Football Cruises to 35-7 Season-Opening Win over Texas State

ISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers football (1-0) cruised to a 35-7, season-opening win over Texas State (0-1) on Saturday afternoon at HighPoint.com Stadium. The Scarlet Knights claimed the lead five minutes into the contest and never relinquished the lead or momentum. Freshman quarterback Artur Sitkowski went 20-for-29 with 205 passing yards in his debut as a Scarlet Knight, including the first passing touchdown of his career. He became the 11th true freshman to start a game at quarterback for RU and third since WWII to start the season opener. Sophomore running back Raheem Blackshear and senior running back Jonathan Hilliman each contributed a pair of touchdowns, while sophomore linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi added one of his own on a fumble recovery. Overall, Blackshear paced the offense with 150 yards from scrimmage, rushing for 62 yards and receiving for 56 yards. Freshman Isaih Pachecoled the team on the ground with 76 yards rushing. Senior linebacker Trevor Morris guided the defense with seven tackles followed by senior defensive back Isaiah Wharton with six. Junior lineman Elorm Lumor fueled the defense with a blocked field goal, a sack, two tackles for loss and a recovered fumble. Rutgers had 11 tackles-for-loss, paced by two apiece from Lumor, Blessuan Austin, Julius Turner and Mike Tverdov.