RUTGERS (1-4, 0-2) at ILLINOIS (2-3, 0-2)
October 14, 2017 • Noon ET • Big Ten Network
Memorial Stadium • Champaign, Ill.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – After a bye week, Rutgers football returns to action with a Big Ten road game against Illinois on Saturday at noon ET (11 a.m. local). The Scarlet Knights have five of their final seven games scheduled off campus after playing four of the first five at High Point Solutions Stadium.
Big Ten Network will broadcast the matchup from Memorial Stadium with Cory Provus and J Leman providing commentary. Chris Carlin, Ray Lucas and Anthony Fucilli will have the radio call on the Rutgers IMG Sports Network (WCTC 1450-AM, WOR 710-AM, WENJ 97.3-FM, WNJE 920-AM).
SCOUTING RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights took their only bye of the season last week after suffering a 56-0 home loss versus No. 11 Ohio State last time out on Sept. 30. It was the second game for RU against a 2016 College Football Playoff participant, joining the season opener versus Washington.
Fifth-year senior
Gus Edwards leads Rutgers with 325 all-purpose yards so far in 2017, including 302 rushing yards. Senior
Robert Martin has also factored in the running game with 209 yards on the ground. He became the 14
th player in program history to reach 2,000 career rushing yards with a 17-yard carry in the first quarter against Ohio State.
Fifth-year senior
Kyle Bolin has started all five games at quarterback and has totaled 698 passing yards with a 55 percent completion mark. Sixteen different players have recorded at least one reception, with junior
Jerome Washington leading the way with 16 catches and 141 yards as a tight end. The offense has permitted just four sacks this season, ranked 10
th in the nation, while averaging 32:25 of the clock per game.
Defensively, Rutgers has allowed 59.6 less yards per game through five games compared to the same point last season. Junior linebackers
Trevor Morris (36) and
Deonte Roberts (35) pace the unit in tackles, with fifth-year senior
Darnell Davis owning two sacks. Junior
Kiy Hester sits No. 14 nationally with 1.6 passes defended per game (six pass break-ups, two interceptions).
On special teams, fifth-year senior
Ryan Anderson has 12 punts of 50 or more yards this season and three of at least 60. He ranks No. 28 in the country with 44.0 yards per punt. Fifth-year senior
Andrew Harte has made four of his last five field goals and converted all 13 extra points. Freshman
Justin Davidovicz, who has 10 touchbacks, leads the kickoff unit that is ranked 15
th in the country with 16.50 yards allowed per return.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
The Fighting Illini have dropped their last three games after winning the first two, including a 45-16 setback last week at Iowa. Jeff George Jr. stepped in as the starting quarterback against the Hawkeyes and sparked the offense to 446 total yards (246 passing, 200 rushing). For the season, Mike Epstein leads the team with 346 rushing yards with an average of 6.1 yards per carry, while Mike Dudek has 19 receptions. DelShawn Phillips has 44 tackles for a defense that has recovered four fumbles and recorded four interceptions.
Lovie Smith is in his second year at the helm of the program after spending the previous 19 seasons in the NFL.
THE SERIES
Rutgers will take on Illinois in a Big Ten game for the second time and fourth time overall. The Scarlet Knights will be making their second trip to Champaign (2005). Last season at High Point Solutions Stadium, Rutgers dropped its Homecoming game to Illinois, 24-7, despite totaling more offensive yards (385-320). The Scarlet Knights ran 80 plays offensively and went 9-for-16 on third downs. However, RU committed five turnovers with four fumbles lost and one interception.
Giovanni Rescigno threw his first career touchdown pass to
Nick Arcidiacono in the fourth quarter to cap a seven-play, 86-yard drive.
The first meeting, and previous game at Memorial Stadium, went to overtime before the Fighting Illini won, 33-30, in 2005. Rutgers piled up 507 yards of total offense, but Illinois managed to erase a 20-point deficit (27-7). Quarterback Ryan Hart led RU with 342 yards on 27-of-44 passing, while Brian Leonard had 186 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. The RU win in the series came in 2006 in Piscataway by the score of 33-0.
Despite being in opposite divisions, this will be the second of six-straight years (2016-21) the programs will match up according to future Big Ten schedules.
UP NEXT
Rutgers will return home to host Purdue in its annual Homecoming game scheduled for Oct. 21 at noon. It will be the first meeting between the programs on the gridiron.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding football, follow the program on Twitter @RFootball.
