Chestnut Hill, Mass. — Rutgers was looking for answers Friday night. Instead, the Scarlet Knights left Alumni Stadium with even more questions.
A week after suffering a stunning season-opening loss to UMass, Rutgers again failed to find a way to finish, falling 28-21 to Boston College and dropping to 0-2 for the first time in a season that already has raised serious concerns about the direction of Greg Schiano’s program.
The Scarlet Knights repeatedly gave themselves opportunities to change the game, only to watch mistakes erase them.
Freshman quarterback AJ Surace, making his first career start, experienced the highs and lows of a difficult night. He completed 18 of 27 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns, but four interceptions ultimately proved too costly.
His final interception came with just over two minutes remaining and Rutgers threatening to cut further into Boston College’s lead.
Instead, the drive ended, and so did Rutgers’ comeback hopes.
The Scarlet Knights trailed 17-0 before finally getting on the scoreboard when Antwan Raymond powered into the end zone from four yards out. Raymond provided one of the few consistent bright spots for Rutgers, rushing for 134 yards.
Rutgers continued to battle, and KJ Duff later hauled in a 60-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to bring the Scarlet Knights within striking distance.
But Boston College had already created too much separation.
The Eagles answered with a devastating play midway through the fourth quarter. Quarterback Mason McKenzie found a completely uncovered Dawson Pough over the middle, and Pough turned the blown coverage into a 78-yard touchdown.
After Boston College converted the ensuing two-point attempt, Rutgers was again facing a two-score deficit.
McKenzie and the Eagles offense finished the night with 402 total yards, repeatedly finding opportunities against a Rutgers defense that remains a major concern.
Even when the Scarlet Knights appeared to settle down defensively, costly breakdowns continued to surface.
One of the most glaring came late in the first half. With Boston College facing second-and-10 from the Rutgers 36-yard line, the Scarlet Knights’ defensive backs dropped deep, seemingly protecting against a big play.
Instead, McKenzie took what the defense gave him, completing an eight-yard pass to Javarius Green. The play moved the Eagles into field-goal range, and Boston College converted a 46-yarder to take a 20-7 advantage into halftime.
Rutgers also made several questionable decisions on fourth down.
The Scarlet Knights attempted to convert four times, including an early fourth-and-1 from their own 34-yard line. Just two minutes into the game, Rutgers tried to convert with a tush push but was stopped short.
Another fourth-down gamble came in the fourth quarter when Surace threw an interception on fourth-and-3 from the Boston College 21. With Rutgers inside the red zone and desperately needing points, the turnover ended a potentially critical scoring opportunity.
The combination of turnovers, missed assignments and failed fourth-down attempts proved too much to overcome.
Rutgers has now lost to two teams that struggled badly in 2025. UMass went winless last season, while Boston College finished 2-10.
That makes the Scarlet Knights’ 0-2 start even more difficult to explain.
The margin for error is also about to become considerably smaller.
Rutgers’ next game comes Sept. 19 against USC, giving Schiano and his team little time to correct the issues that have plagued them through the first two weeks.
The Scarlet Knights have to find answers quickly.
Four interceptions. Multiple blown coverages. Failed fourth-down attempts. And two losses against teams Rutgers expected to compete with.
For a program hoping to take another step forward, the opening two weeks have instead sent Rutgers in the opposite direction.
And with USC next, the challenge is about to get much bigger.
