carter said when asked what was going through his mind at the time. “My mistake. I took it and ran with it and just got to go out there and keep churning and keep competing and just know that the guys are going to be out there and compete for each other and battle it out. There wasn’t too much that needed to be said. I felt like everybody responded really well.”
After a couple of TD runs by Isaih Pacheco to get Rutgers going, Carter threw two second-quarter touchdowns. Carter’s first TD toss was to Bo Melton, who had six catches for 127 yards.
Rutgers would go on to take its first lead of the game at 24-21 after a Justin Davidovicz 27-yard field goal with 4:04 left in the second quarter.
Carter’s second touchdown was a 28-yard laser to Raheem Blackshear to make it 31-21 before Pacheco’s third score of the first half put Rutgers up 38-21 at halftime. Blackshear displayed his multifaceted skillset, with nine catches for 126 yards to go along with 12 rushes for 39 yards.
After giving up 164 yards in the first quarter, Rutgers defense shored up, allowing just 307 total yards.
“They just came out with a different sense of urgency in the second quarter and the second half,” UMass quarterback Randall West said. “They played hard, fitted up looks, and played us hard in the run. They covered well in the second half. They really pinned their ears back and came after us.”
Pacheco scored his fourth touchdown - a 7-yard run - to complete the scoring early in the fourth quarter.
“When you go 1-11 it’s been a long time since we’ve been able to celebrate a game, and we’ll celebrate this one, but we’ll get back to work on Sunday,” Ash said.
QUARTERBACK MYSTERY SOLVED
Carter is the first 300-yard passer of Chris Ash’s tenure. Rutgers’ last 300-yard passer was Chris Laviano with 344 yards vs. Maryland in 2015, the last game of the Kyle Flood era. After beating out incumbent Art Sitkowski, Ash did not reveal his starting quarterback for the season opener. It’s clear who it will be next week.
What’s unclear is Sitkowski’s immediate future. The once ballyhooed freshman can play four games this season and redshirt his sophomore year.
“Yeah, best-case scenario, yeah, we would love to have those conversations. It’s not the plan right now,” Ash said. “Art is going to prepare as if he is a starter and will be ready to go at any moment if needed.”
GETTING DRAMATIC
Rutgers theater students reenacted the first college football game between Rutgers and Princeton prior to the season-opener. The “game” took place an hour before kickoff at the Marco Battaglia Football Complex.
UP NEXT
Rutgers: Travels to No. 20 Iowa for its Big Ten opener on Sept. 7.
UMass: Returns home to host Southern Illinois on Sept. 7.
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