PISCATAWAY — Every time Chas Dodd looked down the field, Mohamed Sanu was open, so the Rutgers quarterback kept on throwing pass after pass after pass at the junior receiver. It turned into one for the record books.
Sanu had a school- and Big East Conference-record 16 catches for 176 yards and two touchdowns as Rutgers (2-1) knocked error-prone Ohio from the unbeaten ranks with a 38-26 victory Saturday.
“I just tell him (Dodd): ‘If you ever need me I am there,'” Sanu said of his relationship with Dodd. “That’s how we feel as receivers. If you put the ball up in the air, we have to go get it.”
Sanu didn’t disappoint his quarterback, catching touchdowns of 7 and 4 yards. His total catches broke the Rutgers record of 13 that he tied two weeks ago against North Carolina. It also broke the single-game mark of 13 for a Big East receiver.
Dodd, who finished 21 of 32 for 232 yards and three TDs – the last one coming on a 10-yard pass to Paul Caarrezola – said Sanu wasn’t always his primary receiver.
When asked if there was a point in the game when he looked to Sanu and found him covered, Dodd thought for a second.
“I don’t think so,” the sophomore added quickly. “Every one he had thrown to him, he made a good catch. There was maybe one or two where the ball placement could have been better here or there, but for the most part, he was open. He gets open and does a good job of it.”
Rutgers cornerback Marcus Cooper, who returned a fumble 3 yards for another score, smiled when asked about Sanu, who has 36 catches for 363 yards and four TDs this season. This was his first game with two receiving touchdowns.
“Mohamed is a freak,” Cooper said. “He is an athlete, a freak athlete. Just covering him gets you better. It’s a nightmare sometimes. You always have to have your A game with him.
Ohio (3-1) was at a disadvantage because its top cornerback, Travis Carrie, was hurt in the first quarter and did not return.
“Any time you catch as many balls as he did, it’s very impressive,” said Ohio coach Frank Solich, whose team contributed to the loss by turning the ball over four times. “He ran good routes. He has size and he’s an excellent receiver. Obviously, that showed tonight. We knew going in that we would have to slow him down a little bit, and we weren’t able to do it.”
Freshman Savon Huggins scored on a 3-yard run and San San Te added a field goal for Rutgers.
Tyler Tettleton threw for 339 yards and three touchdowns for the Bobcats, who were off to their best start since 1976. The TD passes covered 10 yards to LaVon Brazill, 31 to Donte Foster and 10 to Riley Dunlop.
The game had a dramatic moment at the end of the third quarter when a fan in the stands suffered an apparent heart attack and was given CPR behind the Ohio bench. Solich walked onto the field after the opening play of the fourth quarter, trying to get the officials to stop the game so a cart carrying the fan could get off the field. The cart rolled down the sideline and out of the stadium seconds later.
Rutgers turned two of the Bobcats’ mistakes into touchdowns in building a 21-10 halftime lead, with the last score coming on a wild fumble return that Cooper carried the final 3 yards. Ka’Lial Glaud recovered a fumble by Brazill on a punt return at the Bobcats 15 and returned the ball to the 2, where he fumbled, only to see Cooper pick it up at the 3 and score for a 21-7 lead.
Todd and Sanu put Rutgers ahead 7-0 with a 7-yard touchdown pass just five plays after a bad snap gave the Scarlet Knights possession at the Ohio 29.
An interception by Xavier Hughes gave Ohio the ball at the Rutgers 26 and Brazill made a one-handed catch to tie the game at 7 with 2:36 to go in the quarter.
Huggins, who fumbled inside the Ohio 10 on Rutgers’ opening drive, scored from 3 yards out to put the Scarlet Knights ahead 14-7 on the ensuing series, and then the fumble on the punt return made it a 14-point lead.
Matt Weller kicked a 42-yard field goal on the final play of the half to get the Bobcats within 21-10. It was the 39th of his career, setting a school record.
Tettleton’s TD pass to Foster closed the cap to four points, but Dodd, who passed for 232 yards, drove Rutgers 62 yards in nine plays, hitting a double-covered Sanu for a 28-17 lead.
A fumble by Ryan Boykin set up a 44-yard field goal by Te early in the fourth quarter and Dodd iced the game with his last TD pass, which was set up by a 14-yard pass to Sanu on a third-and-15 and an ensuing penalty against Ohio for having 12 players on the field.
UConn 17, Buffalo 3
In Amherst, N.Y., Johnny McEntee passed for 213 yards and two touchdown passes, including a 49-yarder to Nick Williams with 4:52 left to seal the victory as Connecticut (2-2) defeated Buffalo (1-3).
Rhode Island 21, Fordham 17
In Kingston, R.I., Travis Hurd scored on a 3-yard run with 1:13 left and Doug Johnson had an interception at the 15-yard line to give Rhode Island (1-2) the win over Fordham (1-2).
Peter Maetzold’s 19-yard touchdown run had given Fordham its first lead, 17-14, with 3:52 to play.
Albany 44, Columbia 21
In Manhattan, Drew Smith passed for a touchdown and ran for another in the third quarter as Albany (1-2) pulled away from Columbia (0-2), which got 176 passing yards and a TD from Sean Brackett.
Bryant 30, Wagner 28
In Smithfield, R.I., Jordan Brown scored on a 2-yard run with 12:59 remaining and the defense clamped down to lead Bryant (3-1, 2-0 NEC) over Wagner (1-3, 1-2), which was paced by Dominique Williams’ 101 yards rushing and two TDs.
Stony Brook 37, Lafayette 20
In Stony Brook, N.Y., Miguel Maysonet erupted for four second-half touchdowns and the previously winless Seawolves (1-3) earned its first victory, beating Lafayette (1-3) despite completing just 1 of 13 pass attempts.
Monmouth 24, CCSU 12
In New Britain, Conn., Kyle Frazier threw a 35-yard touchdown pass as Monmouth (2-1, 1-1 NEC) tallied 133 yards in a dominant first quarter and went on to defeat Central Connecticut State (2-2, 1-1).