Illinois Football Week 13 Report Card: Grades vs. Rutgers

The Illini escaped unscathed Saturday, but the "W" may be the only letter grade they like from the Rutgers game

Nov 23, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Jaheim Clarke (25) celebrates a defensive stop with linebacker Ryan Meed (34) during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

No. 24 Illinois (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten) needed every break it got Saturday in Piscataway, New Jersey – and the Illini got plenty of them – to undo the mess it had made before somehow sticking the landing on a 38-31 victory over Rutgers.

It wasn't all flubs and pratfalls, of course, but the Illini brought much of their troubles against an injury-ravaged, only-halfway-decent Scarlet Knights squad on themselves. Kudos to them for making plays when they had to, but we aren't here to hand out gold stars for a passing grade on a simple pop quiz. If they truly are one of the top 25 teams in college football, the Illini will need to stick a fork in Northwestern and, depending on which bowl comes calling – Citrus, anyone? – be ready to prove their standing when it counts. For now, here are our game-day grades from Rutgers:

Running game: B

The numbers look great – 182 yards (at 5.1 yards a pop) and three touchdowns – but keep in mind that 74 of those yards and one of the scores came from quarterback Luke Altmyer, who was often running to save his own skin. Still, Josh McCray (58 yards), Aidan Laughery and Ca'Lil Valentine are taking what's given to them – and, in some cases, more – and they found a bit more room to run than usual against the Scarlet Knights. Solid day here.

Passing game: B-

Again, numbers occasionally do lie: Altmyer finished with 259 passing yards, two TDs and no interceptions, but a lot of that owes to receiver Pat Bryant's brilliant performance – including a 40-yard miracle score that cameon Illinois' last play from scrimmage. The protection was excellent on a number of plays, but Altmyer was forced to scramble too often against what should be a punchless pass rush. And he did himself no favors, misfiring on more than half his attempts and fumbling (and recovering) on a first-quarter drive inside the Rutgers 10 that forced the Illini to settle for a field goal.

Let’s hear it for @duvalpat3.

Pat Bryant leads the nation with 3 game-winning touchdowns.#Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/1Pj0wc1Wrz

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) November 23, 2024

Blocking: C+

The Illini were improved in blitz pickups against Rutgers, gave the backs more and better gaps to hit than usual and went 4-for-4 in the red zone. So what's the problem? Mostly, a very bad day from right tackle Melvin Priestly, who, to be fair, almost never has them. Priestly was dinged for four penalties Saturday – three of them in the first quarter, including an inexcusable personal foul. They're drive-killers, and they're maddening on a day when things are otherwise going well for Illinois' blockers.

Run defense: B-

The Illini were expecting a tussle from Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai, and the truth is, they made the Big Ten rushing leader earn every inch of real estate he claimed (122 yards on 28 carries). But they apparently didn't account for quarterback Athan Kaliakmanas, who sprinted for career highs of 84 yards and two touchdowns. For as much zone as Illinois plays underneath, that doesn't compute. Worse, whenever the Scarlet Knights went to their jumbo package in short-yardage situations, they bullied the Illini up front and converted.

Pass defense: B-

More deceitful numbers: Kaliakmanas completed only half his pass attempts and finished with only 174 passing yards, and the Illini defense deserves some credit for that. It also deserves its share of blame for Kaliakmanas' scrambling, the Scarlet Knights' 30 first downs (9-for-15 on third and fourth downs) and Rutgers' 5-for-5 conversion rate in the red zone. Illinois' passing D created zero sacks and still has too few answers for opponents' big plays and big receivers – though it did force a fumble on one Kaliakmanas run.

Special teams: B

This unit, which has been sterling all season, had an off day – but still managed to be a bright spot. Ethan Moczulski can't be faulted for missing a 58-yarder into the wind (which was ultimately wiped away by a last-second Rutgers timeout), but his kickoff out of bounds after Illinois' go-ahead score in the fourth quarter gave great field position to the Scarlet Knights, who marched downfield to take back the lead. And Hank Beatty botched the catch on a punt return but recovered his own fumble – and made up for it with a 59-yard punt return that set up a field goal by David Olano (who later missed an extra point after a bad snap).

Field vision. @BeattyHank leads the Big Ten and is fifth in the nation with a 15.5 yard punt return average. #Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/V9RPCDSLpK

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) November 24, 2024

Coaching: C

Three runs in no-brainer passing situations – especially the quarterback sweep to Altmyer with 25 seconds left that forced Illinois to burn its last timeout – had every Illini fan scratching their head (or worse). A defensive unit featuring pro talent and that is as healthy as any can be in late November is neither taking risks to create big plays and force turnovers, nor holding up in the red zone. (There's a reason you never hear a coach talk about a bend-and-break defense.) But give Bret Bielema credit for recognizing that sending Moczulski on the field for a second crack at a game-winning field goal was a lost cause. A play call for an over-the-middle pass when Rutgers was protecting the sidelines on the game-deciding play showed huge trust from Illinois' coaches, and they were rewarded for it when Altmyer and Bryant spun gold.

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