After losing to Michigan 28-21 last week, Rutgers football will again hit the road to take on Wisconsin this Saturday, Nov. 7 at 4:15. The Scarlet Knights, 2-5, will face the 5-3 Badgers, who are coming into this game after getting crushed by Iowa 30-0. As is tradition here at OnTheBanks, the staff will try to guess the score of the game and give context as to why they think that way.
Andrew Rice
After losing to Michigan last week, Rutgers will be facing off against a team very similar to Michigan. Very good
defense, decent running game, and a weaker passing attack. While the Knights’ last game was close, there is a good reason to believe they were lucky to keep that game close, considering starting quarterback AJ Surace completed just three passes for the entire game. Dylan Lonergan will be unavailable for this game, much like last week, and Surace will likely get the nod again. To add even more issues to the Knights’ passing attack, Wisconsin has a very good pass rush, led by Sebastian Cheeks.
Rutgers will likely get on the board, but Wisconsin’s defense will not make it easy. While the Knights’ offense struggles, Wisconsin’s rushing attack will chip away at the Knights’ defense, slowly pulling away throughout the course of the game.
Wisconsin 28, Rutgers 10
Bob Cancro
I’ve come to realize that I’ve been perseverating. Perseverating about Schiano being gone. And, actually, it is almost as I feel nothing else is happening. And maybe nothing is, at least not positively. This team is really the same team that took the field against UMass, but now without key pieces. I don’t feel that we’ve seen any real development from any part of the roster.
Rutgers has nine road wins since the 2021 season, including two against Maryland and one over the pre-Cignetti Hoosiers. They’re 1-2 this year away from Piscataway; this isn’t likely to be a change in that trend. Honestly, I have more faith in Luke Fickell than Greg Schiano to deal with roster issues, like an injured QB. And his seat was just as hot as Schiano’s at the start of the season.
I don’t necessarily see a blowout, but I do see Wisconsin playing at a steady pace and pulling away throughout the game. Why should this game be any different from other games against the Badgers?
Wisconsin 34, Rutgers 13
Ryan Castellano
I think the scariest thing about this past Halloween was that AJ Surace completed three of his 12 passes. That was with KJ Duff on the field for part of the afternoon. Without Duff or Dylan Lonergan, there is no reason to expect anything from the Rutgers passing game against Wisconsin, and the Badgers know it.
Expect eight and nine defenders in the box all day.
That is also how Rutgers scores, because this is going to be Antwan Raymond and Clay Thevenin’s game whether Wisconsin likes it or not. Those two will carry the offense, and they will get the ball 35 or 40 times between them. When a defense crowds the line of scrimmage that heavily, there is nobody left behind the play to clean up a mistake. One linebacker fills the wrong gap, one safety takes a bad angle, and a Raymond or Thevenin carry that should go for three goes for 60.
The Badgers will not be throwing much either, not with a true freshman in Ryan Hopkins making his first start. Both teams will run, the clock will run, and this could be the fastest game of the Big Ten season. Raymond and Thevenin will keep Rutgers on the field longer than anyone expects, but Wisconsin’s offensive line wears down a thin Rutgers front over four quarters, and the Badgers get their points the old-fashioned way, with four rushing touchdowns and a field goal.
Wisconsin 31, Rutgers 14
Arnav Sarkar
This will shape up to be an interesting matchup, particularly with true freshman quarterback Ryan Hopkins getting the start as senior quarterback Colton Joseph recovers from an injury. Last week, the Badgers were shut out 30-0 at Iowa, and Joseph struggled mightily. Hopkins completed eight of 13 passes for 93 yards and threw an interception, but moved the ball more in a quarter-plus than Joseph did the rest of the game.
On the Rutgers end, AJ Surace will be under center again, as Dylan Lonergan is still out with the head injury he suffered against Northwestern. The offensive line has taken a huge hit, as Kobe Asamoah is now out for the season, while Tyler Needham is doubtful. After KJ Duff reaggravated his ankle injury against Michigan, he is doubtful as well. Several other Knights are questionable, but the injury report is both long and particularly concerning, as most of the team’s key players are listed and several are out.
In terms of the matchup itself, Wisconsin has always been a tough one for Rutgers, as the Badgers have been able to impose their will with their dominant ground game and keep the scores mostly lopsided. The closest Rutgers has come was back in 2023, when a 95-yard pick-six swung the game entirely towards the Badgers in a 24-13 victory at Camp Randall. The following year, it was an all-too-familiar 42-7 beatdown at SHI Stadium, in which Tawee Walker rushed for 198 yards and three touchdowns while stifling the Knights’ offense completely.
With Hopkins starting, this game may be closer than expected, but the Knights’ already hampered offense will be hamstrung at wide receiver, quarterback, and offensive line, and will be going against one of the better defenses in the Big Ten and the 17th-best in the country in yards allowed. Wisconsin’s massive defensive tackles will be able to limit the run game, although Antwan Raymond and Clay Thevenin will be the main source of offense.
On the flip side, the Rutgers defense has struggled mightily, allowing 418 yards per game and over 194 rushing yards per game (5.5 per carry). The Badgers should be able to run the ball at will and find the holes in Rutgers’ coverage. Due to the expected offensive limitations on both sides, I would presume Wisconsin wins a low-scoring game. Rutgers covers the large spread but still loses in a long, ugly afternoon of Big Ten football.
Wisconsin 24, Rutgers 10
Greg Patuto
Both teams will be without their starting quarterbacks this weekend. It was announced that the Badgers will be going with a true freshman under center and for Rutgers, Lonergan continues to battle an injury.
Call it a draw. No KJ Duff is also going to be a big blow for Rutgers — or at least a compromised Duff if he can get on the field.
Wisconsin was a ranked team before a blowout loss at the hands of Iowa, which it has struggled against for years now. In a similar tone, Rutgers has struggled with the Badgers and it is simply because of the physicality of the team. Rutgers has been overwhelmed by the size of Wisconsin. For whatever reason, the play styles just do not match up. This year should be no different.
Rutgers came within range of a bad Michigan team on Saturday. This should not be the same result in Madison.
