Rattled at Rate Bowl: Diving into Rutgers football's heartbreaking postseason loss to Kansas State
The Rutgers football team lost another 2024 heartbreaker in a 44-41 defeat to Kansas State in the Rate Bowl at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. The Scarlet Knights (7-6, 4-5) snatched defeat from the jaws of victory Thursday and now have an even 7-7 record in bowl games throughout their program’s history.
No Monangai? No problem in the first half
With his eyes set on the upcoming NFL draft, star senior running back Kyle Monangai was the only Knight to opt out of the Rate Bowl.
That didn’t seem to matter against the Wildcats (9-4, 5-4). Freshman running back Antwan Raymond and sophomore running back Ja’shon Benjamin handled the load just fine.
Raymond ended the first half with an astounding 104 yards on eight carries. That’s 14 yards per carry.
The true freshman's first highlight came at the 4:15 mark of the first quarter when he pushed the pile for a touchdown from two yards out on third and goal. This score gave Rutgers an early 7-3 lead.
It didn’t stop there. Early in the second quarter, Raymond surged up the middle for a 65-yard run that surely made Monangai smile on the sidelines. A few plays later, Benjamin punched in a three-yard touchdown to give the Knights a 17-10 lead.
After Kansas State tied the score at 17 apiece, Raymond took matters into his own hands. He glided into the endzone off the left edge for a 24-yard touchdown. In just two quarters, Raymond found paydirt twice. He has done so in back-to-back games, as he scored two times in the regular season finale against Michigan State last month.
After two quarters, Rutgers led 27-17.
With the way the offense played in the first half, it seemed like the Knights had their hands on the wheel. They sat comfortably in the driver's seat.
Rutgers fans who gleefully took to the concessions at halftime for a snack or a bathroom break had no idea what they would be witness to in the second half.
From the driver’s seat to the backseat.
The second half started off well.
After forcing a Wildcats punt, the Knights drove down the field and increased their lead to 34-17 courtesy of a seven-yard Benjamin touchdown catch. The momentum shifted even more in Rutgers’ favor.
But then it quickly shifted to Kansas State like a tide in a storm.
After two more punts by both teams, the Wildcats calmed down their antsy fans with an explosive 65-yard run by Dylan Edwards. Edwards galloped through a gaping hole, eluded tacklers and found the endzone. A failed two-point conversion attempt put the score at 34-23.
Two plays later, when the Knights had possession on 2nd and 16, senior quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis had his first costly blemish of the game. He threw an ugly pick that set Kansas State up in opposing territory.
Things went from bad to worse. A 27-yard scramble from quarterback Avery Johnson set up a 13-yard touchdown pass. Another missed two-point conversion try made the score 34-29, but it was clear the game’s complexion was vastly changing.
The next scoring play would come at the 14:02 mark of the fourth quarter. Rutgers converted on the goal line with Raymond’s third touchdown of the game. At that point, the Knights led 41-29 and just needed their defense to step up.
But the Wildcats were firmly visible in the rearview mirror.
A 7-minute drive with 14 plays for 85 yards culminated in a Kansas State touchdown. The score was now 41-36. With approximately 7 minutes remaining, Rutgers could have chewed up some clock with a couple of first downs. Better yet, the Knights could have scored a touchdown or at least a field goal. They didn’t. Instead, they went three and out.
The Wildcats got the ball back at their 40-yard line with approximately 5:30 to go. At the 4:15 mark, Edwards took to the left side, found a wide-open lane and scored what would end up being a game-winning touchdown. Kansas State scored more on the 2-point attempt, but it wouldn’t end up mattering. With the game on the line on 4th and 7 in its own territory, Rutgers could not move the chains. A first down later, and the Wildcats would earn a wild come-from-behind bowl victory.
In the first half, the Knights totaled 319 yards of offense. In the second half? Just 82. It didn’t help that headset communication issues between offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarroca and Kaliakmanis arose in the third quarter.
Not only did the offense disappoint in the second half, but the Rutgers defense allowed 27 points in the half alone. It was a disastrous two quarters all around. Kansas State accumulated a whopping 542 yards on offense and 347 on the ground.
“They did some things in the run game that certainly gave us trouble,” said head coach Greg Schiano. “When the quarterback can be a runner that he is, it changes all the math. It’s really hard.”
One could direct the defense’s struggles toward not having former defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak at the helm of the defensive play calls. A few weeks ago, Harasymiak was hired as the head coach of UMass. Schiano served as the main defensive coordinator in Thursday’s game.
“Cetaintly wasn’t a great thing for us,” Schiano said of not having Harasymiak.
This Knights’ loss will surely sting. They know they let this game get away from them. All Rutgers can do is look toward the future.
“I feel bad for them, but that’s the way life goes,” Schiano said. “We’ll shake off the dirt, get back to work in a couple weeks and continue building this program.”
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