McLane Carter didn't waste time justifying the faith of his coaches when they named him the starting quarterback for Rutgers.

A transfer from Texas Tech, Carter had a good debut for the Scarlet Knights, going 21 of 31 passing for 340 yards to lead Rutgers to a season-opening 48-21 win over Massachusetts on Friday night in Piscataway, N.J.

Things didn't start off well for Rutgers, as UMass took a 14-0 lead and held a 21-7 lead after the first quarter.

But the second quarter was all Rutgers.

Carter threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Bo Melton and a 28-yard touchdown pass to Raheem Blackshear, and running back Isaih Pacheco had touchdown runs of 57 and 2 yards to help Rutgers outscore UMass in the second quarter, 31-0, and take 38-21 lead at halftime.

The 38 points scored by Rutgers in the first half was more than the Scarlet Knights scored in any game last season.

In the first half alone, Carter went 15 of 22 for 268 yards and two touchdowns to help Rutgers amass 376 yards of total offense by halftime, although Carter did finish with three interceptions.

Pacheco finished with 156 yards rushing on 20 carries to flank Carter for the Scarlet Knights.

The second half didn't provide as many offensive fireworks, as Pacheco's 7-yard touchdown run with 10:18 remaining in the game was the only touchdown of the second half.

UMass quarterback Randall West went 20 of 31 passing for 106 yards and a touchdown, and Bilal Ally rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in defeat for UMass, which got off to a great start.

West hit Kyle Horn for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 11:32 left in the first quarter, and then Cameron Roberson scored on a 39-yard touchdown run with 9:33 to go in the first that gave UMass a 14-0 lead.

Alley then scored on a 33-yard touchdown run with two seconds left in the first quarter to put UMass ahead 21-7, but Rutgers took over from there.

--Field Level Media