Rutgers Football drops second straight, loses to Minnesota 31-28
Rutgers Football dropped its second game in a row following its 31-28 loss to Minnesota at Huntington Bank Stadium.
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SO CLOSE AND YET SO FAR
Mistakes doomed Rutgers (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) as it was driving for a potential go-ahead touchdown on its final possession, but an errant snap from Gus Zilinskas on second down led to a 15-yard sack for Athan Kaliakmanis and backed Rutgers up to Minnesota’s 41-yard line with 37 seconds remaining.
The game came down to a 56-yard field goal from Dane Pizzaro, but his kick sailed wide right and sent the Scarlet Knights to another gut-punching loss.
Rutgers finished 0-for-2 on field goals for the day, as Jai Patel had a field goal blocked for the second straight week. It marked the third straight miss for Patel after setting a program record with 18 consecutive makes.
AN UNEVEN DAY FOR RUTGERS’ OFFENSE
Rutgers opened this game hot offensively and took a 14-0 lead with 10:43 remaining in the second quarter following a 14-yard touchdown pass from Athan Kaliakmanis to KJ Duff.
Despite opening the day 10-for-13 for 129 yards and two touchdowns through the first three drives, Kaliakmanis cooled down the rest of the way as he finished 21-for-34 for 249 yards and one interception. The pick led to an eight-yard touchdown pass from Drake Lindsey to Lemeke Brockington to tie the game at 14 with 8:03 remaining in the second quarter.
The sides went into halftime tied at 21, but the third quarter was all Minnesota (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) as it outgained Rutgers 150-24 and took a 24-21 lead following a 26-yard field goal from Brady Denaburg. The Golden Gophers also possessed the ball for 12:38.
RAYMOND CARRIES THE KNIGHTS TO NO AVAIL
Antwan Raymond turned things around to start the fourth quarter when he turned a 3rd-and-15 into a first down and set the Scarlet Knights up at Minnesota’s 11-yard line. He punched it in two plays later to give Rutgers a 28-24 lead with 11:28 remaining in the quarter.
Raymond finished with 26 carries for 161 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
Minnesota answered back with a seven-play, 72-yard drive capped off with a four-yard touchdown pass from Drake Lindsey to Javon Tracy to take a 31-28 lead with 3:24 left in the game.
Minnesota methodically marched down the field to open the second half with a 13-play, 85-yard drive, capped off by a nine-yard touchdown pass from Lindsey to Jalen Smith with 9:21 left in the third quarter.
A BACK-AND-FORTH FIRST HALF
Minnesota found its first spark of the day with a 78-yard strike from Lindsey to Smith, setting up a two-yard touchdown run from Fame Ijeboi to make it 14-7 with 8:52 left in the second quarter.
The Scarlet Knights ended the half on a high note as their defense stopped Minnesota on a 4th-and-inches, setting them up at their own 37-yard line with 1:08 left in the first half. From there, Rutgers executed a seven-play, 63-yard drive with Raymond punching it in from two yards out to send his team into the tunnel up 21-14.
Minnesota had a chance to cut it to a four-point game heading into halftime following Koi Perich’s 53-yard kickoff return, but Denaburg’s 50-yard field goal sailed wide right.
Rutgers began the game with a 10-play, 71-yard drive, but seemed to have to settle for a 22-yard field goal after Minnesota stopped it in the red zone. However, Jai Patel’s kick was blocked, and the game remained scoreless with 9:36 remaining in the first quarter.
The Scarlet Knights bounced back following a stop on defense with an eight-play, 62-yard drive resulting in a four-yard touchdown pass from Kaliakmanis to DT Sheffield to take a 7-0 lead with 3:16 left in the first quarter.
RFOOTBALL PLAY OF THE DAY
UP NEXT
Rutgers will head to Husky Stadium to take on Washington on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 9 p.m. (ET) on FS1.
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