Rutgers will give quarterback AJ Surace his first career start Friday night at Boston College with Week 1 starter Dylan Lonergan recovering from an injury.
Lonergan left Rutgers’ 37-21 loss to UMass last week in the fourth quarter due to an unspecified injury. Surace went 6-for-9 for 77 yards and a touchdown pass in limited action.
“Dylan was removed because of injury,” coach Greg Schiano said Tuesday. “He has not been able to practice, so AJ is going to be the starting quarterback. We don’t know if Dylan will be available in an emergency role. When you haven’t practiced, it’s awfully hard to be ready. But he has cumulative repetitions so it’s our hope if we can feel well by game time we can have him dressed.”
Surace joined the Scarlet Knights in 2024 and has served as a backup QB for the program, tossing two touchdown passes in three appearances last season.
The son of Princeton head coach Bob Surace, AJ Surace battled Lonergan for the starting job over the spring and summer. Schiano announced Lonergan as the starter to begin the season but claimed it was a close race and AJ Surace “made it hard on (him).”
Lonergan, a former Alabama and Boston College quarterback, completed 16 of 29 attempts for 242 yards and two touchdowns but also threw three interceptions in the Scarlet Knights’ surprising loss to UMass, which had lost 16 straight games dating back to 2024.
