Mistakes doom Rutgers in Blackout loss to Iowa
Coming into Friday night, the highest-scoring matchup between Rutgers and Iowa featured 37 total points, a 27-10 win at SHI Stadium in 2022.
That number lasted until midway through the second quarter when the Hawkeyes tied the game at 21. It appeared the game was headed for a shootout on national television, at least through one half.
Then came the other half of play.
Iowa outlasted Rutgers 38-28 in a game that seemed to flip several times, but the Hawkeyes executed when it mattered late and won the second half 17-7, stifling the Scarlet Knights’ red-hot offense.
Athan Kaliakmanis came alive once again with his second straight game with over 300 passing yards, finishing with a career-high 330 passing yards. Antwan Raymond scored another two touchdowns with 62 yards on the ground, continuing his penchant for the end zone. Ian Strong had a career day with 151 yards, the most for a Scarlet Knight since Bo Melton’s breakout performance against Illinois in 2020.
Mark Gronowski finished 12-for-18 through the air for 186 yards, but more importantly, ran 13 times for 55 yards and three touchdowns. As a team, the Hawkeyes ran for 163 yards.
Ultimately, however, Rutgers was doomed by mistakes, including penalties, special teams execution errors, and a late turnover to seal it.
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First Half: Points, points, and more points
Iowa got off to a strong start out of the gate, as electric return man Kaden Wetjen returned the opening kickoff of the game for a 100-yard touchdown.
The Scarlet Knights came out swinging offensively, however, and struck back immediately. They worked a six-play, 75-yard scoring drive aided by a 40-yard pass from Kaliakmanis to DT Sheffield on third down. Raymond punched it in from three yards out on the ensuing play to tie the game.
On the Hawkeyes’ first offensive possession, Rutgers’ defense stepped up. It forced a three-and-out, helped by a tackle for loss of Wetjen on a reverse.
Kaliakmanis continued his incendiary start, once again marching down the field with ease against a vaunted Iowa defense. After converting on a third down to KJ Duff, the senior quarterback took a keeper five yards for a score to give the Scarlet Knights the lead.
The two teams traded scores on the ensuing four drives, with a two-yard rushing touchdown from Gronowski knotting up the game at 21-21 with eight minutes left in the second quarter.
From there, the game ground to a halt. The Scarlet Knights took up nearly six minutes of clock getting into the red zone, but a false start penalty wiped out a 32-yard field goal from Jai Patel. His ensuing 37-yarder clanged off the right upright.
Rutgers’ defense finally recorded a stop, the first of a strong stretch of play that bled into the second half. It forced an Iowa punt, and from there the Scarlet Knights ran out the clock, though narrowly avoided disaster with a Wetjen punt return that got into the red zone with no time left on the clock.
Second Half: Stops, stops, and more stops
The Scarlet Knights got possession of the ball to start the second half, but could not get any momentum with a quick three-and-out, spurred by a sack of Kaliakmanis on the opening play.
It seemed like the Hawkeyes were set to take the lead and marched close to the red zone, but Rutgers’ defensive line stood tall. Kicker Drew Stevens‘ 40-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right, towards the same upright that Patel hit on his previous attempt.
Even with the momentum from the defensive stop, the Scarlet Knights’ offense sputtered again to start the third quarter. The unit went three-and-out in just one minute, trying to stay pass-heavy against Iowa’s defensive front.
Late in the third quarter, Iowa finally put points on the board with a chip-shot field goal from Stevens.
Rutgers’ passing offense came back alive.
Three straight passes to Strong set the offense up in Hawkeyes’ territory, and Raymond notched his second score of the game to put the Scarlet Knights ahead.
In brutal fashion, Rutgers thought it had a stop on the ensuing drive, but Al-Shadee Salaam‘s holding penalty gave Iowa’s offense new life. Gronowski immediately found Dayton Howard down the field for a 42-yard gain, and Gronowski punched in his second rushing score of the night to put the Hawkeyes ahead with under six minutes to play.
As they often do in Big Ten play, Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker‘s unit stepped up when it mattered most. The Hawkeyes sent a blitz on the ensuing third down after Rutgers’ first two plays went nowhere, and Kaliakmanis’ pass fluttered after being hit. Linebacker Jaxon Rexroth lunged and made the play for the Scarlet Knights’ first turnover committed on the offensive side of the season.
Gronowski punched in another touchdown with his legs to seal it.
Rutgers finished with six penalties for 50 yards on the night, almost all of them coming at inopportune times on all three sides of the ball. Multiple Iowa drives were extended thanks to penalties in the defensive backfield, and the Hawkeyes took advantage nearly every time. Add in the multiple special teams mistakes, and Iowa came out as the better-executing team.
RFootball Play of the Day
The Scarlet Knights convert on third down and Athan Kaliakmanis takes a keeper for a score.
Up Next?
Rutgers heads on the road for the first time this season, traveling to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers on Saturday, September 27th. The game will kickoff at noon eastern and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
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