Rutgers football (1-0) opened the 2022 season on a high note with a come-from-behind 22-21 victory over Boston College (0-1) on Saturday at Alumni Stadium.

Despite playing from behind most of the game, the Scarlet Knights went on a 12-play, 96-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter to take the lead for good against the Eagles. RU ran the ball 11 times on the drive, capped by a 22-yard touchdown run by RB Al-Shadee Salaam, his first career rushing score.

The Rutgers offense out-rushed the Eagles, picking up 212 yards on 42 carries, led by a career-high 78 yards and a touchdown from RB Kyle Monangai, 53 yards and a touchdown from Salaam and 40 yards on the ground from QB Gavin Wimsatt.

The defense picked up four sacks and eight tackles-for-loss, had a pair of interceptions from DB Christian Braswell and DB Robert Longerbeam as well as a fumble recovery by DE Wesley Bailey. The unit allowed only 29 rushing yards.

FIRST QUARTER
Wimsatt, QB Evan Simon and TE Johnny Langan all took snaps during RU's first drive. On Rutgers' first defensive series, Longerbeam picked up his first career sack on BC's first play from scrimmage, dropping Phil Jurkovec and forcing a fumble.

The Eagles took a 7-0 lead on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jurkovec to Zay Flowers with 8:42 on the clock.

The Scarlet Knights were able to get into field-goal range thanks to a career-long rush by Wimsatt, but the drive ultimately resulted in a punt by P Adam Korsak downed at the BC 3-yard line.

With Boston College looking to extend its lead, Braswell intercepted Jurkovec with 1:12 left, giving Rutgers the ball back at its own 39-yard-line.

SECOND QUARTER
Riding the momentum of Braswell's interception, RU's offense went right down the field, with WR Aron Cruickshank taking a reverse 26 yards for a touchdown, making the score 7-6 in favor of the Eagles with 13:40 remaining.

For the second time in the game, Jurkovec connected with Flowers for a touchdown, this one a 26-yard catch-and-run to put Boston College up by a score of 14-6.

Although the Eagles started their final drive of the half at the Rutgers 31-yard-line, the RU defense held firm, forcing a 44-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide.

Simon kneeled out the half with the Scarlet Knights trailing, BC 14-6.

THIRD QUARTER
The Rutgers defense came out ready in the second half and pushed the Boston College offense backwards until the Eagles fumbled a snap on third down, which Bailey recovered for RU, setting up the offense at the 6-yard-line. Two plays later, Monangai punched it in from one yard for his first touchdown of the season with 13:03 remaining in the quarter, making it 14-12.

It turned out to be a back-and-forth affair in the third quarter, with BC going right down the field to score another touchdown and extending its lead to 21-12. But the Scarlet Knights had a quick answer, marching down the field and making it a one-possession game thanks to a 33-yard field goal from PK Jude McAtamney. His first-career connection brought the score to 21-15 in favor of the Eagles.

FOURTH QUARTER
In the final quarter of play, the RU defense continued to make life difficult for Jurkovec and the Boston College offense. After a number of big hits on the quarterback, Longerbeam jumped a route and grabbed his first career interception to give Rutgers the ball with a chance to take the lead. The offense's drive stalled and Korsak punted to the Boston College 33-yard-line with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game.

After forcing another Eagles punt, the RU offense took over at its own 4-yard-line and needing a touchdown. The Scarlet Knight offense, led by a dominant stretch from the offensive line, marched right down the field in 5:02, taking a 22-21 lead on a 22-yard touchdown rush by Salaam, his first-ever score.

The Rutgers defense sealed the deal, with Bailey and DB Christian Izien combining to sack Jurkovec on second down before Bailey dropped Jurkovec again on third down to force a punt. Boston College would not touch the ball again, as Rutgers was able to kneel out the victory.

UP NEXT
The home opener (Back to the Birthplace Game) is set for Saturday, Sept. 10 at 4 p.m. versus Wagner at SHI Stadium. It will be the first meeting on the gridiron between the Scarlet Knights and Seahawks. Tickets are available at ScarletKnights.com and the game will broadcast on Big Ten Network.