No. 25 Illinois won a 38-31 thriller over Rutgers with a touchdown on Saturday in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Down 31-30, the Illini faced 4th-and-13 with 14 seconds left and were poised to attempt a 58-yard field goal. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano then called a timeout to try Ethan Moczulski’s cleat.
Moczulski did kick the ball left and about 15 yards short, but the attempt was fouled by a timeout. After seeing the kickoff and getting a chance to review, Illinois coach Bret Bielema decided against the field goal attempt and opted for a first down. That choice ended up working out even better than Bielema probably imagined.
Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer connected with Pat Bryant for a 17-yard pass and a first down. But Rutgers couldn’t deal with Bryant despite having five defenders nearby. The senior wideout then sprinted the remaining 23 yards to the right corner of the end zone for a touchdown with four seconds remaining.
The Illini failed on a 2-point conversion attempt. Still, they got those two points when Rutgers moved the ball out of bounds on the ensuing kickoff in the end zone.