Takeaways from Rate Bowl loss to Kansas State

On By Littum

game

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

An offense that was stuttering throughout 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.

Throughout, momentum swung from sideline to sideline. But as the final second ticked off the clock, the Wildcats held on 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 Scarlet Knights close a wild roller coaster season at 7.-6.

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

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

It turned out to be fleeting.

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

Here are some quick takeaways:

Rutgers’ offense stalls in the second half, including a brutal interception

Rutgers had 319 total yards in the first half.

In the second half? It had 82.

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

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 a first down at the Scarlet Knights 42.

Kansas State needed four plays to get into the end zone, where QB Avery Johnson hit Garret Oakley for a 13-yard touchdown toss that cut Rutgers’ lead to 34-29.

A 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 adapt and game plan collectively in the lead-up to the game.

But in the end, the Scarlet Knights delivered a tough performance.

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

Kansas State finished with 544 total yards of defense.

Rutgers’ defense was such an important part of 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.

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 Tuesday — avoiding potential injury risk as he heads toward the NFL Draft.

That meant true freshmen Antwan Raymond and Ja’shon Benjamin had to step up.

They did just that, especially Raymond, who finished with 113 yards on 18 carries with three touchdowns. He had 104 rushing yards in the first half alone, including a huge 65-yard run in the second quarter to help set up a 7-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 up (briefly) by 12.

There’s no doubt that Rutgers will miss Monangai next season, but with Raymond and Benjamin returning, as well as the addition of FAU transfer CJ Campbell, the Scarlet Knights will still 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 much left for him to prove. After back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, there is plenty of film for NFL scouts to evaluate.

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

They all deserve credit for that.