How Rutgers football WR Chris Long overcame 'a bumpy road' on the way to big game vs. Akron

PISCATAWAY – Chris Long knew he wasn’t done. He knew had more to contribute to the Rutgers football team.

The wide receiver knew he wanted to come back for another season despite the injuries that had derailed his previous seasons in a Scarlet Knights uniform.

“It’s definitely been a process,” Long said. “I had a lot of thinking to do. A lot of thinking over these past months. I just wasn’t ready (to stop).”

Long proved it in Rutgers’ 49-17 win over Akron on Saturday at SHI Stadium.

The Willingboro native finished with four catches for 87 yards with one touchdown, hauling in a 58-yard catch from quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis with just more than three minutes to go in the third quarter.

Rutgers football wide receiver Chris Long has overcome 'a bumpy road'

“Chris has had a bumpy road for sure,” coach Greg Schiano said. “We've had a lot of serious, good talks over the years. But he just made a decision that he was going to – it can be discouraging when all those things keep happening to you. He just made up his mind that he was going to come back and give it everything he had with no regrets and see where the chips fall. Happy for him he's having success.”

This success didn’t come easily – Long was limited to just one game all of last season because of injuries.

But walking away from football?

Long refused to make that his reality.

“This is how I’m going to provide for my family,” Long said. “This is how I’m going to provide for my daughter. I really just have to lock in and take it day by day and not think too far ahead and take care of what I’ve got to take care of in the moment. That’s really what I’ve been living by every day. It got me here.”

Long’s best season came in 2022 when he hauled in 15 passes for 200 yards with one touchdown.

The 6-foot, 177-pound Long has been one of Rutgers’ three starting wide receivers this season along with Ian Strong and Dymere Miller.

Chris Long has a highlight-reel touchdown catch in Rutgers football's win over Akron

Long’s touchdown catch against Akron was Rutgers’ most explosive offensive play through its first two games.

The Scarlet Knights had second-and-6 from their own 42. Kaliakmanis took the snap and saw the cornerback blitzing off the right size. He then saw Long one-on-one with a safety down the field.

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Long got separation. Kaliakmanis perfectly hit him in stride. Long cruised into the end zone for a touchdown that put Rutgers up 35-10.

“It was a double move,” Long said. “The corner had come down, I was one-on-one with the safety. I put a double move on him. My quarterback placed a perfect ball in the air for me to run under and catch it.”

His quarterback appreciated it just as much.

“We got the look we wanted and we just executed the play,” Kaliakmanis said. “That was really it. Chris made a hell of a catch, hell of a job by the O-line with the protection. Just an awesome job from everybody, all the 10 other guys, they all did their jobs.”

And for Long, it’s a game he hopes is a sign of things to come for the rest of the season.

“It’s just a game I just have to build on,” Long said. “Continue to get treatment on my body every day, working my body, working my mind and continue to stack days like these.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How Rutgers football WR Chris Long overcame 'a bumpy road' on the way to big game vs. Akron