Five takeaways from Rutgers football’s season finale against Maryland

On Saturday, Rutgers football (6-6, 3-6) dropped their season finale to Maryland (7-5, 4-5), 42-24, to finish out the regular season

Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa was too much for the Rutgers defense as he became the all-time passing leader in the Big Ten Conference in a winning effort.

Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai capped off a solid regular season, surpassing 1,000 yards on the ground in the season finale. The Roseland, New Jersey, native finished the game with 20 carries for 118 yards, becoming the eighth player in program history to register 1,000 yards and the only player in the Big Ten Conference to eclipse 1,000 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Scarlet Knights recorded another game with multiple turnovers, with defensive back Max Melton intercepting his third pass of the season and Flip Dixon forcing a fumble, with defensive lineman Isaiah Iton registering the recovery. Rutgers senior linebacker Mohamed Toure recorded a career-high 11 tackles with a sack.

Below are the five takeaways from Rutgers’ Week 13 loss to Maryland.

Rutgers struggled to convert fourth downs

On Saturday, the Rutgers offense struggled to convert key fourth-down conversions, going 1-for-3. Also, the Scarlet Knights converted 42.1 percent (8-19) of their third-down conversion throughout the game. Quarterback Gavin Wimsatt threw for 165 yards and a touchdown with one interception and added 48 yards on the ground with two rushing scores. The Scarlet Knights recorded 355 total yards on the day, 190 rushing yards, and 165 passing yards.

Running back Kyle Monangai records 1,000 yards on the season

Rutgers junior running back Kyle Monangai finished the 2023 regular season with a strong performance. The Roseland, New Jersey, native finished the game with 20 carries for 118 yards, averaging 5.9 yards per attempt. The former Don Bosco Prep prospect became the eighth player in program history to register 1,000 yards. Monangai finished the regular season with 217 carries for 1099 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per attempt. Also, he added six catches for 61 receiving yards.

Rutgers defense forced multiple turnovers

The Rutgers defense recorded another game with multiple turnovers, with defensive back Max Melton intercepting his third pass of the season and Flip Dixon forcing a fumble, with defensive lineman Isaiah Iton registering the recovery. Also, Melton leads the team in interceptions with three. With the conclusion of Week 13, the Scarlet Knights have recorded turnovers in nine of their 12 games this season. Lastly, the Scarlet Knights have forced 17 turnovers this season (eight interceptions and nine forced fumbles).

Wide receiver Isaiah Washington had back-to-back strong performances

Last week against Penn State, Rutgers senior wide receiver Isaiah Washington recorded a season-high five catches for 55 yards. Against Maryland, Washington followed up his Week 12 performance with three catches for a season-high 67 yards. Washington recorded a 42-yard reception that led to a rushing touchdown by quarterback Gavin Wimsatt in the second quarter. The Jacksonville, Florida, native has finished the regular season with 24 catches for 307 yards and one touchdown.

Senior linebacker Mohamed Toure recorded a career-high 11 tackles

Rutgers senior linebacker Mohamed Toure recorded a career-high 11 tackles and a sack against the Terps. Toure had his best 2023 performance against Maryland, recording five solo and six assisted tackles. The Pleasantville, New Jersey, native is ranked No. 2 on the team with 95 total tackles, sitting behind senior linebacker Deion Jennings with 96 tackles. Toure is ranked No. 1 on the team with 7.5 tackles for loss. Also, the senior linebacker added three sacks on the season.

Story originally appeared on Rutgers Wire