One week after defeating Purdue 27-24 for its first Big Ten win, the Scarlet Knights could not carry that momentum against Illinois. In a game that was expected to be a shootout by many, Rutgers could not hold
up their end of the bargain on offense, while the defense continued to struggle against the run and the pass. The Scarlet Knights looked hapless on both sides of the ball for most of the game, making it a long afternoon for Rutgers fans. Here are my takeaways from the disheartening but all-too-common loss.
Offense Slowed Down Facing Relentless Illini Defense
Rutgers could not keep their offensive momentum going against Illinois, despite the Illini defense struggling mightily in a 42-25 loss to Washington last week. The run game was completely shut down, which is likely in part due to injuries on the offensive line and partly due to Illinois’ ferocious front seven. With starting right tackle Taj White out, Tyler Needham shifted over to the right side while Moshood Giwa filled in at left tackle.
Ja’shon Benjamin led the Scarlet Knights with 37 yards on eight carries for 4.6 yards per carry, one week after averaging nearly 10 yards per carry against the Boilermakers. In comparison, Antwan Raymond was limited to just 29 yards on 10 carries for a measly 2.9 yards per carry. Samuel Brown V saw his first action since the Minnesota game, but could not pick up any yards on two carries, while Athan Kaliakmanis was sacked twice to finish the day with negative seven rushing yards. He posted a QBR of just 59.5 in the lackluster loss.
Through the air, the Rutgers offense was bolstered by the return of Ian Strong, who caught six passes for 85 yards, including a 33-yard catch down the right sideline. KJ Duff followed his career performance of 241 yards with a nine-catch, 93-yard day, which included a 27-yard pass over the middle and a three-yard touchdown in garbage time. DT Sheffield also had four receptions for 32 yards as he worked the slot, while Colin Weber and Antwan Raymond saw their usual two catches in the absence of starting tight end Kenny Fletcher Jr.
Kaliakmanis was often rushed and misfired on many of his passes, bolstering his stats in garbage time but still finishing just 25/45 with one touchdown. He did not throw an interception in this contest, but was sacked twice by star linebacker Gabe Jacas, who also had 2.5 tackles for loss, as he was all over the backfield in this game.
Seeing the offense do so poorly in a game where they were expected to produce against a reeling Illini defense was problematic, as the Scarlet Knights will need to be able to score if they want to win two of their last three games against Maryland and Penn State (Ohio State might as well be a lost cause at this point).
Defense Could Not Stop Altmyer As A Passer Or Runner
On defense, Rutgers allowed Luke Altmyer to bounce back in a big way with a tidy 235-yard, four-touchdown performance, which tied a career high in passing touchdowns for the Illinois quarterback. Altmyer also rushed for a game-high 88 yards on just seven carries for an average of 12.6 yards per carry and had a long of 36 yards. He also had a rushing touchdown on a direct snap to running back Kaden Faegin, who handed the ball back to Altmyer. Rutgers had no answer for the trickery, as Altmyer cruised from left to right and into the end zone for the touchdown.
Aidan Laughery was a surprising go for Illinois and had nine carries for 41 yards, with Ca’Lil Valentine having twelve carries for 37 yards, and Faegin having seven carries for 26 yards. Although none of the running backs had exceptional performances, the Illini used their stable to keep the pressure off the passing game and keep the Rutgers defense on its toes.
This play looked very similar to the first touchdown in the Purdue game, as nobody travels with running back Kaden Faegin, who had the entire right side of the field open after Jacobie Henderson moved inward to shadow Hank Beatty pre-snap. Altmyer rolled right and threw the pass to Faegin, who walked in untouched as Dariel Djabome was the only Scarlet Knight to even attempt a tackle on the play.
Through the air, the big plays continued, as West Virginia transfer Hudson Clement had his best day in an Illinois uniform, more than doubling the next leading receiver with five catches for 84 yards and a leaping grab in the end zone for a beautiful touchdown. Hank Beatty caught four passes for 40 yards and a touchdown, while Collin Dixon had two catches for 36 yards and a touchdown.
Down the depth chart, wide receiver Justin Bowick had two catches for 33 yards, running back Kadin Faegin had three catches for 26 yards, and tight end Tanner Arkin had two catches for 13 yards. Like clockwork, the longs for each receiver read 23, 24, 29, 17, 10, and 11, which includes the aforementioned tight ends and running backs. The receivers routinely find themselves open throughout the course of the game, while blowing multiple coverages at the goal line.
This touchdown also stood out to me, as Rutgers had no answer for the pick play/rub route concept at the goal line. With edge rusher Bradley Weaver accounted for, Illinois’ outside receiver Alexander Capka-Jones (who was seemingly only brought in for this play to block) jams up both Jacobie Henderson and Cam Miller, leaving Beatty open for the wide-open score.
One of the few bright spots for this defense was Eric O’Neill, who came through with a huge sack and followed that up with a batted pass behind the line of scrimmage, where it was intercepted by defensive lineman Farrell Gnago to set up a turnover for Rutgers that led to Jai Patel’s second field goal of the game.
Gnago should now be a name that is known by Scarlet Knights fans, as he was the same player who punched the football loose, where it was recovered by Jett Elad to set up Jai Patel’s game-winning field goal last week. The sophomore from Quebec has just four tackles in his career, but now has an interception and a forced fumble. He should certainly be in line for more playing time in the final games of this season and into next year.
Special Teams A Lone Bright Spot In The Loss
With not much to write home about on offense or defense, special teams came up big for Rutgers in more ways than one. Jai Patel connected from 26 and 40 yards out and led the Scarlet Knights with seven points, including the extra point on the KJ Duff receiving touchdown. After nailing two crucial kicks last week, the arrow continues to point up for the senior kicker, who has certainly had his struggles earlier this season.
However, the highlight came on this punt from Jakob Anderson and the effort from Cam Miller to stop the football just short of the end zone, where Rutgers’ punt coverage unit downed it at the one-yard line. Although the Illini went on to score a touchdown on a 12-play, 99-yard drive, which ended in the Faegin walk-in touchdown I mentioned previously, the punt from Anderson down the middle of the non-traditional punt formation and the coverage from Miller were spectacular.
How Will The Scarlet Knights Respond To End November?
With Indiana demolishing Maryland 55-10, how will the two East Coast Big Ten teams respond when they meet in Piscataway? Despite the lopsided score, the Terrapins’ pass rush showed early ferocity towards Fernando Mendoza, while Malik Washington can launch the deep ball, even as IU intercepted two of his passes today.
Can the Scarlet Knights find their magic at home enough to knock off Maryland and Penn State and make a bowl game? If so, the offense will need to find its groove once again, as UMD will be sure to score more than 10 points against a defense this porous. On defense, the Scarlet Knights will need to shore up the big plays, improve at the goal line, and shut down the run game, as Malik Washington is not a mobile quarterback, unlike many of the QBs the Knights have seen this season, including Luke Altmyer gashing them on the ground today.
Rutgers football will return to SHI Stadium to host the Maryland Terrapins next Saturday, with the game set for a 2:30 PM kickoff on FS1. From there, Rutgers will have its second bye week, before facing the #1 Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus and returning home for Senior Day against Penn State.
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