Honestly, looking at the final Rutgers football record 2024, it’s easy to just shrug and see a 7-6 team. Another year, another bowl game, another slightly-above-average finish in the Big Ten. But if you actually sat through the Friday night heart-stoppers and the weirdly physical battles in Piscataway, you know that number doesn't tell the whole story.
The Scarlet Knights finished 7-6 overall and 4-5 in Big Ten play. It sounds mediocre. It isn’t. For a program that spent years as the conference's punching bag, 2024 was actually a masterclass in "Schiano-ball" resilience, even if the ending at the Rate Bowl left a bit of a bitter taste in everyone's mouths.
The rollercoaster of the Rutgers football record 2024
The season started like a dream. Rutgers came out of the gate 4-0. They handled Howard and Akron with the kind of ease you expect from a high-level Power Four program, outscoring them 93-24. Then came the real test: a road trip to Blacksburg.
Beating Virginia Tech 26-23 on the road was the moment people started whispering about a Top 25 ranking. When they followed that up with a gritty 21-18 win over Washington at SHI Stadium, the hype was real.
Then, the wheels kinda fell off.
That brutal October stretch
You can't talk about the Rutgers football record 2024 without acknowledging the four-game skid that almost derailed everything.
🔗 Read more: Saint Benedict's Prep Soccer: Why the Gray Bees Keep Winning Everything
- Nebraska (L 14-7): A defensive slugfest where the offense just couldn't find a rhythm.
- Wisconsin (L 42-7): Total blowout. Nothing went right.
- UCLA (L 35-32): A heartbreaking homecoming loss that felt like a missed opportunity.
- USC (L 42-20): A late-night flight to LA that ended in another tough defeat.
Going from 4-0 to 4-4 is enough to break most teams. Greg Schiano’s squad didn't break. They stabilized in November, beating Minnesota and Maryland to clinch bowl eligibility. That 31-17 win over the Terps was arguably their most complete performance of the year.
Statistical anomalies and the Kyle Monangai show
Why did this team stay competitive? One name: Kyle Monangai.
The man is a human bowling ball. He finished the season with 1,279 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He wasn't just a stat-padder; he was the entire identity of the offense. In the win against Michigan State to close the regular season, he carried the ball 31 times. Thirty-one! That’s old-school football that barely exists anymore.
Athan Kaliakmanis, the Minnesota transfer, provided the most stable quarterback play Rutgers has seen in a minute. He threw for over 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns. For the first time since 2007, Rutgers actually had a 2,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher, and two 600-yard receivers (Dymere Miller and Ian Strong).
Basically, the offense finally caught up to the defense.
💡 You might also like: Ryan Suter: What Most People Get Wrong About the NHL's Ultimate Survivor
The Rate Bowl heartbreak
The season ended in Phoenix at the Rate Bowl against Kansas State. If you like defense, this game was a nightmare. If you like chaos, it was perfect.
It was a 44-41 loss. A shootout in the desert.
It’s weird to see a Schiano team give up 44 points, but the offense kept swinging until the final whistle. Falling just short meant they couldn't secure that elusive eighth win, leaving them at that 7-6 mark.
Defensive leaders who kept them in it
While the bowl game was a high-scoring affair, the regular season was defined by a defense that ranked among the most disciplined in the country.
- Dariel Djabome: He stepped up with 105 tackles, the most by a Scarlet Knight since 2020.
- Robert Longerbeam: Led the Big Ten with 13 passes defended.
- The Penalty Count: This is the most "Rutgers" stat of all. They ranked 5th nationally in fewest penalties. They don't beat themselves.
What this record actually means for the future
A 7-6 record in 2024 means Rutgers is no longer a "bottom-feeder." They are a middle-class Big Ten team that can beat anyone on a given Saturday if you aren't ready to hit back.
📖 Related: Red Sox vs Yankees: What Most People Get Wrong About Baseball's Biggest Feud
The schedule was tough. They played 35th-ranked SOS (Strength of Schedule) and still came out with a winning record. They avoided a November collapse for once, going 3-1 in the final month of the regular season.
If you're a fan or a bettor looking at the Rutgers football record 2024, the takeaway is simple: consistency. They have found a floor. The next step is raising the ceiling.
For 2025, the focus has to be on closing out those one-score games against teams like UCLA and Illinois. If two or three plays go differently, this is a 9-win team. That's the margin in the new Big Ten.
Next Steps for Rutgers Fans: Keep an eye on the transfer portal for defensive line depth. While the secondary was elite in 2024, the pass rush disappeared in key moments during the October losing streak. Adding a premier edge rusher is the missing piece to turning these 7-6 finishes into 10-win seasons.