Box Score | Quotes | Notes

31 24

PDF Book | Season Stats



By Tom Luicci
ScarletKnights.com

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - There was no consolation that any Rutgers player was willing to take from Saturday night's near-miss against No. 4-ranked Michigan State. But it did serve as a reminder.

And the reminder is this: Inspired efforts like this one can put the Scarlet Knights on equal footing with anyone on their schedule.

"We found out that it's not about talent," said senior wide receiver Leonte Carroo. "It's about who can be more detail oriented. We have the talent."

For more than 59 minutes, Rutgers flirted with ending Michigan State's national championship hopes. The difference wound up being one drive, with the Spartans getting a three-yard touchdown run from LJ Scott with 43 seconds to play to escape with a 31-24 victory.

Until that point, Rutgers (2-3 overall, 0-2 Big Ten) had given the crowd of 50,373 at High Point Solutions Stadium all that it could ask for and more.

"This proves we can play with anyone in the country," said linebacker Steve Longa. "They just made one more play than we did, had one more drive than we did."

After building a 14-10 halftime lead - secured by safety Kiy Hester's diving, juggling interception in the back of the end zone with 1:06 left before the break, the Scarlet Knights looked to be wobbly and in trouble when Michigan State (6-0 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) had consecutive third-quarter touchdown drives to take a 24-14 lead.

But Rutgers had Carroo. And its defense, which stuffed the Spartans' powerful running attack (122 yards on 38 carries), forcing quarterback Connor Cook to carry the offensive burden.

Carroo, in his first game back, acted as if he'd never been away. The senior caught seven passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns, with his 28-yard touchdown grab late in the third quarter getting Rutgers within 24-21.

The Scarlet Knights then forged a 24-24 tie on Kyle Federico's 22-yard field goal with 4:21 to play, capping a 91-yard drive that saw Rutgers start at its five yard line.

It just left Cook and Michigan State's offense a little too much time.

"They're a great team with great players and great players make plays," said defensive lineman Julian Pinnix-Odrick. "I'm not sure it was anything we did wrong (on that final drive) as much as it was what they did right."

Cook, 24-of-39 for 367 yards and two touchdowns, kept the game-winning drive alive much as he had previous drives all game, coming up clutch on third down. This time it was a key third and nine he converted with a 29-yard completion, with Michigan State converting 11 of its 17 third downs during the game.

"They made a lot of plays when they had to," said Longa. "But we never stopped fighting."

Laviano's two first-half touchdown passes to Carroo covered six and 39 yards, with the first one set up by Paul James' career-long 72-yard run. In claiming that 14-10 first half lead, Rutgers benefitted from big plays, superb defense and even blocked a Michigan State field goal try, with Djwany Mera busting through the line to get his hand on a 35-yard attempt.

But it was almost all undone with those two third-quarter drives engineered by Cook, until Rutgers reached down to find a way to rally to force that 24-24 tie.

"I think it says a lot with the way we fought back again. I'm not sure a lot of teams would have been able to do that after falling behind the way we did," said Pinnix-Odrick.

Rutgers, it turned out, had to make the most of its limited opportunities on offense, running 18 fewer plays and having 8:24 fewer minutes of possession. But Carroo's 10th career 100-yard game and his fourth career three-touchdown game (no other Rutgers receiver has ever caught three touchdown passes or more in multiple games) were enough to bring the Scarlet Knights all the way back.

Robert Martin, who finished with 61 yards on 13 carries, had nine of those carries on the 16-play, 91-yard drive that ended with Federico's tying field goal.

Overall, Rutgers rushed for 141 yards (a number lowered by Laviano's minus-31 yards) on 32 carries against a run defense that had been one of the keys to the Spartans' rise in the polls.