Why Rutgers football should be well prepared to bounce back from heartbreaking Illinois loss

PISCATAWAY – Sixty-four seconds.

That’s all the playing time it took for Rutgers football to go from the threshold of a historic and memorable victory for the program to a disappointing and heartbreaking defeat.

Sixty-four seconds.

With 1:08 left in the fourth quarter, quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Monangai that put Rutgers up one point.

With four seconds remaining, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmeyer threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Pat Bryant, who eluded several Scarlet Knights defenders and raced through the end zone for a touchdown that ultimately sent the Illini to a 38-31 score. victory Saturday at SHI Stadium.

And during those 64 seconds?

A decision that backfired on him.

In the end, Rutgers was left with a heartbreaking loss. This loss certainly won’t ruin the season — the Scarlet Knights are still bowl-bound, and they still have a chance to beat a very mediocre Michigan State team in the regular-season finale to earn a program-defining seventh victory .

But in a season that includes a little bit of everything, Rutgers has its latest setback that it must quickly shake off and move on to give itself its best chance to close out this season on a high note.

“It’s big-time football,” said running back Kyle Monangai, who rushed for 122 yards on 28 carries. “They made a superb play at the end of the match. I think we played our hearts out until the very end, even during that last play. Illinois did the same thing, they’re a great team. The chips fell their way today.

The dynamic changed throughout the match. At halftime, Rutgers looked poised to pull off a victory that could have marked its first victory against a ranked opponent in 15 years, ending a 40-game losing streak against such teams.

Then Illinois fought back in the second half.

It held a 30-24 lead when Rutgers led late in the fourth quarter. The Scarlet Knights faced fourth-and-10 from the Illini 40 when Kaliakmanis rushed for a 15-yard gain to extend the drive, and three plays later he hit Monangai for the 13-yard touchdown pass which allowed Rutgers to lead 31-30.

The Scarlet Knights defense just needed to stop Illinois.

It wasn’t possible, although it almost was.

The Illini got fourth-and-13 from the Rutgers 40. Illinois coach Bret Bielema sent his kicker in for a 58-yard field goal attempt – into the wind. He didn’t get close, except Greg Schiano called a timeout while the ball was being snapped. This canceled out the shortage.

Bielema then returned his attack to the field. Then came the game-winning touchdown.

Schiano said he regrets the timing of the timeout, not the timeout itself.

“Maybe I should have done it before he kicked the ball, so he wouldn’t say to them, ‘Oh, geez, this wind is strong, we can’t do that kick’ ” Schiano said. “But we had to make sure we reviewed what we were doing. I said, ‘We have a timeout, there’s no more media timeout, so we have to go.’ So it’s all good, we’re going to call a timeout here in a second. But again, you do it and win the match, it’s the right decision.

In this case, the appeal backfired.

In the end, it was even more adversity for a football team that has seen plenty of it this season.

Four straight wins followed by four straight losses. Injury after injury. A defense that had fallen apart only for coordinator Joe Harasymiak to rebuild it so it could thrive during a two-game winning streak that secured bowl eligibility.

Rutgers now needs to bounce back. Again.

Because against Michigan State on Saturday in East Lansing, he will have another chance to earn a seventh regular season victory for the first time in program history.

He will have the chance to earn four wins in the Big Ten for the first time in a season.

The Scarlet Knights have bounced back in a big way this season.

They have to do it again.

“I think young people learn from it,” Monangai said. “It’s often the first time they’ve experienced something like this. For them, we just guide them on how to handle things, the ups and downs of the season and how to continue to return to work after a win or a loss.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football well-prepared to bounce back from Illinois loss