Instant Analysis: Illinois Football Wins 38-31 Last-Second Thriller at Rutgers

A stunning last-second touchdown catch from receiver Pat Bryant on a career day bails out the Illini

Nov 23, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver Hank Beatty (80) celebrates his receiving touchdown with wide receiver Pat Bryant (13) during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

It took No. 24 Illinois well over three quarters of play to get out of its own way against Rutgers on Saturday, but just when the Illini were nearly out of time to straighten up and fly right, they caught a weirdly favorable wind – and an enormous break – to pull out a 38-31 win at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.

On fourth-and-13 at midfield, with four seconds to play, Illinois quarterback connected on a stunning 40-yard touchdown reception to Pat Bryant for the decisive score. Bryant finished with seven receptions and a career-high 197 yards as the Illini (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten) kept alive the possibility of a 10-win season for another week.

Mr. Clutch.#Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/AKPmDPXFFY

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) November 23, 2024

But it was only by the skin of their teeth.

Down 31-30 with just over a minute to play, the Illini took the ball at their own 25-yard line with the hope of driving the offense into reasonable field-goal range with a gusty wind blowing in their faces. The offense, which had been plagued by mistakes and inconsistency all day, managed to sputter upfield before running out of gas – and time.

On fourth-and-13 at the Rutgers 40, Illinois lined up kicker Ethan Moczulski to attempt a 58-yarder into the wind – the equivalent of a full-court desperation heave. But the Illini seemed to have no choice.

Turns out they did. When Rutgers called timeout just before the snap, the teams carried out the dead play, and the big-legged Moczulski's kick got caught up in the wind and tumbled away without so much as threatening the uprights. So Illini coach Bret Bielema called an audible.

Out of the timeout, the offense set up, Altmyer took the shotgun snap and wobbled a throw over the middle to Bryant running a left-to-right crossing route that he snagged and ran all the way through the end zone to suck all the blustery air out of SHI Stadium.

It marked the fifth game-winning drive Altmyer has led in this charmed Illini season and sent the Scarlet Knights (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) home with a defeat that had victory written all over it until the very last moment.

Rutgers got one last shot, receiving the ball on the kickoff and throwing laterals across the field to try to make something happen until they ran out of real estate and wobbled the ball out of bounds in the end zone, tacking a safety onto Illinois' winning score.

The result erased courageous performances by Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanas (259 total yards and four touchdowns) and running back Kyle Monangai (146 hard-earned total yards), who connected on the go-ahead 13-yard touchdown reception that, with the extra point. gave the Scarlet Knights a 31-30 lead with 1:08 to play.

For all Illinois' heroics, it was a shame they were needed at all. The Illini had 11 penalties for 93 yards and more puzzling decisions – and that includes the coaching staff – than you can shake a clipboard at.

The missteps and sloppiness stunted the Illini's prospects from the jump. Four penalties – including three false starts and a personal foul on right tackle Melvin Priestly – plus a fifth that was offset by a Rutgers penalty kept the offense almost constantly behind the 8-ball through the first quarter. And although lead back Josh McCray had some success pounding between the tackles against a pillowy Scarlet Knights, the Illini curiously called runs on two third-and-long plays that wound up being throwaways.

The first-half highlight reel for Illinois belonged solely to third receiver and special teamer Hank Beatty, who slashed for a 59-yard punt return that set up David Olano's 29-yard field goal and later toe-tapped inside the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown reception from Luke Altmyer that kept Illinois in striking distance at 10-9.

But as has become all too common over the past two months, the Illini's bend-but-don't-break defense was a bit to accommodating in the bend department, allowing the Scarlet Knights to march across SHI Stadium on multiple long drives, neither holding up at the point of attack nor mustering possession-stealing big plays. By the time Rutgers broke out its jumbo package and Kaliakmanas snuck for the first on a third-and-1 at the illinois 4, the Ilini D was already gassed, and two plays later Kaliakmanas chucked a 2-yard toss to Ian Strong to set up the Scarlet Knights with a 17-9 halftime lead.

As the Illini themselves love to say, even this late in the season: 1-0. They'll take the win. But they'll also need to take stock and address the sources of their shoddy play – or not even a win over low-hanging Northwestern can be assured, let alone a shot at their first bowl victory since 2011.

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