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A lot of college football teams suffered a heartbreaking loss in Week 13 but perhaps none had it worse than Rutgers. In a moment that has since gone viral, head coach Greg Schiano called a timeout to ice Illinois kicker Ethan Moczulski on his 58-yard game-winning attempt, only to see Brett Bielema change his mind coming out of the break and dial up a 40-yard touchdown pass.
Despite knowing what his timeout led to in hindsight, Schiano did not fully regret making the call. The 58-year-old instead said post-game that he believes in his judgment in the moment and only regrets not calling the timeout before Moczulski could attempt the kick.
“I'm not going to sit here and say I wish I hadn't [called the timeout] because it didn't work out,” Schiano said after the game, via 247 Sports. “If it worked out, I would sit here and say, yeah, I'm glad I did. I've said before, it was a good call because it worked. I've stood up here and said it's a bad call because it didn't work. That's the way it goes. You have about 12 seconds to make decisions, and you make them.”
#Rutgers Football HC Greg Schiano called a timeout to ice #Illinois before a 58-yard FG attempt.
Bret Bielema saw the kick had no chance and decided not to kick the FG after the timeout. He went for it on 4th and 13 on the 40 and scored a TD to win the game.
— Rutgers Scarlet Knights | The Knight Report (@RutgersRivals) November 23, 2024
Schiano called the timeout just as Illinois snapped the ball, allowing Moczulski to attempt a free practice kick. The wind in Piscataway forced the kick to go wide left, leading to Bielema putting his offense back on the field, believing his kicker did not stand a chance given the conditions. On the ensuing play, Luke Altmyer hit Pat Bryant wide-open in the middle of the defense, who reversed the field to sprint untouched into the end zone.
Rutgers looks to bounce back against Michigan State
With one game remaining in the regular season, Rutgers has one final chance to get back on track before they presumably compete in a post-season bowl game. The Scarlet Knights return to the road in Week 14 to face the struggling Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing.
After starting the year at 4-0, Rutgers has gone just 2-5 since to carry a 6-5 record into their final week. Schiano's team followed up their 4-0 start with a four-game losing streak that ended with a 26-19 win over Minnesota in Week 11. They would clinch bowl eligibility the following week before losing to the No. 25-ranked Fighting Illini in Week 13.
Despite carrying the better record into the game, Rutgers has opened as a betting underdog against Michigan State. The 5-6 Spartans need a win in the regular season finale to become bowl eligible after losing six of their past eight games.
