Rutgers football fans didn't exactly pack the house on Friday night, and the empty seats at SHI Stadium were hard to ignore. The Scarlet Knights rolled to a 58-7 victory over Howard, but the real story was the lack of butts in seats — a troubling sign for a program trying to rebuild its identity.
Coming into the game with an 0-3 record, Rutgers desperately needed a win, and they got one in dominant fashion. Quarterback Dylan Lonergan was sharp, completing 12 of 17 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Antwan Raymond bulldozed his way to 140 rushing yards and three scores on just 16 carries. It was a feel-good performance on the field, but the atmosphere in Piscataway told a different story.
As kickoff approached, videos of the nearly empty stadium circulated on social media, drawing attention to the sparse turnout. Brian Fonseca of NJ Advance Media captured the moment perfectly: “Maybe there is a lot of traffic. Maybe the weather was bad enough to keep people home. Maybe it was the 0-3 start. But there is nobody here at kickoff.”
The weather certainly didn't help — a rare September nor'easter brought heavy rain and damaging winds to the East Coast, making it a miserable night for anyone considering a trip to the stadium. But even with the elements working against them, the optics were bad for a program that's been trying to generate momentum under head coach Greg Schiano.
Schiano returned to Rutgers in 2020 with the promise of revitalizing a program that had long been a Big Ten afterthought. While he's managed a couple of 7-6 seasons, the Scarlet Knights have struggled to consistently compete in a loaded conference. The fan base, it seems, is growing impatient.
This isn't the first time this season that crowd size has become a talking point in college football. Just last week, Arkansas fans sent a loud message with their own no-show against Georgia, and the Wembley crowd for college football's London debut fell flat. It's a trend that raises questions about fan engagement across the sport.
For Rutgers, the bigger question is whether Schiano can turn things around. If the team continues to stumble, the administration may face a tough decision about his future. But for now, the focus is on the field, where the Scarlet Knights finally got a much-needed win.
Still, the empty seats are a stark reminder that winning alone might not be enough to win back the fans. As the season progresses, all eyes will be on Piscataway to see if the stands fill up again — or if the apathy becomes the new normal.
