Rutgers is in 3rd place with 2 out of 12 people. Save the Scarlet Knight? Transform all three of the fourth downs they did for it. The latest drive includes a large one by Backup Backup Quarterback Gavin Wimsat.
Rutgers won the first down in the red zone as Wimsat completed the pass with four downs. Noah Vedral, who later started a quarterback with a couple playing, jumped into the end zone with a 15-yard touchdown run.
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The double dip is still on the table. Brandon Peters gave Daniel Barker a 26-yard touchdown pass, thanks to a scoring play reminiscent of Pennsylvania State University (called back) last week.
Barker was open in the space of the screen path. The tight end of Illinois also firmly blocked the downfield from the aggressive tackles of Vederian Law and Chase Brown’s running back.
Irini’s defense stopped at a subsequent Rutgers drive and was forced to punt. Double dip time when the second half starts?
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After Valentino Ambrosio’s 35-yard field goal, Rutgers returned to the top. Keeping the Scarlet Knights away from the end zone was a plus for Illinois, but Illinois is still lagging behind.
But Illinois has a chance here. Ilini tries a score of 5 minutes 42 seconds to finish the first half. Then there was a double dip on the table and Illinois started the ball in the second half after winning the opening toss and postponing it.
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It’s okay to see Isaiah Williams step into the Defender and run down the field and think, “It looks good, but it still doesn’t happen.” That’s how inconsistent Illinois is in this season’s pass game.
However, Brandon Peters made a throw and stride Williams with a 52-yard touchdown. For reference, Ilini passed a total of 38 yards at Pennsylvania State University last week. It broke through at once.
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Rutgers trusts quarterbacks as much as Illinois. (Like, not much). Even after changing the quarterback. Scarlet Knights starter Noah Vedral was turned off after a big hit at Safety Sydney Brown in Illinois. Backup Call Snyder is even less likely to throw the ball.
This does not mean that Rutgers cannot move the ball. Scarlet Knights limited 10 plays and 61 yards of drive with a 7-yard touchdown performed by Kyle Monangai. A drive that contains another fourth down conversion. Illinois’ defense improved during the season, but had a hard time (obviously) stopping on that drive. The penalties against sportsmanship for Isaiah Gay and Tarique Barnes also didn’t look good.
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There is no real surprise in the Illinois dress list for today’s match. Deucespan was probably the only suspicious player, but the Ilini wide receiver is dressed. Of course, it should be decided whether he will play.
I’m not wearing Illinois clothes today …
-LB CJ Hart Jr. *
-QB Art Sitkowski *
-WR Desmond Dan Jr.
-RB Mike Epstein *
-LB Jake Hansen *
-TE Lucas Alto House
-TE Max Rosenthal
-LB Karen Villanueva
–OL Jordyn Slaughter *
-OL Moses Okpara
* Excludes season
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Official warm-up observations …
-Center to quarterback exchange pairing (giving the only hint to an unpublished depth chart) is:
Doug Kramer-> Brandon Peters
Break Jerezati-> Rian Johnson
Josh Kreutz-> Matt Robinson
Josh Plohr-> Samari Collier
I believe this is the first time Collier has changed into a game this season. Former backup / start quarterback ArtSitkowski is on the sidelines with a surgically repaired broken left arm in a sling.
-Usually by this point you have received a list of which players are dressed (and which players are not dressed). The list usually comes an hour before kickoff. not anymore. It was postponed until 30 minutes before kickoff. Because … I think it’s all about state secrets.
-Rutgers wears all white except the red helmet. Illinois wears white gloves. Irini coach Brett Burma likes the team’s gloves to match the opponent’s jersey. It does not mean that you may be able to escape by holding it.
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Warm-up observations before some warm-ups …
-Illinois coach Brett Burma has rules for his skill position player. There are no sleeves when it’s cold. Even if the balls are slightly more likely to loosen, that’s a good reason to ban them in Bielema’s mind.
Defensive lineman Johnny Newton went one step further for the warm-up before the official warm-up. Newton was shirtless as he practiced his technique using the base of the field goal post as a makeshift aggressive lineman. It is overcast at 51 degrees. I think it was a little active for Newton.
-There is some meta about snapping a long snapper to another long snapper. Backup Long Snapper Aidan Hall is currently welcoming several people alongside Esanta Bell, who plays the role of a panther.
-The new second quarterback Rian Johnson is getting a manager and some extra throws. If Brandon Peters gets injured (again) or the Illinois coach staff doesn’t play enough to make the changes, the Division II Transfer Walk-on follows. For Johnson to be on the field, the latter scenario must be pretty disastrous, in my estimation.
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Last Saturday was great for Illinois football. Upset in Happy Valley. Perhaps it’s a boost towards a positive end to the first year of the Brett-Burma era, with some winning games on schedule.
Taking advantage of that road victory, the 7th Pennsylvania State University at the time is now a challenge. If Irini looks back and loses to Rutgers at home, the impact of that type of victory will certainly be diminished. Big Ten Rutgers without victory, no less.
It’s, by definition, an Illinois “winning” game at today’s memorial stadium. Losing does not completely close the bowl qualification, but it does mean that you will win the last three games of the season (including Iowa). Defeating Scarlet Knights creates a more viable scenario.
Winning against Rutgers today is not an easy task, whether or not you can win in the Big Ten. Yes, Illinois defense has shown weekly improvements since being torched in Virginia. And yes, the Illinois run game was great at Pennsylvania State University. Nittany Lions was unable to resolve the “barge” package with seven aggressive linemen and two tight ends. Or defeat Chase Brown or Josh McCray.
But what this Illinois team isn’t is is a team that can count on pass games. If Rutgers finds a viable counter in the “barge” package, Brandon Peters must show his ability to move the ball through the air. It’s … not successful this season.
And it’s all in Peters. Art Sitkowski will be competing in the season after breaking his arm in one of many extra times at Pennsylvania State University. And the only way not Peters is if he gets injured. This isn’t off the table, given both his history and his play so far this season. Audiences at the Memorial Stadium may then be referred to Rian Johnson at the Division II Transfer Walk-on.
Game Day Central | Rutgers 17, Illinois 14; 14:16 remaining in Q4 | Sports
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