Rutgers football 'worn out on defense' in loss to Iowa
The Rutgers football team was shut out by Iowa in a 22-0 loss at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. The Scarlet Knights (6-4, 3-4) could not get anything going on offense in their second biggest road test of the season.
Outside the game, both teams participated in the Hawkeye Wave on Saturday, a tradition where all players and fans wave to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital at the end of the first quarter.
Here are three takeaways from the game against the Hawkeyes (8-2, 5-2).
Rutgers lets Iowa find offensive success
A defensive battle was expected between Rutgers and No. 22 Iowa, but the score wasn't projected to be this lopsided. The Hawkeyes scored two offensive touchdowns on Saturday despite not scoring more than one touchdown in their first six Big Ten Conference matchups.
Deacon Hill threw for 223 yards, which was the most in all his appearances this season. The Hawkeyes also attacked the Knights on the ground with 197 rushing yards on 46 carries.
The backbreaker for Rutgers' defense came in the third quarter when Hill took advantage of a busted coverage to find Zach Ortwerth wide-open in the middle of the field for a 54-yard completion. The long play set up a field goal for Iowa that extended its lead to 6-0.
The Hawkeyes would find pay dirt twice in the fourth quarter on short fields.
"We got worn out on defense," head coach Greg Schiano said after the game. "It was a 2-to-1 ratio on time of possession. The guys just played too many plays. They get worn out against a quality opponent like that."
Rutgers' offense struggles
Iowa's second touchdown of the day was preceded by an ugly fourth-quarter interception by junior quarterback Gavin Wimsatt. Wimsatt threw for just 93 yards on 7 of 18 completions. In the second half, he only had 18 passing yards.
Junior running back Kyle Monangai could not get it going for the Knights either, with just 39 yards on 13 rushing attempts.
"For us to be effective, we have to be able to run the football, and we didn't do that," Schiano said. "Everything comes off of that. That's who we are."
Penalties also affected Rutgers' effectiveness on the attack, as it suffered six false starts on offense.
Schiano knows that getting penalized against a good team like the Hawkeyes makes it almost impossible to come up victorious.
"We practiced with crowd noise that was, I thought, every bit as loud as that," Schiano said. "But crowd noise and a good player against you can make you a little twitchy."
Injuries begin to pile up
Coming into the game, Monangai, senior tight end Johnny Langan, senior defensive lineman Mayan Ahanotu and junior defensive lineman Rene Konga were all on the pregame injury report. Monangai and Langan played, but the former was assessed by trainers on the field after going down in the second half. Ahanotu did not see game action, while Konga was limited in his play.
Most notably, junior defensive backs Flip Dixon and Robert Longerbeam, as well as senior wide receiver JaQuae Jackson, went down on the field with injuries sustained against Iowa.
Schiano doesn't want to use the injuries as a scapegoat for the Knights' struggles.
"I think the toll of a long season, being in the back part of it now, has definitely had an effect," Schiano said. "But like I said earlier, that's everybody. Sometimes you have a little more than others, but sometimes you have less, who knows? But I just hope that they're going to be okay, and we'll be able to better ascertain that when we get back and if there needs to be any tests on any of those things."
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