Rutgers football’s 2026 season is dead after loss to Boston College. Is Greg Schiano era next?

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — There is no coming back from this for Rutgers — and maybe its head coach.

The Scarlet Knights still have 10 more games on their schedule this fall, but the 2026 season effectively came to an end after they suffered a devastating 28-21 loss to Boston College on Friday night.

Any flicker of hope remaining following a season-opening 37-21 loss to UMass — the worst loss in modern program history — were dashed at Alumni Stadium, where Rutgers showed more life than its pathetic showing against the Minutemen, but not enough to secure a win it desperately needed — and easily could have gotten.

The Scarlet Knights (0-2) were blitzed from the beginning by the Eagles (1-1), who jumped out to a 17-0 lead through the opening 17 minutes and led the rest of the way.

Rutgers was not ready to play — it was forced to call a timeout on the third play of the game when it sent two players on the field with the same jersey number (#56) — and while it came agonizingly close to stealing a game that was there for the taking, it could not stop shooting itself in the foot.

— The Scarlet Knights committed two turnovers in its first two drives: a turnover-on-downs after a failed tush push and the first interception of third-year quarterback AJ Surace’s career.

— At the start of the second half, Surace threw a back-breaking interception in the red zone after being ambushed by two open defenders.

— Late in the third quarter, after its defense forced a second consecutive turnover and set the offense in the red zone with a chance to take its first lead, Rutgers was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 run out of the shotgun.

— Midway through the fourth quarter, with Boston College facing a third-and-six inside its own territory, the Scarlet Knights leave an opposing receiver wide open, leading to a 78-yard touchdown that served as the dagger.

— Late in the fourth quarter, after linebacker Moses Walker intercepted a pass for the second time on the nightand gave Rutgers a chance to tie the game, Surace threw his fourth interception.

A disastrous debut from Surace wasted outstanding performances from his superstar teammates.

Running back Antwan Raymond contributed 152 total yards and a touchdown, including 134 yards on the ground in a game where he once again had to overcome an offensive line that showed little improvement despite being reworked in the middle of the game.

Wide receiver KJ Duff started slow, making just one catch for nine yards in the first half, but he finished with 137 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches, including a 60-yard touchdown grab that put Rutgers in position to steal the game late and a fourth-down conversion that kept the Scarlet Knights alive.

On the other end, Rutgers struggled mightily to stop Boston College early on, allowing the hosts to score on four of its first five drives. But the Scarlet Knights were significantly improved in the second half, forcing three turnovers and holding Boston College to 38 yards in the third quarter.

The improved defensive effort put Rutgers in position to earn an incredible win with an all-time comeback. But its offense could not cash in on the opportunities.

Standing at 0-2 following two of the most winnable games on its schedule, the Scarlet Knights are staring down the barrel of a second straight season without a bowl game. They would have to win a minimum of five Big Ten games, which would mark their highest total since joining the conference, to make the postseason.

Given how they’ve played through their first 120 minutes of the season, that is about as likely as Schiano being at the helm in Piscataway next fall.

Here are five observations:

1) Greg Schiano put all his chips in the center — and lost

Under significant pressure following last week’s unfathomable loss, Schiano took his usually-aggressive approach to a whole other level.

He mostly crapped out.

The Scarlet Knights went 2-of-5 on fourth down, all of which were defendable decisions that resulted in mostly poor execution.

— The first of two conversions led to their first touchdown of the game, setting up a four-yard touchdown pass to Raymond just before halftime.

The second came in a must-have drive in the dying minutes of the game, but the Scarlet Knights squandered it on the next play.

— Twice, the Scarlet Knights were stuffed on fourth-and-short — once from a tush-push and another from a running play out of the shot gun — and then came a killer interception from Surace midway through the fourth quarter.

In hindsight, the Scarlet Knights could have used the points they would have gotten had they settled for field goals. But if they converted just one of their failed attempts, they could have taken control of a game that was there for the picking.

2) New quarterback, same problems

After falling short in a training camp battle between “similar quarterbacks,” Surace helped prove his head coach correct.

In his first career start, Surace was not much better than the quarterback he replaced, with his numbers (18-of-27, 230 yards, three touchdowns, four interceptions) looking better than the performance. He threw one more interception than Dylan Lonergan, who traveled to his former school but did not dress due to injury, and they were just as costly.

3) Defense goes from disastrous to formidable

Travis Johansen’s unit looked like it was headed for another dreadful performance that would rival the depths of last season’s disaster. But after a disastrous first half in which they conceded four scores in five drives and 226 yards of total offense, the Scarlet Knights settled in and played their best defense of the season.

In the third quarter, Rutgers forced its first two turnovers of the season and put its offense in position to make up for its poor first half. In the fourth quarter, it made play after play to give its team a chance at stealing a game it did not deserve.

In the end, it was not enough.

4) This and that

a. Before it turned the tide in the second half and turned it into a competitive game, the Scarlet Knights were a national punchline once again, with one national analyst asking if they were the worst Power Four team in the country and another commentator asking if they could beat Howard.

b. Rutgers men’s soccer team pulled off a major upset over No. 11 UCLA in Piscataway. A big result for Jim McElderry and his program, it might give some solace to Scarlet Knight supporters looking for a beam of light.

c. On the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Boston College honored alum Welles Crowther in an impressive way. The pregame video, the in-game honoring of his family, the uniforms and red bandanas it handed out in the stands and in the press box were all pitch perfect. A worthy showing for a person worth honoring.

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