Rutgers football vs. Temple: Score, live updates as Gavin Wimsatt looks to continue momentum
Gavin Wimsatt answered plenty of questions in Rutgers football's season-opening win over Northwestern.
He looked confident, he looked poised, he made good decisions, he threw the ball away and let plays die when he needed to. Overall, his accuracy was better.
Now the big key for the Scarlet Knights quarterback is to take another step forward, to build on that performance and continue an upward trajectory when Rutgers plays Temple tonight (7:30 p.m., Big Ten Network) at SHI Stadium.
"We watched film, we saw things we could fix and now we're focusing on Temple and just seeing what we could do to prepare for the game," Wimsatt said Tuesday.
More: What channel is Rutgers vs. Temple on today? Time, TV schedule
Wimsatt went 17-of-29 passing for 163 yards with one touchdown against the Wildcats. He also rushed for 33 yards on nine carries, including a six-yard touchdown run.
But perhaps the biggest key was that he didn't turn the ball over. He didn't force anything, which has been a focal point of his work with offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca. It was an encouraging sign for the Scarlet Knights offense.
That's critical for a team that's 9-1 going back to 2020 when not committing a turnover in a game.
"You've just got to know when to fold sometimes," Wimsatt said. "Live to play another down."
Now Wimsatt will carry that mindset into tonight's game against Temple and will try to keep the momentum going.
Follow here for updates during the game.
FINAL: RUTGERS 36, TEMPLE 7
Big night from Kyle Monangai, big night for the defense.
More: Rutgers football: 'Hometown guy' Jai Patel delivers big kicks and a good story vs. Temple
Fourth quarter, 5:37: Sam Brown scores his first TD of the season
A one-yard run from Brown, who's making his season debut after making the opener against Northwestern.
It's 29-7 Rutgers.
Fourth quarter, 9:57: Another field goal from Jai Patel
23 yards this time and it's 22-7 Rutgers.
Fourth quarter, 11:48: Rutgers answers Temple's TD
Take a bow, Kyle Monangai.
The Scarlet Knights put together a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive with Monangai running for 57 of them. He capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run.
Rutgers went for 2 but couldn't convert. It's 19-7 Rutgers.
Fourth quarter, 14:51: Temple's back in the game
E.J. Warner hits Dante Wright for a nine-yard touchdown pass and the Owls have sliced their deficit to 13-7.
Halftime: Rutgers 13, Temple 0
Overall, a solid first half from the Scarlet Knights. The offense has made some nice plays, though Rutgers couldn't capitalize on a few of them and had to settle for field goals (a 48-yarder and 43-yarder from Jai Patel).
Good job, again, by the defense. Temple was threatening late in the second quarter and had second-and-7 from the Rutgers 18, but got called for a pass interference that set it back to the 33. Then Desmond Igbinosun sacked E.J. Warner for a 15-yard loss to push the Owls back to the 48 to kill the drive.
Wimsatt is 8-of-14 for 142 yards. Rutgers has rushed for 107 yards, 49 from Kyle Monangai. Temple only has 113 total offensive yards.
Second quarter, 7:22: Another kick from Jai Patel
This time a 43-yard field goal from Patel to give Rutgers a 13-0 lead.
Big play on the drive by Gavin Wimsatt, who delivered a beautiful deep pass to JaQuae Jackson for a 61-yard gain on second-and-20 from the Rutgers 9. Rutgers couldn't get into the end zone, but it came away with three points.
Second quarter, 13:31: Jai Patel kicks a 51-yard field goal, adds to Rutgers lead
Heck of a kick by Patel, who earned the starting kicking job in training camp. Seventh longest in Rutgers history. It's 10-0 Scarlet Knights.
First quarter, 3:47: Rutgers takes the lead
Ja'shon Benjamin scores his first career touchdown, a 33-yard pass from Gavin Wimsatt on first-and-10 from the Temple 33. Really nice play by the Scarlet Knights. Wimsatt set it up the previous play with a 17-yard run up the middle to convert a third-and-3 from the 50.
RUTGERS FOOTBALL AVAILABILITY REPORT
OUT
WR Chris Long
WR Naseim Brantley
LB Dariel Djabome
QUESTIONABLE
RB Aaron Young
DE Wesley Brown
So the big news is that running back Sam Brown is, indeed, available.
Injury questions
Defensive end Wesley Bailey suffered an injury in the second half against Northwestern and left the game. He didn't return for the second half. Schiano said Tuesday that he thought Bailey would be OK for the Temple game, but at that point it was still too early to tell.
Running backs Sam Brown and Aaron Young both missed the win over Northwestern. After the game, Schiano said Brown could've played "in a pinch." Young suffered an injury in the days before the game, but Schiano said, like Brown, he just wasn't ready to play in the game. So there's a chance they could be back tonight against Temple, which would certainly be a lift for the offense.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football vs. Temple: Score, live updates
