Rutgers vs. Iowa: Score, live updates and three keys for the Scarlet Knights
IOWA CITY, IOWA – Rutgers football hasn’t beaten Iowa in three previous tries.
Ending that skid today would give the Scarlet Knights a seventh victory, a meaningful win over a ranked opponent and another achievement in an already successful season.
Can Greg Schiano’s team get it done?
That’ll be answered when Rutgers takes the field at Kinnick Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff looking to bounce back from last week’s tough loss to Ohio State.
The No. 22 Hawkeyes, coming off a close win over Northwestern, are 7-2 and lead the Big Ten West. They boast the fourth-ranked defense in the nation, allowing just 13.7 points per game, but have struggled badly to produce offensively all season – so much so that offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, son of head coach Kirk Ferentz, won’t be returning after this season.
Here are three keys for Rutgers today against Iowa:
Control the clock
Rutgers is at its best when it’s running the football effectively, putting together long drives and keeping its opponent off the field.
Kyle Monangai, who ran for 159 yards against an elite Ohio State defense, will need to have another big performance. This likely is going to be a game where the Scarlet Knights look to run the ball a lot – that’s the offense’s identity – and he’s 97 yards away from 1,000 for the season.
If Rutgers can run the ball well, it’ll also keep the defense fresh.
CLIMB TO THE TOP How Rutgers football's Kyle Monangai went from under the radar to among Big Ten's best
Overwhelm and underwhelming Iowa offense
Iowa has one of the worst offenses in the nation, allowing just 18.4 points per game. The Hawkeyes have only scored 17 touchdowns all season – for perspective, Rutgers has scored 30.
This is a chance for a stout, elite Rutgers defense to completely impose its will against an offense that has lost its starting quarterback, Cade McNamara, and tight end, Erick All, to season-ending injuries.
Members of the Scarlet Knights’ defense have said they believe the unit can keep getting better. Now is the time to prove that.
Avoid turnovers
Gavin Wimsatt has thrown a pick six in all three of Rutgers’ losses. They’ve been backbreaking mistakes that completely changed the game and handed momentum to Rutgers’ opponents – Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio State.
That can’t happen today.
The Scarlet Knights can’t give Iowa additional chances to score. It needs to avoid game-changing miscues.
Follow along here for scoring updates throughout the game.
FINAL: Iowa 22, Rutgers 0
Too many penalties, not enough offense for the Scarlet Knights.
4Q, 4:39: Iowa takes a 22-0 lead
Wimsatt was intercepted by Quinn Schulte on the first play of Rutgers' possession, and Schulte returned it 39 yards to the Rutgers 9.
Iowa needed three plays to get into the end zone as Hill threw to Kaleb Brown for a four-yard touchdown pass.
It's now 22-0 Hawkeyes.
4Q, 5:43: Iowa adds to its lead
A 24-yard field goal makes it 15-0 with 5:43 to play.
4Q, 13:38: Iowa touchdown makes it a 12-0 game
Iowa probably just sealed the game with the way things have been going for Rutgers.
Jaziun Patterson scored on a four-yard run. The Hawkeyes went for two but couldn't convert, so it's 12-0.
That seems like an insurmountable deficit to overcome for the Scarlet Knights, who have struggled to move the ball for much of the game.
3Q, 4:18: Iowa adds to its lead
Another field goal for the Hawkeyes, this time a kick of 43 yards.
The drive started with a 54-yard pass from Hill to Zach Ortwerth, but Melton took down Nico Ragaini for a loss of four on first-and-10 at the 25. After a four-yard pass and an incomplete pass, Iowa had to settle for the field goal.
It's 6-0 Iowa.
Halftime: Iowa 3, Rutgers 0
Max Melton came up with a huge play in the closing seconds of the half, intercepting Deacon Hill at the Rutgers 8 when Iowa had first-and-10 at the Rutgers 12.
It killed a promising drive and kept the score close at the half.
Rutgers has only rushed for 32 yards so far, which is hurting the offense. But the Hawkeyes have one of the best defenses in the nation.
2Q, 2:50: Iowa takes the lead
It took a while, but this game finally has points.
Iowa kicked a 32-yard field and is up 3-0 on the Scarlet Knights.
Bad penalty by Rutgers helped the Hawkeyes on that drive. Aaron Lewis sacked Deacon Hill for a loss of six on first-and-10 at the Rutgers 40, but Max Melton got called for holding, negating the sack and giving Iowa a first down at the Rutgers 30.
AVAILABILITY REPORT
An interesting pre-game development here as both running back Kyle Monangai and tight end Johnny Langan are both listed as questionable.
Defensive linemen Mayan Ahanotu and Rene Konga are also both questionable.
WR Chris Long, WR Naseim Brantley, CB Bo Mascoe, OL Joe De Croce, OL Tyler Needham and LB Tyreem Powell are all OUT.
UPDATE
Both Kyle Monangai and Johnny Langan started, so they're fine. Ahanotu has not played yet.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football vs Iowa: Score, live updates
