Where to Now After Rutgers Blown Out, Embarrassed by Illinois, 35-13?
In this story:
Rutgers Had No Answer for Altmyer's Legs
Rutgers knew entering Saturday's game against the Illini that they would need to contain dynamic quarterback Luke Altmyer if they were going to have any chance of winning. Unfortunately for the Scarlet Knights, Altmyer bounced back in a big way after an uneven two-interception performance the prior week against Washington.
The senior gashed a porous Knights defense for 88 yards, averaging over 12 yards per carry, and tied his career high with four touchdown passes as Illinois rolled over Rutgers, 35-13.
The Luke Altmyer Rush Game
— Courtney Layne Brewer (@courtneylaynebr) November 1, 2025
With 86 yards on the ground, Altmyer has outpaced his season total, including this TD. Illini lead 21-6 at the break. pic.twitter.com/zhVJVDGrRV
The Offense Couldn't Match the Illini Score for Score
As has been the theme all season, Rutgers hung tight in the first half. Down 7-3, defensive end Eric O'Neill deflected an Altmyer pass that Farell Gnago picked off to swing momentum in the Knights' favor. Unfortunately, they could only convert the interception into three points. Coming up short in the red zone and settling for field goals, instead of taking the lead, ultimately ensured the game would get out of hand once the Illini offense started rolling.
Fans knew that for Rutgers to have any chance in this game, quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and the offense would need to turn it into a shootout. Unfortunately, Rutgers’ capable rushing attack was shut down, as the Knights once again had to shuffle their offensive line with starter Taj White out due to an injury sustained against Purdue. Tyler Needham shifted over to the right side while Moshood Giwa filled in at left tackle.
Ja’shon Benjamin led the Knights with 37 yards on eight carries, and Antwan Raymond managed just 29 yards on 10 carries. Samuel Brown V saw his first action since the Minnesota game, inexplicably in a short-yardage goal-line situation when the game was still in hand, but was stuffed on both carries.
Farell Gnago with the PICK off the deflection! @RFootball ball.
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 1, 2025
📺: NBC pic.twitter.com/xStGQuxU0F
Rutgers was able to ride Athan Kaliakmanis’ arm against Purdue, but in Champaign, he short-armed some throws and missed high on others as Illinois brought relentless pressure on defense. Star Illinois defender Gabe Jacas sacked Kaliakmanis twice.
Rutgers’ star receivers did their part, as Ian Strong returned to haul in six passes for 85 yards, including a beautiful one-handed 33-yard catch down the right sideline, and KJ Duff nabbed nine catches for 93 yards and a late touchdown.
Kaliakmanis completed only 25 of his 45 attempts. While he didn’t throw an interception, he missed many open receivers, and his timing was off on deep passes to Duff, who had little trouble beating the Illinois defenders over the top but was unable to haul in any game-changing plays due to underthrown balls.
Coaching Continues to Disappoint
Rutgers football in 2025 is not winning games on defense, so the struggles to score against a defense that was reeling coming into the game basically gave the Knights no chance at a win. Head Coach Schiano, never one full of fire and brimstone, appeared despondent in his postgame press conference at Memorial Stadium.
“Certainly, we did not coach well enough, nor did we play well enough to give ourselves an opportunity to win the game,” Schiano told the media. “It starts and ends with me.”
When asked about being unable to stop Illinois, who scored touchdowns on five of their first six drives, Schiano responded, “We got out-coached, I got out-coached, we got out-played. I thought they did a very good job. We were a step behind all day.”
It’s Time 🪓 pic.twitter.com/Q8z8oWcnBi
— Rutgers Football 🪓 (@RFootball) November 1, 2025
A Must-win Versus Maryland at Home
With the loss, Rutgers drops to 4-5 (1-5) on the season while Illinois improves to 6-3 (3-3). With only three games remaining and one against No. 1 Ohio State, Rutgers will have to scratch and claw at home against Maryland and Penn State to try and become bowl eligible.
Next Up:
It’s been a season of all too-familiar excuses for Rutgers fans. The Scarlet Knights return home to SHI Stadium Saturday to face another struggling team in the Maryland Terrapins, with the game set for a 2:30 PM kickoff on FS1. The Knights haven’t played a complete game yet this season. Saturday would be a good time to start.
More from Rutgers on SI
Stay up to date on the Scarlet Knights by bookmarking Rutgers On SI.
John Catapano graduated from Rutgers in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, covering the women’s field hockey and soccer teams for the campus paper, The Daily Targum. After college, he moved to Los Angeles, got a job at Walt Disney Television, and has worked in media ever since. John currently works with the Wasserman Media Group in their Brooklyn, NY office, collaborating with brands, influencers, and athletes across the globe. When the pandemic struck in 2020 and Catapano began working remotely, he resumed writing by contributing to a Rutgers fan blog. He covered various sports, highlighted human interest stories, and focused on topics that Scarlet Nation wanted to discuss. It’s never easy being a Rutgers fan, but with over 500,000 alumni living worldwide and a passionate fanbase, covering the Scarlet Knights is always engaging.