WATCH: Illinois WR Pat Bryant Scores Game-Winning Touchdown

The Illini receiver streaked in for the go-ahead score with four seconds left, pushing the Illini to 8-3

Illinois receiver Pat Bryant (13) dashes for a 40-yard touchdown reception against Rutgers at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey, to give the Illini the game-winning score in Saturday's 38-31 victory. / University of Illinois

If it was going to be anyone, it was going to be Pat Bryant.

But on Saturday at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey, Bryant, a senior receiver and all-time clutch performer for Illinois, almost didn't get a final shot at Rutgers.

With the Illini down 31-30 with 14 seconds remaining and facing a fourth-and-13 on the Scarlet Knights' 40-yard line, coach Bret Bielema decided to send kicker Ethan Moczulski out on the field for a 58-yard field goal attempt.

With a clean snap and hold, Moczulski booted it towards the uprights, getting enough distance but floating it wide left – seemingly ending the game.

But the Illini caught an enormous break.

Before the ball was snapped, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano called timeout in hopes of icing Moczulski – a choice he surely regretted a moment later.

That's because Bielema, perhaps after seeing the futility of another kick attempt, decided to roll the dice and put the game in the hands of the offense, quarterback Luke Altmyer and, as it turns out, Bryant – a decision that proved to be one of his best so far at the helm of the Illini.

From the shotgun, Altmyer took the snap and immediately faced pressure from a six-man Rutgers blitz, but he had just enough time to unload to Bryant streaking across the middle of the field. 

Finding a soft spot in the zone, Bryant reeled in the catch at the 23-yard line with nine seconds left and, rather than aiming for the sideline and a clock stoppage that would set up another field-goal try, decided to go for broke.

Bouncing it fully outside, Bryant saw an angle, hit the jets and, with the help of a block from fellow receiver Collin Dixon, streaked into the end zone untouched, giving the Illini a 36-31 lead with four ticks left on the clock.

PAT BRYANT SCORES THE GAME-WINNING TD ON 4TH DOWN! 😱@IlliniFootball pic.twitter.com/ndso5u3X8B

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) November 23, 2024

After a kickoff that resulted in a safety, Illinois came away with a 38-31 lead to move to 8-3 (5-3 Big Ten) behind Bryant’s extraordinary seven receptions, 197 yards (a career high) and very, very big score.

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Instant Analysis: Illinois Football Wins 36-31 Last-Second Thriller at Rutgers