College Football

Nova leads Rutgers to comeback win over Arkansas

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Trailing at home by 17 in the third quarter, after being concussed the week before and hammered repeatedly Saturday afternoon, Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova gathered his team and told them they were going to come from behind and beat Arkansas. Then he and the Scarlet Knights did just that.

Rutgers scored three unanswered touchdowns — a game-changing punt return from Janarion Grant and two fourth-quarter passes from Nova to Leonte Carroo — and when it was over, they had a 28-24 come-from-behind win over the Razorbacks in front of 51,969 delirious fans at High Point Solution Stadium.

“It’s a great win. And it’s the way we won. We kept believing, everybody was positive,” said Nova, who suffered a concussion against Eastern Michigan but was 22-of-32 for 346 yards and three TDs against Arkansas. “And when we had the chance we took advantage of it. When it was fourth quarter and on the line, we stepped up.’’

Nova, who threw a career-high five touchdowns in Rutgers’ 35-26 win over the Razorbacks last year in Fayetteville, Ark., was sacked five times, had a first-quarter pick six and two fumbles, the second of which set up halfback option TD pass that put Arkansas up 24-7.

But after being just 15-of-30 for 199 yards, one TD and those three turnovers through three quarters, Nova showed improved mental toughness by going 7-of-13 for 147 yards and two huge scoring passes in the fourth.

“It’s got to be No. 1 because we got the win,” Nova said of where the game ranked for him. “That was probably the best game I ever played. It was real fun. That’s what you dream of.’’

Arkansas’ inside linebackers struggled against Louisiana’s tight ends in their season opener on Aug. 31. On Saturday, Rutgers tight end Tyler Kroft had a career day with six catches for 133 yards and a TD. And with Rutgers trailing by 17, Grant ran a punt back 58 yards for a TD.

Early in the fourth, Rutgers mounted a 98-yard drive, with coach Kyle Flood opting to go for it on fourth-and-12 from the 33. Carroo beat cornerback Tevin Mitchell in press coverage. He wasn’t the primary read, but Nova — who had played with Carroo at Don Bosco Prep — found him for the score with 9:55 left.

“It just shows the great relationship we have,’’ Carroo said. “We call each other brother, we talk plays after practice, watch film together, and say hey in the game this scenario is going to come up and I’m going to trust you to make the play.’’

Grant’s 47-yard return set the Scarlet Knights up on the Arkansas 33, and — with Paul James, the nation’s leading rusher, out with a leg injury after a 17-carry, 80-yard day — Carroo beat Mitchell again on a slant for a 4-yard TD and 28-24 lead with 5:18 remaining.

Defensive lineman Djwany Mera sacked Razorbacks quarterback AJ Derby (who started for injured Brandon Allen) then threw running back Jonathan Williams for a 5-yard loss to seal the win.

“I thought this would be a snapshot into the future of what our program would be from an atmosphere standpoint, and it lived up to every ounce of that,’’ Flood said of the fifth-biggest crowd in Rutgers history. “It was deafening loud when they were on offense in that fourth quarter. … That’s what a home-field advantage should be.’’