Takeaways: Rutgers football blows 17-point lead to Kansas State in heartbreaking Rate Bowl loss

Posted by Admin December 27, 2024 Football

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PHOENIX – A game that Rutgers football seemingly had firmly in its grasp slipped away.

An offense that was cruising through the first half suddenly struggled to move the ball.

And a defense that had been shaky all afternoon couldn’t get the stops it needed late.

Through it all, momentum swung from sideline to sideline. But when the final second fell off the clock, the Wildcats held it for good.

Kansas State running back Dylan Edwards scored a 36-yard touchdown with just more than four minutes left in the fourth to push the Wildcats to a 44-41 victory in a wild Rate Bowl Thursday at Chase Field.

With the loss, the Scarlet Knights closed a roller-coaster season at 7-6.

“Unfortunately today we just came up a little short,” coach Greg Schiano said. “It was a heck of a football game. Two really good teams that played really hard.”

Rutgers held a 17-point lead early in the third quarter but couldn’t hold it.

The Scarlet Knights appeared to regain momentum after a 67-yard punt return by Christian Dremel led to a one-yard touchdown run from Antwan Raymond that put Rutgers up by 12 with 14 minutes to go.

That turned out to be fleeting.

Rutgers couldn’t close it out. It suffered a heartbreaking loss.

“I know this team did everything they could,” Schiano said. “Just came up a little short.”

Here are some quick takeaways:

Rutgers’ offense stalls out in second half, including a costly interception

Rutgers had 319 total yards of offense in the first half.

In the second half? It had 82.

“To be completely honest with you, they’re just a really good football team,” said quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who went 14-of-32 passing for 237 yards with one touchdown and one interception. “We knew that coming into the game. If you would’ve told me before the game we were going to put up 41 points I would’ve said that’s a very good thing. They’re a really good football team. Credit goes to them. They played their guts out too and came back. Credit to them.”

Rutgers scored on six consecutive drives, but then in the second half was forced to punt on three out of five drives and had a brutal interception by Athan Kaliakmanis that led to a Kansas State touchdown that sliced the Scarlet Knights’ deficit to five points.

The pick came on second-and-16 at the Rutgers 19. Kaliakmanis forced a pass that Daniel Cobbs intercepted and returned to the Rutgers 27, but an illegal block in the back call on the Wildcats gave them first down at the Scarlet Knights 42.

Kansas State needed four plays to get in the end zone, with QB Avery Johnson hitting Garret Oakley for a 13-yard touchdown throw that cut Rutgers’ lead to 34-29.

“I saw the defensive back had his back turned,” Kaliakmanis said of the interception. “We were running a deep over route. I didn’t think the DB was going to be able to undercut it from the position he was in. And he did. I just can’t make those mistakes on that side of the field. I own that. That’s on me, nobody else. Not the play call. That’s on me. I’m going to take that. That’s going to sit with me for a little while. I’m going to work on I and we’re going to build this whole offseason.”

Rough, rough day for Rutgers’ defense

It’s been a strange few weeks for the Scarlet Knights’ defense, which lost coordinator Joe Harasymiak after he took the head coaching job at UMass earlier this month.

In the ensuing weeks, the Rutgers defensive coaching staff has had to adjust, game planning collectively in the leadup to the game.

But in the end, the Scarlet Knights turned in a rough performance.

They gave up way too many big plays. They couldn’t get the stops they needed late.

“When you look back, are there things you could do differently? Sure,” Schiano said. “But that’s a real luxury to be able to make those decisions. You have to make decisions in life as you do it. It’d be nice if you make them as you look backward. That’s not the way it works.”

Kansas State finished with 544 total yards of defense.

Rutgers’ defense was such a key part in the team’s late season resurgence. But it couldn’t bring that momentum to Phoenix.

That was especially true when it came to stopping Kansas State’s running game – the Wildcats had 349 rushing yards, including 196 by Edwards.

Quarterback Avery Johnson went 15-of-30 passing for 195 yards with three touchdowns, while also rushing for 57 yards on 11 carries with one score.

“They did a heck of a job,” Schiano said. “They did some things in the run game that certainly gave us trouble. They’re a very talented group. The skill they have is very good. When the quarterback can be a runner like he is, it changes all the math. It’s very hard. I wish I could’ve done a better job, I wish we all could’ve done a better job. But again, we did everything we could, just came up a little short.”

Despite the loss, this was a big day for young running backs Antwan Raymond and Ja’shon Benjamin with Kyle Monangai out

Monangai opted not to play in the game – something Schiano announced on Tuesday – avoid potential injury risk as he heads for the NFL Draft.

That meant true freshman Antwan Raymond and Ja’shon Benjamin were going to need to step up.

They did exactly that, especially Raymond, who finished with 113 yards on 18 carries with three touchdowns. He had 104 rushing yards just in the first half, including a big 65-yard run in the second quarter to help set up a seven-yard touchdown run from Benjamin.

Benjamin scored again in the third quarter, this time a seven-yard touchdown reception that pushed Rutgers’ lead to 34-17.

And then of course came Raymond’s fourth-quarter score that pushed Rutgers back up (briefly) by 12.

There’s no question Rutgers is going to miss Monangai next season, but with Raymond and Benjamin returning, as well as the addition of FAU transfer CJ Campbell, the Scarlet Knights still will be in good shape at running back.

That was evident with Thursday’s performance.

High participation from Rutgers’ seniors

Monangai was the only opt out for the Scarlet Knights.

For a team that has a large number of seniors and NFL hopefuls, that’s almost unheard of in this era of college football, where bowl-game opt outs have become the norm.

Give credit to players like linebacker Tyreem Powell, who had an early injury scare but stayed in the game, cornerback Robert Longerbeam, who had a second-quarter interception that helped set up a 48-yard field goal by Jai Patel, and left tackle Hollin Pierce, who all suited up for the game.

For a player like Monangai, there wasn’t a whole lot left for him to prove. After consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons, there’s plenty of film for NFL scouts to evaluate.

But a game like this can certainly help other players in the pre-draft process. Rutgers’ seniors largely took advantage of that opportunity.

They all deserve credit for that.