Rutgers forced into embarrassing punt on 4th and goal

Coach Greg Schiano on the sidelines in the first half as Temple played Rutgers in the season opener at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, NJ on September 4, 2021. Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC

This may be the start of a new college football season, but for at least one series, it was the same old Rutgers.

The oft-maligned Scarlet Knights were forced into a punt on 4th and goal during their season opener against Boston College. The series happened late in the first quarter, though at least the punt was high-quality.

https://twitter.com/MrMatthewCFB/status/1566104960026165249

So what happened? Rutgers actually got to the Boston College eight-yard line on 2nd and goal. Then came an offensive pass interference call that backed them up 15 yards to the 23, followed by offensive holding that pushed the ball back to the 33. Following an incompletion, Rutgers took a false start penalty for a loss of five, then a third down sack for a loss of five more.

The Scarlet Knights are looking to improve on a 5-8 season. On the early evidence, they have a whole lot of work to do on that front.