An attempt to ice the kicker turned into a heartbreaking loss for Rutgers against No. 25 Illinois, 38-31.
Trailing by one with 10 seconds remaining, the Illini were faced with a fourth-and-13 at the 40-yard line of the Scarlet Knights. Illinois initially lined up to attempt a 58-yard field goal that was called off by a Rutgers timeout; though it didn’t count, the kick that went off was no good
But with more time to think about it, Illinois coach Bret Bielema changed his strategy and instead decided to go for a fourth-down conversion. The Illini got that, and a whole lot more, when quarterback Luke Altmyer hit wide receiver Pat Bryant for a 40-yard touchdown. Bryant, who caught the pass in the middle of the field with five defenders around him, made some nifty moves and used his speed to turn the edge towards the end zone.
Illinois secured at least eight wins for the second time in three years under Bielema. Rutgers, meanwhile, fell to 6-5 and ensured that it will have a losing record in Big Ten play for an 11th straight year.
