Rutgers will be in the Midwest for the second week in a row as they are set to battle Illinois on Saturday in Champaign. The Scarlet Knights will be looking for their second win in a row against an opponent
looking to get back in the win column after two losses.
Illinois had very high expectations coming into this season, with many college football insiders billing them as dark horses (or outright contenders) for the College Football Playoff. A high amount of returning production, high-impact transfers, and a favorable schedule seemed to point the arrow upward for Illinois, but the Illini have been a mixed bag so far this year and are now 5-3 on the season.
Illinois has been much better at home than on the road, with its 63-10 defeat at the hands of Indiana and a somewhat lopsided loss against the Huskies coming away from Champaign. At home, the Illini played Ohio State as well as any team has this season, falling 34-16 to the top-ranked Buckeyes. They also rebounded from that Indiana loss with a 34-32 win over USC, which was ranked #23 at the time and now ranks #23 in the AP poll.
Rutgers bounced back from four straight losses to open Big Ten play with their first conference win of the season at Purdue. KJ Duff had a career performance with 241 yards on six catches, including a 72-yard touchdown pass, while Antwan Raymond and Ja’Shon Benjamin had quality performances on the ground.
On defense, the team showed improvement and responded to the Ducks’ 750-yard outburst by forcing five punts and coming up with a crucial fumble recovery. However, they continued to allow big plays in both the pass and run, and conceded three wide-open touchdowns to Purdue receivers. The run defense was also gashed for several long plays, and it did not seem that the changes had too much impact in stopping explosive plays in either facet.
Jai Patel was named Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week after cashing in on the game-tying and winning field goals late in the contest. It was an emotional win for Rutgers, with Greg Schiano ecstatic that his team had found a way to win on the road and stop the bleeding. The team was also dealing with the loss of former Rutgers baseball star Mike Higgins last week, whose son of the same name plays tight end for the Scarlet Knights.
This game has all the makings of another shootout, with senior quarterback Luke Altmeyer completing 70.2 percent of his passes for 2,020 yards through eight games. He has thrown 15 touchdowns and just three interceptions, although all three have come in the last two games. Although the Illini will be down running back Aidan Laughery, Altmeyer will have Kaden Faegin and Ca’Lil Valentine on the ground to go with Hank Beatty and Cole Rusk through the air.
On defense, Illinois is facing some of the same problems as Rutgers after allowing 42 points to the Washington Huskies in what was seen as a very even matchup. Bret Bielema discussed the defensive struggles the Illini have had after the Washington game, saying that “It’s one thing to play really, really well when it’s going well. It’s when there’s these bumps in the road where you need to be at your best. You’ve got to lean on what you believe in and what you know.”
If that doesn’t sound like Rutgers football this season to you, then you haven’t been watching this team closely enough. Despite Illinois being on the wrong side of the last two games, they are currently listed as 12.5-point underdogs on FanDuel and look poised to take advantage of a poor Scarlet Knights secondary.
As usual, Andrew and I will have live coverage for On The Banks through the game feed and on the site’s X account. The game will be nationally broadcast on NBC with radio broadcasts on WFAN and WRSU-FM.
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