After a first half in which Rutgers hung with Wisconsin, tying the score at 10 before a late Badgers field goal, the Scarlet Knights ran out of steam and did not score once in the second half. It was a stronger performance from AJ Surace, going 14-for-24 for 161 yards and a touchdown of 30 yards to Dyzier Carter, but that was not enough to overcome all the injuries, lack of scoring, and defensive struggles for the Knights.
Defensively, Rutgers held steady for the first half, but the same flaws plagued
RU in the second half with wide-open scores, missed tackles, and allowing open throws for the freshman quarterback Ryan Hopkins. Antwan Raymond and Clay Thevenin were held under 100 combined yards despite carrying the football 25 times, and the offense suffered without their top lineman, quarterback, and wide receiver.
Here are my takeaways from another brutal defeat, Rutgers’ seventh of this dismal season.
Offense Sputters in Second Half Without Key Contributors
With the Rutgers defense largely holding Wisconsin in check other than the early touchdown, the offense was able to hold serve, and tight end Logan Blake had a nifty catch in triple coverage, having to rip the ball away from Badgers defenders for a first down. Clay Thevenin had three straight carries before Surace found Elias Coke for an 11-yard gain.
After two plays for no gain, Surace found Coke again for a seven-yard pass on third down, and Jack Scullion knocked through a 45-yard field goal to put Rutgers on the board 7-3. The offensive highlight of the day came on the next series, in which three straight run plays led to a beautiful deep ball for Dyzier Carter, who scored his first career touchdown.
However, the second half, the offense completely sputtered, as the opening drive saw a 15-yard pass to Ben Black III and ten yard pass to Dyzier Carter, but resulted in a punt despite getting across midfield. The next couple drives were worse, as the Knights gained eight yards in a three-and-out and then gaining eight net yards with one first down.
With the Badgers cruising down the field for touchdowns, Rutgers did not have the firepower to match any of the scores, and two sacks on Surace led to an incompletion intended for Black on a desparation fourth down heave.
Even a Wisconsin fumble recovered by Rutgers was not enough, as the AJ Surace-led offense was unable to generate any scoring drives or points against the staunch Badgers’ front. Cooper Catalano had 14 total tackles and 2.5 per loss, while five different Badgers got home for sacks against a Rutgers offensive line missing star left guard Kwabena Asamoah and right tackle Tyler Needham.
Although at times Antwan Raymond and Clay Thevenin were able to move the ball on the ground, Raymond was limited to 56 yards on 15 carries (3.7 yards per carry), while Thevenin had 10 rushes for 40 yards (four yards per carry). Aiden Gibson and Ja’Shon Benjamin’s late carries were negated by yardage lost on sacks by AJ Surace, for a team rushing total of just 94 yards. Surace was briefly replaced by Ashenfelder after an injury saw him leave the field, but he was able to quickly return to the field to finish the drive.
Through the air, Surace was sorely missing KJ Duff, as Black III led the team with six catches for 70 yards. Carter had the lone touchdown and finished with 40 yards on two catches, while Raymond added 21 yards with a reception. Elias Coke and Logan Blake rounded out the receiving column with two catches each for 18 and 14 yards respectively, while Thevenin lost two yards as the receivers were held to 161 total yards.
Defense Slows the Run But Gives Up Big Receiving Plays
After both teams exchanged punts on their opening drives, Wisconsin drove down the field with the all too familiar chunk plays through the air: 15-yard pass, 9-yard pass, 18-yard run, and a 21-yard pass from Ryan Hopkins to Eugene Hilton Jr. to take an early 7-0 lead before the Scarlet Knights answered with a field goal.
The defense then held steady, allowing one field goal after a Rutgers three-and-out and punt from their own seven yard line set the Badgers up in plus territory. After the lone Knights’ touchdown, they allowed another field goal, spurred by a 26-yard pass to Shamar Rigby and a pass interference on Devonte Anderson.
In the second half, it was an entirely different story, as the Rutgers offense sputtering resulted in repeated scoring drives for Wisconsin. Three separate plays went for 16 yards as the Badgers went up 16-10, then UW made Rutgers pay for a targeting call on Tariq Hayer as Hopkins connected with Ryan Schwendeman over the middle.
The game was largely decided on the next sequence with another Rutgers punt giving way to a 66-yard touchdown pass from Hopkins to tight end Jacob Harris, who ran the ball 47 yards up the right sideline while breaking and evading tackles. Rigby and Harris both crossed 70 yards in four and two plays, respectively.
For the Scarlet Knights, Zaire Angoy had a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss, while Hayer led the team in tackles with seven. Angoy and Kromah combined for a three-yard loss play on Darrion Dupree which set up a field goal, while DJ Allen had Rutgers’ other sack.
The rush defense held up relatively well, holding the Badgers’ run game to 122 total yards. Hilton led Wisconsin with 39 yards on three carries, while lead back Abu Sama had 35 yards on nine carries. The play of the defensive line has certainly improved, as the Badgers were held to just 4.2 yards per carry.
However, they made a true freshman quarterback making his first start look like a seasoned veteran, as Ryan Hopkins went 18-24 for 241 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Many of the throws were for over ten yards as the defensive gave up big and intermediate plays in space, as par for the course.
In total, Rutgers allowed 31 points, a near-perfect game from Hopkins, and tons of chunk plays all afternoon as Wisconsin turned a 13-10 halftime lead into a 31-10 victory to clinch bowl eligibility.
Rutgers Returns Home To Battle Reeling Nebraska
Next up for the Scarlet Knights is a Nebraska team that has watched a 5-0 start evaporate into four straight losses. After leading Indiana 17-6, the Cornhuskers fell 20-17 to the Hoosiers, then fell 17-14 at Oregon at the hands of Dylan Raiola and then a stunning defeat to Washington after leading most of the way.
Last week, Nebraska scored the opening touchdown, but the Illini scored three straight, and the Huskers were out of answers after Anthony Colandrea found Jacory Barney Jr. for a long score to cut the lead to eight. It was an upset victory for the Illini, and it sends Nebraska to New Jersey completely reeling.
However, the Scarlet Knights have looked all out of sorts, and are without Asamoah the rest of the season while Duff and Lonergan are uncertain for next week and beyond. Rutgers has never defeated Nebraska despite a few close calls, including the last two meetings which were decided by one point and one touchdown, respectively.
It will be hard to envision Rutgers finding a way to win, with the state of their offense being injured and defense struggling deeply, particularly through the air. However, the month of November continues to get easier, as the Scarlet Knights will have a chance to potentially pick off either Nebraska, Penn State, and Michigan State as the team looks to close out 2026 on a brighter note.
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