It was a nightmare of an afternoon for Rutgers Football as it fell to Wisconsin 42-7 to drop its second straight game.
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The Scarlet Knights (4-2, 1-2) struggled in just about every aspect of the game as they were outgained 549-271, including allowing 309 yards on the ground.
Rutgers was given a bit of life after Bo Mascoe recovered a fumble at Wisconsin's 30-yard line with 54 seconds remaining in the first half and trailing 14-0. The Scarlet Knights were unable to capitalize though as Jai Patel's 37-yard field goal was blocked following a bad snap.
Things went from bad to worse for Rutgers when Darrion Dupree scored a two-yard rushing touchdown to put Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1) ahead 21-0 with 8:14 remaining in the third quarter. Braedyn Locke connected with Vinny Anthony II for a 47-yard pass one play prior.
Dupree pushed it to a 28-0 lead with a nine-yard touchdown run.
Rutgers got its first score of the game early in the fourth quarter when Kyle Monangai ran it in from 13 yards out to make it 28-7 with 13:38 remaining. It marked Monangai's seventh rushing touchdown of the season.
Wisconsin answered though with a 55-yard touchdown run from Tawee Walker that gave Wisconsin a 35-7 lead with 11:11 remaining. Locke added a one-yard score to make it 42-7 with 4:47 left, capping off a nine-play, 80-yard drive.
Athan Kaliakmanis finished 12-for-32 for 103 yards and one interception and was replaced by Ajani Sheppard with 4:47 left in the fourth quarter. Monangai recorded 19 carries for 72 yards and one touchdown while Kaliakmanis had four rushes for 48 yards.
Christian Dremel led the Scarlet Knights receiving with two catches for 54 yards.
Wisconsin started the game with an eight-play, 89-yard drive capped off by a 16-yard touchdown pass from Braedyn Locke to Will Pauling to give it a 7-0 lead with 9:10 remaining in the first quarter. Locke also connected with Anthony for a 34-yard pass two plays earlier to set the Badgers up at Rutgers' 19-yard line.
Wisconsin pushed it to a 14-0 lead with 1:39 left in the first quarter after Walker punched it in from a yard out on fourth down, finishing off a seven-play, 53-yard drive.
Rutgers received a break when Nathanial Vakos missed a 35-yard field goal that would have given Wisconsin a 17-0 lead with 7:22 remaining in the second quarter. The Scarlet Knights failed to do anything with it though as their 10-play drive was cut short when they were stopped on 4th-and-1 at Wisconsin's 10-yard line with 2:29 left.
Walker led the Badgers with 24 carries for 198 yards and three touchdowns while Locke went 20-for-28 for 240 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Anthony had two catches for 81 yards.
The Scarlet Knights were outgained 192-120 in the first half and were 2-for-10 on third downs. They also recorded just five first downs while the Badgers had 13.
Kaliakmanis went 7-for-20 for 69 yards while Monangai had 11 carries for 22 yards. The Scarlet Knights also had four drops.
Rutgers was outgained 154-35 in the opening quarter and recorded one first down while the Badgers had eight.
Rutgers also suffered on the injury front when Samuel Brown V left early in the fourth quarter with a leg injury and did not return.
RFootball Play of the Day: Athan Kaliakmanis drops a dime to Christian Dremel for a 36-yard catch to set Rutgers up at Wisconsin's 30-yard line.
Up next: Rutgers will return to action next Saturday when it faces UCLA at SHI Stadium at noon (ET) on FS1.
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