Illinois football vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights – Saturday, November 1 (No time set)
Coming off a big win over Washington, and the offense looking good, the Illini then head home for three out of the final four games of the season. The first one is against Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights are always pesky under the leadership of Greg Schiano. He helped lead the program to a 7-5 record last season and nearly clipped Kansas State in a bowl game.
Illinois played Rutgers last season and beat them 38-31. We let quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis run all over us for 84 yards and two touchdowns. That was an outlier, though. Thankfully, Kaliakmanis is back for one more season.
I’ve watched this kid since he was at Minnesota, and let me tell you, I’m glad he is back at Rutgers. Illinois has so much tape on him, and we have played well against him for years. This past season was his best, and he threw for 2,696 yards, 18 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Illinois should be able to feast on Kaliakmanis this season. Our defense will also get some help, as Rutgers lost starting running back Kyle Monangai to the Chicago Bears. He rushed for 1,279 yards on 5.0 yards per carry last season. On top of that, the Scarlet Knights also lost their leading wide receiver to the NFL.
I think the Illini could continue putting up a number offensively against Rutgers. They dropped 38 points on them last season, and that could happen again. Luke Altmyer knows this defense, and there isn’t much pressure up front and the secondary isn’t scary.
Final score: Illinois 35 – Rutgers 13