Story by
Here's the status of Rutgers football QB Dylan Lonergan, star WR KJ Duff
- Story by
- Here's the status of Rutgers football QB Dylan Lonergan, star WR KJ Duff
PISCATAWAY – Rutgers football's offense was in a tough spot, especially against an elite Michigan defense.
The Scarlet Knights were without starting quarterback Dylan Lonergan for the entire game and without star wide receiver KJ Duff for most of it - and it showed in a 28-21 loss to the Wolverines on Saturday, Oct. 31 at SHI Stadium.
Advertisement
Rutgers finished with 249 total yards of offense, and that included a 54-yard run by Antwan Raymond and an 80-yard touchdown pass by backup quarterback AJ Surace to Jourdin Houston.
The Scarlet Knights' 21 points were the most any team has scored against the Wolverines this season, but the offensive showing still raised some concerns about its potential going forward.
Especially if it's without Lonergan or Duff.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano leads his team on to the field before the game against the Michigan Wolverines at SHI Stadium, Oct. 31, 2026, in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Their statuses are unclear.
Lonergan's dealt with injuries all season, the latest of which came in Rutgers' previous game, a 42-12 road loss to Northwestern.
The Boston College transfer was ruled out earlier in the week.
Advertisement
Will Lonergan return this season?
"I don't know," Schiano said after the game. "I'm not sidestepping the question, we're just not certain."
Surace has been uneven in his appearances this season, including a rough showing that included four interceptions on the road against Boston College and then a 7-of-18 passing performance for 64 yards against Northwestern.
"I definitely did not play my best ball at Northwestern so I think immediately after that it was how can I get better?" Surace said. "How can I do everything I can during the week to put my best foot forward and go from there?"
Advertisement
Surace was 3-of-12 for 123 yards with one touchdown – the 80-yard throw to Houston – against Michigan.
"I thought AJ battled," Schiano said.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback AJ Surace (10) scrambles away from Michigan Wolverines linebacker Troy Bowles (18) during the first half at SHI Stadium, Oct. 31, 2026, in Piscataway, New Jersey.
A big problem for the offense was the fact it just didn't have many chances – Rutgers' defense allowed Michigan to go 12-of-16 on the third down so it had a hard time getting off the field.
The Wolverines had the ball for about 15 more minutes than the Scarlet Knights.
Not having Duff didn't help matters.
The star wideout was listed as doubtful earlier in the week on the Big Ten availability report, but then was upgraded to questionable.
He ultimately was a game-time decision, but it wasn't easy.
Advertisement
Duff then appeared to aggravate the injury in the first half – trainers appeared to be attending to a lower-body injury. Duff briefly returned to the game but only briefly.
Sep 19, 2026; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights wide receiver KJ Duff (8) makes a catchas USC Trojans cornerback Chasen Johnson (27) defends during the first half at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Schiano said now it's about getting Duff healthy.
"KJ Duff, we talk about sacrifice around here, he literally lived in the building all week," Schiano said "To get treatment to try to play with his teammates. He wanted to help try and win this game. I was afraid he wasn't going to be able to. In warmups, he seemed like he could. But you could just tell pretty early on it wasn't going to happen, and then he got it rolled on a couple times. Got to get him better, got to get him healthy. It's unfortunate because he was having a tremendous year."
Advertisement
Right now, it's unclear whether Rutgers will have Lonergan or Duff back healthy at any point in the final four games, starting with its Nov. 7 road contest at Wisconsin.
The Scarlet Knights saw what it was like not having them healthy against Michigan.
It wasn't easy.
"You're talking about playing that game without your starting quarterback and without your best player," Schiano said. "I thought our guys battled their guts out."
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Here's the status of Rutgers football QB Dylan Lonergan, star WR KJ Duff
