Antwan Raymond Carries Rutgers to Victory Past Maryland, 35-20
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On a sun-splashed, warm afternoon at SHI Stadium, Rutgers and Maryland faced off with each team desperately needing a win to keep their path to a bowl alive. Rutgers entered the game losing five of its last six, with its only Big Ten win coming on the road two weekends ago against Purdue. For Maryland, the Terrapins entered the afternoon on a four-game skid after starting 4-0, eager to rewrite the narrative that they can't win when the calendar flips to October.
He already had 200+ yards, and now he has a TD.@RFootball RB Antwan Raymond is going off today 💥
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 8, 2025
📺: FS1 pic.twitter.com/VPurdnME2d
Maryland struck first on the second play of the game, as their talented freshman quarterback, Malik Washington, who ran for all of 99 yards on the season, gashed the Knights' porous defense on a 73-yard counter to put the Terrapins up early, 7-0. Rutgers looked poised to even the score as they marched down the field on their opening drive, handing the ball off six consecutive times to sophomore back Antwan Raymond and completing a 20-yard pass to KJ Duff.
On second and four, from the Terrapin five and with Raymond running through Maryland defenders, the Knights got too cute with the play call as Kaliakmanis rifled a pass into heavy traffic near the goal line that went through Ian Strong's hands and bounced off one Maryland defender and into the hands of Lavain Scruggs for the Terrapin interception, killing the drive.
To the credit of the Rutgers defense, they settled in on the next couple of drives. Rutgers would take advantage of a shanked Bryce McFerson 20-yard punt late in the first quarter, converting it into points early in the second quarter on a second and goal when Kaliakmanis completed a pass to DT Sheffield, who was in motion and shedded his defender for an easy scamper into the endzone.
Maryland retook the lead on a field goal with less than six minutes remaining in the half. Rutgers quickly answered as Kaliamanik escaped pressure in the pocket and fired a deep ball to a wide-open Ian Strong down the right sideline for a 45-yard touchdown, and a 14-10 Scarlet Knights advantage.
The Terrapins used a quick 3-play, 80-yard drive to regain the lead yet again, 17-14, but in a back-and-forth first half, Rutgers would counter yet again, on a 5-yard pass from Kaliakmanis to Strong with 34 seconds remaining until halftime to push back in front, 21-17, a lead the Knights would never relinquish.
On the opening drive of the third quarter, Ian Strong caught his third touchdown from Kaliakmanis for a 28-17 advantage, and the Rutgers defense did something fans haven't seen much of this season: come out in the second half and shut down the opponent. Maryland was held scoreless in the third quarter and only managed a field goal in the fourth.
With 4:10 remaining and a first and goal for Rutgers, Raymond ran straight up the gut for a five-yard score and essentially put the game on ice. Rutgers improves to 5-5 (2-5 B1G) on the season, while Maryland falls to 4-5 (1-5).
🔥 240 rushing yards
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 8, 2025
🔥 41 carries
🔥 1 TD
Antwan Raymond ran for the most rushing yards by a @RFootball player since Ray Rice had 280 in 2008 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Bf8aFFJNji
Raymond Sets Program Record
Raymond's 41 carries for a career-high 240 yards and a touchdown set a program record for yards in a Big Ten game and is the most by any Big Ten running back this season. With running back Kyle Monangai graduating last season and now starring for the Chicago Bears on Sundays, Raymond has not only stepped into the role as the team's top back but is excelling, a testament to the work coach Damiere Shaw is doing with his running backs unit.
Kaliakmanis and O'Neill Each Have Big Games
While Kaliakmanis threw two picks on the day - one with too much heat on it through the hands of usually reliable Ian Strong and the other on a Hail Mary at the end of the first half, the quarterback was generally sharp, needing only 13 completions on 20 attempts to rack up 229 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran four times for 18 yards, taking advantage of what the defense was giving him.
Strong had 5 catches for 88 yards, including three touchdowns. Duff added 2 receptions for 69 yards and Sheffield hauled in 4 for 56 yards. Tight end Kenny Fletcher caught two passes for 16 yards, including a big third down conversion in the second half.
Defensive lineman Eric O'Neill, the prized preseason transfer from JMU who hasn't lived up to the hype, had his most impactful game to date in Scarlet, making 10 tackles, including two for loss.
Ian Strong’s third TD of the season gives @RFootball a 21–17 halftime lead over Maryland 💥 pic.twitter.com/UxrUhvDd84
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 8, 2025
Next Up
Rutgers gets to enjoy the win during a bye week before traveling to face No. 1 Ohio State two weeks in Columbus. After that game, the Knights wrap up the regular season at home against Penn State, likley needing to win to secure bowl eligibility.
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John Catapano graduated from Rutgers in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, covering the women’s field hockey and soccer teams for the campus paper, The Daily Targum. After college, he moved to Los Angeles, got a job at Walt Disney Television, and has worked in media ever since. John currently works with the Wasserman Media Group in their Brooklyn, NY office, collaborating with brands, influencers, and athletes across the globe. When the pandemic struck in 2020 and Catapano began working remotely, he resumed writing by contributing to a Rutgers fan blog. He covered various sports, highlighted human interest stories, and focused on topics that Scarlet Nation wanted to discuss. It’s never easy being a Rutgers fan, but with over 500,000 alumni living worldwide and a passionate fanbase, covering the Scarlet Knights is always engaging.