Illinois now is 3-6 on the season after losing to Rutgers 20-14 at Memorial Stadium. The Scarlet Knights scored half their points in the final quarter, as the Illini were unable to build off the momentum they created in knocking off Penn State the week prior.
Head back to news-gazette.com later today as Scott Richey, Bob Asmussen and Loren Tate offer recap, reactions and more from this defeat.
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Rutgers is just 2 of 12 on third down. Saving the Scarlet Knights? Converting all three of the fourth downs they’ve gone for it. Including a big one by backup backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt on their latest drive.
Wimsatt completing the pass on fourth down gave Rutgers a first down in the red zone. A couple plays later, starting quarterback Noah Vedral was diving into the end zone on a 15-yard touchdown run.
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The double dip is still on the table. Thanks to a scoring play reminiscent of last week at Penn State (that got called back) with Brandon Peters hitting Daniel Barker for a 26-yard touchdown pass.
Barker was open in space on the screen pass. The Illinois tight end also got some solid blocking downfield from offensive tackle Vederian Lowe and running back Chase Brown.
The Illini defense got the stop on the ensuing Rutgers drive, forcing a punt. Double dip time when the second half starts?
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Rutgers is back on top after Valentino Ambrosio’s 35-yard field goal. Keeping the Scarlet Knights out of the end zone was a plus for Illinois, but the Illini still trail.
Illinois does have an opportunity right here, though. The Illini will have 5 minutes, 42 seconds to try and score to end the first half. Then the double dip is on the table, with Illinois getting the ball to start the second half after winning the opening toss and deferring.
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It’s OK if you saw Isaiah Williams running down field with a couple steps on his defender and thought, ‘Looks good, still won’t happen.’ That’s how inconsistent Illinois has been in the passing game this season.
But Brandon Peters made the throw, hitting Williams in stride for a 52-yard touchdown. Just as a point of reference, the Illini had 38 total passing yards last week at Penn State. Topped it in one fell swoop.
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Rutgers trusts its quarterbacks about as much as Illinois does. (As in, not much). Even after a quarterback change. Scarlet Knights’ starter Noah Vedral went off after a big hit by Illinois safety Sydney Brown, and backup Cole Snyder looks even less likely to throw the ball.
Which doesn’t mean Rutgers can’t move the ball. The Scarlet Knights capped a 10-play, 61-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run by Kyle Monangai. A drive that included another fourth down conversion. The Illinois defense has improved during the course of the season, but struggled to get stops (clearly) on that drive. Some unsportsmanlike penalties on Isaiah Gay and Tarique Barnes weren’t a good look either.
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No real surprises on Illinois’ dress list for today’s game. Deuce Spann was probably the only questionable player, but the Illini wide receiver is dressed. Whether he plays or not, of course, is to be determined.
Not dressed for Illinois today …
– LB CJ Hart Jr.*
– QB Art Sitkowski*
– WR Desmond Dan Jr.
– RB Mike Epstein*
– LB Jake Hansen*
– TE Lucas Althaus
– TE Max Rosenthal
– LB Kalen Villanueva
– OL Jordyn Slaughter*
– OL Moses Okpala
*ruled out for season
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Official warmups observations …
— The center-to-quarterback exchange pairings (which give about the only hint to the unpublished depth chart) were as follows:
Doug Kramer -> Brandon Peters
Blake Jeresaty -> Ryan Johnson
Josh Kreutz -> Matt Robinson
Josh Plohr -> Samari Collier
This is, I believe, the first time Collier has dressed for a game this season. Former backup/starting quarterback Art Sitkowski is on the sideline with his surgically-repaired broken left arm in a sling.
— Usually by this point, we have received a list of which players are dressed (and which aren’t). That list has typically come an hour before kickoff. Not anymore. It’s now been delayed until 30 minutes before kickoff because … state secrets and all, I guess.
— Rutgers is wearing all white except for red helmets. Illinois is wearing white gloves. Illini coach Bret Bielema likes for his team’s gloves to match the opponents’ jersey. Not that you can maybe better get away with holding or anything.
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Some pre-warmups warmups observations …
— Illinois coach Bret Bielema has a rule for his skill position players. No sleeves when it’s cold. Even a slightly greater chance the ball pops loose is reason enough to ban them in Bielema’s mind.
Defensive lineman Johnny Newton took that a step further for his warmup before official warmups. Newton was shirtless as he used the base of the field goal posts as a makeshift offensive linemen to practice technique against. It’s 51 degrees and overcast. I’d imagine it was a bit brisk for Newton.
— There’s something meta about a long snapper snapping to another long snapper. Backup long snapper Aidan Hall is currently getting some reps in with Ethan Tabel filling the punter role.
— New No. 2 quarterback Ryan Johnson is getting in some extra throws with a manager. The Division II transfer walk-on is next in line should Brandon Peters either get hurt (again) or play poorly enough the Illinois coaching staff makes a change. The latter scenario would have to be pretty dire, in my estimation, for Johnson to get on the field.
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Last Saturday was great for Illinois football. An upset in Happy Valley. A boost, perhaps, toward finishing the first year of the Bret Bielema era on a positive note with some winnable games remaining on the schedule.
Capitalizing on that road win against then No. 7 Penn State now becomes the challenge. The impact of that type of victory would certainly be blunted should the Illini turn around and lose at home to Rutgers. A winless-in-the-Big Ten Rutgers, no less.
It’s, by the very definition, a “must win” game for Illinois today at Memorial Stadium. A loss wouldn’t shut the door completely on bowl eligibility, but it would mean winning the final three games of the season (including at Iowa). Beating the Scarlet Knights creates a more viable scenario.
A win today against Rutgers, winless in the Big Ten or not, though isn’t some straightforward affair. Yes, the Illinois defense has shown improvement each week since getting torched at Virginia. And, yes, the Illinois run game was terrific at Penn State. The Nittany Lions couldn’t solve the “Barge” package with seven offensive linemen and two tight ends. Or bring down Chase Brown or Josh McCray.
What this Illinois team is not, however, is a team that can count on its passing game. If Rutgers figures out a workable counter to the “Barge” package, Brandon Peters is going to have to show some ability to move the ball through the air. That’s been … less than successful this season.
And it’s all on Peters. Art Sitkowski is out for the season after breaking his arm in one of the many overtimes at Penn State. And the only way it’s not Peters is if he gets hurt, which isn’t off the table given both his history and how this season has played out so far. Then the Memorial Stadium crowd might get introduced to Division II transfer walk-on Ryan Johnson.
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