Rutgers Earns First Conference Win of Season

CHAMPAIGN, IL - After a crucial bye week for Greg Schiano to inspire his battered men, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights were put to the test the very next week by facing a team riding high.

The Illinois Fighting Illini may only have a 3-5 record, but don't let that deceive you; their most recent win last week was a monumental upset in Happy Valley, a nine-overtime epic over the top ten-ranked Penn State. Naturally, with a win against such a strong opponent- in one of the most difficult atmospheres for a road team to play in, no less- Illinois got some significant momentum, especially heading back to their home field.

But this would mean nothing to the Scarlet Knights. In a hard-fought struggle in Champaign, Rutgers would emerge victorious with a 20-14 victory, snapping a four-game losing streak. Although the Scarlet Knights earned their fourth win of the season, it was their first win against a Big Ten opponent.

The win was the result of a true team effort. Rutgers outgained Illinois 388 to 297 in total yards, beat them in first downs 23 to 10, and held the ball for 35 minutes. The ground game went wild, putting up 230 rushing yards.

Rutgers used three quarterbacks in the game at different points, as starting QB Noah Vedral was banged up throughout. He overcame the injury scares, however, and led the way by going 10-for-21 with 138 passing yards. Backup QB Cole Snyder filled in for Vedral for most of the first half, although he only threw for seven yards while throwing only five passes, completing two. Freshman QB Gavin Wimsatt even got in on the action, completing his lone pass of the day for 13 yards. Bo Melton led the Rutgers' receivers with five catches for 58 yards.

With Vedral being knocked around all game, the Scarlet Knights needed to rely on the run game, and they delivered. Isaih Pacheco led the stampede with 91 yards on 21 carries. Kyle Monangai had a breakout game, with the freshman blasting through defenders all game to the tune of 77 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Vedral himself ran for 56 yards and a touchdown on just six carries.

Although Illini backup QB Brandon Peters, filling in for injured starter and former Rutgers QB Artur Sitkowski, had a strong game going 14-for-19 for 190 yards and two touchdowns, the Rutgers defense did a great job at limiting the run game, holding them to 107 yards. Illinois scored all of their points in the second quarter, and were completely shut down in the second half.

The first drive of the game was nearly disastrous for the Scarlet Knights, as Pacheco appeared to fumble after an 8-yard run, but officials ruled he was down after review. Rutgers drove into Illinois territory, but chose to punt and pin the Illini at their own 4-yard line. The defense quickly forced a three-and-out, and the offense had good field position at their own 39. Vedral then broke free for a 12-yard run, but was medically evaluated after receiving a booming hit to the head. Cole Snyder took his place for the rest of the 10-play, 61-yard touchdown drive, featuring a 4th down conversion by Johnny Langan to keep the drive going. Monangai then ran for the next four plays, the last of which being a 7-yard rumble into the endzone.

After both teams exchanged two punts, the Illini moved to their own 48-yard line. The next play featured an unfortunate trend for the Scarlet Knights' defense this season: giving up the big play. This time around, it was Peters launching a 52-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Williams to tie the game at seven.

Determined to respond after the big play, Vedral, who returned to the game in place of the ineffective Snyder, drove the team 62 yards in 10 plays, including a 26-yard pass to Bo Melton. However, the drive stalled inside the red zone, and Rutgers settled for a 35-yard field goal by Valentino Ambrosio.

After both teams punted, Illinois would take the lead just before halftime. The Illini drove 80 yards in just four plays; the first was a 31-yard pass to Casey Washington, the second was a 8-yard run by Peters, the third was 15-yard run by Chase Brown (his longest of the game), and the last was a 26-yard touchdown pass from Peters to Daniel Barker, giving Illinois a 14-10 lead at the half.

After forcing the Illini to punt on their first drive of the half, Rutgers drove to the Illinois 28-yard line, but failed to score after Ambrosio missed a 46-yard field goal attempt. Typically, these second half misses from the junior kicker had taken significant momentum away from the Scarlet Knights in previous games. This time, however, it would be inconsequential.

After forcing Illinois to go three-and-out, Rutgers retook the lead with a 13-play, 88-yard touchdown drive. Two different quarterbacks would generate huge plays; facing 3rd-and-9 at the Rutgers 13, Vedral completed a 27-yard pass to Johnny Langan. Later, facing 4th-and-5 at the Illinois 33, freshman QB Gavin Wimsatt completed a 13-yard pass to Bo Melton on the final play of the third quarter. Two plays into the fourth quarter, Vedral finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run to put Rutgers back on top.

After three straight three-and-outs, two of which were from the Illini, the Scarlet Knights extended the lead with a 7-play, 36-yard drive culminating with a 25-yard field goal from Ambrosio.

The Illini finally mustered some offense on their last drive, looking to take the lead with a touchdown. However, the drive stalled at the Rutgers 34-yard line, and on 4th-and-1, Chase Brown was tackled by Kessawn Abraham for a 4-yard loss to turn the ball over on downs. The Scarlet Knights then ran out the rest of the clock for the win.

What Does this Mean for Rutgers?

Although Illinois is far from the strongest opponent, this was a huge victory for the Scarlet Knights. After the bye week, it's very clear that Greg Schiano made the necessary adjustments to the team, as the offense is more creative with their play calling and the defense made the plays they needed to make. With their fourth win of the season, Rutgers now needs just two more wins to become bowl eligible; looking at the schedule ahead, it is certainly possible, as the Scarlet Knights have somewhat winnable games against Wisconsin, Indiana and Maryland. Although they do have a game against perennial powerhouse Penn State in Happy Valley, Illinois has showed that the Nittany Lions are far from invincible, too.

One of the biggest encouragements from the game was from Gavin Wimsatt. He has been considered the QB of the future for the team with Noah Vedral in his senior year; although he only had one pass attempt today, that one pass wound up being the turning point of the game, where all momentum went Rutgers' way. With the ability to impact a game to that degree, there is a lot to be excited about when Wimsatt takes the reins in the future.

Next Up For Rutgers

The Scarlet Knights return on the Banks of the Old Raritan next Saturday to take on Wisconsin. The Badgers are coming off an upset of their own, having beaten No. 9 Iowa, but if Rutgers can beat one high-flying team, they can surely beat another one, especially in front of friendly faces.

Chop on.