PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Luke Altmyer found Pat Bryant for a catch-and-run 40-yard touchdown pass with four seconds left, sending No. 25 Illinois to a wild 38-31 victory over Rutgers on Saturday.
Illinois (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten) was down 31-30 when it sent long kicker Ethan Moczulski out for a desperation 58-yard field goal with 14 seconds to go. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano then called for a timeout right before Moczulski’s attempt was wide left and about 15 yards short.
After the missed field goal was waved off by the timeout, Illinois coach Bret Bielema sent his offense back on the field. Altmyer hit Bryant on an in cut on the left side at the 22, and he continued across the field and scored untouched in a game that featured three lead changes in the final 3:07.
“Coach called a perfect play,” Bryant said. “A play we run all the time in our two-minute drill. I caught the ball and saw the sideline and saw nobody was over there. I had one guy to beat. I gave him a little move. I heard everybody jump and say, ‘Get out, get out,’ but I put trust in myself and scored a touchdown.”
Bielema returned the compliment.
“Pat is so aware of his surroundings,” Bielema said after Bryant finished with seven catches for a career-high 197 yards. “He saw that corner and took off.”
Rutgers (6-5, 3-5) gave up a safety on the final kickoff return, throwing a ball out of bounds in the end zone as players passed it around hoping for a miracle touchdown.
“They made one more play than we did,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said.
Altmyer was 12-of-26 passing for 249 yards and two touchdowns. He put Illinois in front with a 30-yard TD run with 3:07 to go. He passed to Josh McCray on the 2-point conversion, making it 30-24.
Rutgers responded with a 10-play, 65-yard drive. Athan Kaliakmanis had a 15-yard run on fourth down. He passed to running back Kyle Monangai for a 13-yard TD with 1:08 remaining.
Illinois then drove 75 yards in eight plays for the unexpected win.
“That’s big-time football,” Monangai said of the winning drive. “They made a great play at the end of the game. I think we played our hearts out to the end, to the very end, even that last play. Illinois did the same. They’re a great team. The chips fell their way today.”
Kaliakmanis was 18-for-36 for 174 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 13 carries for 84 yards and two TDs. Monangai had a career-high 28 carries for 122 yards.
Kaliakmanis found Ian Strong for a 2-yard touchdown in the final seconds of the first half, and he scored on a 1-yard run to lift Rutgers to a 24-15 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Illinois responded with Aidan Laughery’s 8-yard TD run, setting up the roller-coaster finish.
The start of the second half was delayed because of a scrum between the teams. There were no punches thrown, and the officials called penalties on both schools.
Monangai become the third player in Rutgers history to rush for 3,000 yards when he picked up 4 yards on a third-and-1 carry early in the second quarter. The defending conference rushing champion joins Ray Rice and Terrell Willis in hitting the mark.
The great finish keeps the Illini in line for their first nine-win season since 2007 and a prestigious bowl game.
