Good article, excerpted below, since it's behind a paywall. We all know Gavin was challenged with his throwing accuracy and hoped that AK would be an upgrade and at least against Howard, he was, with a 63% completion rate (and a few drops in there or it would've been 70+%, plus he was also generally hitting receivers in stride which is a big improvement). He also ran effectively several times and you could see him going quickly through his progressions and moving well in the pocket. As Politi said, he wasn't flashy, as we really didn't throw any deep balls (wish we had tried one or two), but he was very efficient and safe, which is something we all know Greg likes. Will be interesting to see how he does against better teams.
As Matt Millen said at the end of the game after praising AK's accuracy several times during the game, noting that it was an upgrade over GW's accuracy, "They have a passing game in NJ - that's going to make a big difference."
https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/...-but-flashy-dont-hold-your-breath-politi.html
But if you wanted to see fireworks from this new-look Rutgers offense, well, you’re going to have to check back next weekend. Even then, don’t hold your breath. The Scarlet Knights dominated Howard along the line of scrimmage in a 44-7 victory, with running back Kyle Monangai carrying the ball 19 times for 165 yards and touchdown.
If you wanted efficient, you were happy. If you wanted flashy ...
“We’re not, like, Barnum & Bailey over here,” Schiano said when asked about the vanilla approach to the season opener. “We kind of do what we do.”
In other words, get used to the bread-and-butter approach. Athan Kaliakmanis, in his first start for the Scarlet Knights, completed 15 of 24 passes for 147 yards and three touchdowns. That completion percentage — a tidy 63 percent — would have been the second best all season for the Scarlet Knights in 2023, when quarterback Gavin Wimsatt was college football’s least accurate passer.
But Kaliakmanis attempted only a single pass downfield during the game. Given that the Scarlet Knights added a much-heralded transfer receiver in Dymere Miller, who caught four passes for 37 yards and a touchdown, that was disappointing. Rutgers led just 17-7 at halftime, with one of its touchdowns coming on a 52-yard interception return from defensive back Eric Rogers.