What Went Wrong? Rutgers 35-13 Loss To Illinois

Just after a week of clutching a win against Purdue, Rutgers needed another win to continue the positive momentum. Instead, the Knights’ got their progress halted once again with a blunt hit by Illinois. The Fighting Illini won over the Scarlet Knights 35-13 on Saturday, exposing some vital flaws in the lineup that Greg Schiano needs to find answers for, as soon as possible.

What Went Wrong For Rutgers Against Illinois?

From the start, Illinois set the tone for the match with their possession; the Illini almost refused to let go of the ball in the first quarter. Pinned at their own 1-yard line after a Rutgers punt, the Illini marched 99 yards in 12 plays, capped by a 2-yard touchdown run by Kaden Feagin. Quarterback Luke Altmyer converted a critical third-and-4 early in the drive with a 16-yard strike to Hudson Clement. Illinois never faced another third down on the march.

Rutgers responded with field goals on its first two series, drives of 11 and 13 plays that chewed clock but produced just six points. The Scarlet Knights reached the Illinois 12 and 11, respectively, only to settle for Jai Patel kicks. By halftime, Illinois led 21-6, having scored on three of four possessions while punting just once all game.

“We certainly did not coach well enough, nor did we play well enough to give ourselves an opportunity to win the game. It’s very disappointing,” Schiano shared during the postgame interview. “It starts and ends with me. I need to… fix what we can fix now, and then get ready for Maryland.”

Issues That Held Back The Knights

Rutgers entered the season with a promising defense, but on Saturday, that unit looked lost. Illinois racked up 446 total yards, converted 7 of 11 third downs, and controlled the clock for over 34 minutes. Altmyer finished 20-of-28 for 237 yards and two touchdowns, adding 44 rushing yards. The Illini scored touchdowns on five of eight drives.

The secondary repeatedly left receivers uncovered near the goal line. Running back Josh McCray and tight end Tanner Arkin each hauled in short touchdown passes with very little resistance from the Knights.

Defensive tackle Farell Gnago provided the lone defensive highlight, batting and intercepting an Altmyer pass in the first quarter. “Like I said, we got outcoached,” Schiano admitted, “I got outcoached and we got outplayed.”

Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis completed just 55% of his passes (18-of-33) for 171 yards and one late touchdown. The running game managed 81 yards on 28 carries, with star back Kyle Monangai held to 47 yards on 14 totes. Rutgers punted on four of its final five first-half possessions after the early field goals.

The Scarlet Knights’ lone touchdown came with 9:12 left in the fourth quarter. It was a 12-yard strike from Kaliakmanis to Ian Strong. However, it was way too late, as Illinois was already leading 35-6.

At 4-5 (1-5 Big Ten), Rutgers must win two of its final three games to reach bowl eligibility. There are still some winnable matches left on the schedule, first is the upcoming home game against struggling Maryland (4-5) and Michigan State (4-5), but with a downward moral and momentum, the clash will be anything but easy for the Knights.

For a program that tasted its first Big Ten win in over a year last week, Saturday was a harsh reality check for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have the pieces to salvage a postseason bid, but they, at this moment, lack the consistency to back it up.

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