Rutgers Football's losing streak rose to four straight games, ending the month of October without a win after a primetime 42-20 loss at USC in Los Angeles. The Scarlet Knights (4-4, 1-4) once again struggled defensively, while the offense played relatively well but not enough to keep up with the Trojans' (4-4, 2-4) offensive attack.
After starting the season 4-0 with plenty of momentum, the season has hit a tailspin, with Rutgers now in an uphill battle to qualify for a bowl game.
Athan Kaliakmanis led Rutgers through the air with 313 yards and a touchdown on 47 pass attempts. Kyle Monangai, listed as questionable pregame for the second consecutive week, had another solid game on the ground with 86 yards. He later had to leave the game due to injury after a hard hit in the third quarter. He carried the ball just twice in the second half.
USC quarterback Miller Moss tore up the Scarlet Knights' defense, to the tune of 20-for-28 passing with 313 yards and two touchdowns through the air, while adding another score with his legs.
Rutgers kept up in counting stats, as the Trojans outgained Rutgers by only a 443-434 margin, but the Scarlet Knights settling for only 13 points on four red zone trips doomed them to another game of good-not-great offensive output and a subpar defensive effort.
Much of the yardage came from sheer volume, as Rutgers ran a whopping 89 offensive plays, compared to 51 for USC. The Trojans averaged 8.7 yards per play, compared to 4.9 for the Scarlet Knights.
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The Scarlet Knights' struggles again started on the defensive end, as USC scored touchdowns on all four of its offensive drives in the first half, including three on the ground by running back Woody Marks. Marks finished the game with 94 yards rushing and the three first-half scores. Moss played a surgical opening half, completing 14 of his 16 pass attempts for 172 yards and a score of his own to Kyle Ford.
The offense played a solid game once again, showing more balance early on than in recent weeks. Monangai carried the ball 16 times for 81 yards, while freshman Antwan Raymond scored on a three-yard rush to give Rutgers its first touchdown of the game.
Kaliakmanis played a relatively solid first half as well, but struggled to convert in key situations, particularly to Dymere Miller. Miller was peppered with targets throughout, leading to a season-best performance with 11 catches for 131 yards. He became the first Scarlet Knights receiver with double-digit receptions in a game since Mohamed Sanu caught 13 passes against Army in 2011.
Both offenses were able to consistently move the ball down the field, with the game's first punt not coming until the third quarter.
Despite the success in the middle of the field, the Scarlet Knights still struggled to put points on the board, scoring just 12 points in the first half even after gaining 232 yards in the opening half.
The second half was much of the same, as the Trojans took advantage of multiple defensive miscues. One week after UCLA racked up 233 yards after catch, USC outdid their in-city rival with 2__ yards after the catch.
Time after time, Moss was able to find a receiver over the middle with plenty of yards of separation. All three levels of the defense struggled in containing Trojans' head coach
The front four was once again unable to get pressure on Moss, registering just one single QB hit, with no sacks or tackles for loss.
The linebackers could not turn around what has become a disappointing season for the unit, as USC dominated the middle of the field and got extra yards on the ground by getting to the second level.
The defensive backs also struggled, as the Trojans' dynamic group of receivers gained plenty of separation throughout the game as Riley dialed up plenty of easy throws to beat both man and zone coverage.
The injuries once again reared its ugly head for the Scarlet Knights as well. Defensive end Wesley Bailey missed the game, as well as linebacker Tyreem Powell, defensive end Aaron Lewis, safety Flip Dixon, and cornerbacks Robert Longerbeam Eric Rogers being listed as questionable. Lewis later left the game with an injury.
Rutgers heads into the second bye week with the season teetering on disaster after four consecutive losses. The four remaining games - at home against Minnesota, on the road at Maryland, a Senior Day tilt against Illinois, and a road finale at Michigan State - all count as "coin toss" matchups, but the Scarlet Knights have not shown an ability to take down even the lower tier of the Big Ten over the last month.
RFOOTBALL PLAY OF THE GAME...
Rutgers runs the "Philly Special" on a two-point conversion to bring the game to within a possession in the third quarter.
UP NEXT....
Rutgers Football will have the next week off for their second bye of the season before welcoming Minnesota to town for a matchup on November 9th.
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