No. 25 Illinois won a 38-31 thriller against Rutgers with a last-second touchdown on Saturday in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Trailing 31-30, the Illini faced a 4th-and-13 with 14 seconds left in the game and were ready to score a go-ahead goal from 58 yards out. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano then called a timeout to try ice kicker Ethan Moczulski.
Moczulski actually kicked the ball wide left and about 15 yards short, but the attempt was nullified by the timeout. After seeing how the kick went and having a chance to reconsider, Illinois coach Bret Bielema decided against the field goal attempt and opted to go for a first down.
That choice ultimately turned out even better than Bielema probably expected.
Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer connected with Pat Bryant for a first down and more. Bryant evaded several Rutgers defenders and sprinted to the right corner of the end zone for a touchdown with four seconds left.
The Illini failed on a two-point conversion attempt. Yet they still got those two points when Rutgers threw the ball out of bounds and into the end zone on the ensuing kickoff.
Altmyer passed for 249 yards and two touchdowns on 12-for-26 passing. He also rushed for 74 yards and a score. Josh McCray rushed for another 58 yards and a TD on 13 carries. Bryant finished with seven receptions for 197 yards and a touchdown he will never forget.
Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis also passed for two touchdowns with 174 yards on 18-for-36 passing, while also rushing for 84 yards and two scores on 13 carries. Kyle Monangai led the Scarlet Knights with 122 yards rushing on 28 carries. Ian Strong caught six balls for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Illinois improved to 8-3 overall with the win and moved into a tie with Iowa for fourth place in the Big Ten at 5-3. Rutgers dropped to 6-5 (3-5 in Big Ten) with the loss.
