Fans of both the Chicago Bears and Illinois football are no stranger to heartbreaking losses, and it looked like the Fighting Illini were going to suffer another one against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday. Instead, Illinois pulled off a miracle on fourth-and-13 in the final seconds, with Luke Altmeyer hitting Pat Bryant for a 40-yard touchdown pass to take the lead. The final wound up being 38-31 after a safety on the ensuing kickoff shenanigans, giving coach Bret Bielema plenty to smile about as his Fighting Illini moved to 8-3 on the season.

Just minutes before, things weren't looking good for Illinois football. As the team drove down the field to try to win the game, a questionable play call featuring a designed Altmeyer run forced Bielema to call his last timeout with 24 seconds left. This caused a fan to draw a comparison to embattled Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, who has come under fire for his poor decision-making that has cost Chicago a number of games during his tenure. But after Illinois pulled out the win, Bielema quoted the fan's post with a string of emojis:

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It made for a humorous moment after a thrilling Illinois football victory. Bielema and the Fighting Illini were bailed out in the end, thanks in part to Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano trying to ice the kicker on a long field goal attempt into a swirling wind. The kick sailed wide left, but the timeout got in right before the play, nullifying the miss. Bielema then decided to send his offense back out on the field, leading to the miracle touchdown on fourth down.

Bielema made sure to give Altmeyer and Bryant their flowers after the game. Bryant had a career game, hauling in seven passes for 197 yards and the game-winning score. Altmeyer didn't have the most efficient passing game by completing just 12 out of 26 passes, but he threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns while adding 74 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. The quarterback also didn't turn the ball over.

Illinois football will look to complete a 9-3 regular season with a win over Northwestern at Wrigley Field, which would put them in position for a major bowl game on New Year's Day. As of right now, the Citrus Bowl looks likely.