Familiar problems plagued Rutgers in East Lansing on Saturday afternoon, as more inefficient quarterback play and a struggling offense fell 27-21 to Michigan State.
A Hail Mary from Gavin Wimsatt to Shameen Jones on 4th and 29 in the final minute somehow connected from 31 yards to pull RU within six, but the ensuing onside kick was unsuccessful.
With the loss, the Scarlet Knights fall to 4-6, meaning they would have to win their final two games of the season, including next Saturday against No. 14 Penn State, to be bowl eligible.
It was the third straight loss for RU, the second three-game losing streak of the season. Greg Schiano’s group has lost six of seven in conference play since a 3-0 start to the season.
The Spartans started the scoring late in the first quarter when Payton Thorne found Jalen Berger for a 26-yard strike to put Michigan State ahead 7-0, while Rutgers continued to labor through the same offensive troubles that have plagued them throughout the season. Aside from a 23-yard run by Kyle Monangai, RU accounted for nearly all of its offense in the opening quarter.
The offense woke up late in the second quarter, when Wimsatt found Avery Young for an 18-yard touchdown to tie the game with just under six minutes left in the half. But the Spartans took it right back four minutes later, when a 10-play drive was capped off by a 2-yard rush from Berger, diving into the end zone to put Michigan State ahead 14-7.
The Spartans opened things up in the second half when Thorne and Jaylen Reed connected on a 25-yard touchdown pass less than five minutes into the third quarter, but Rutgers clawed right back into the game with a 9-play, 69-yard drive capped off by a 1-yard punch-in by Johnny Langan to keep the Scarlet Knights within a touchdown heading into the fourth quarter.
The Scarlet Knights had a chance to inch even closer in the fourth, but a nearly six minute drive was wasted when a field goal attempt was blocked by Michigan State, and the Spartans quickly turned it into a field goal of their own.
On the ensuing drive for RU, Wimsatt was sacked on a fourth down try, all but putting the game away despite the brief flash of life on Wimsatt's desperation touchdown heave.
The Rutgers offense has managed just 35 points over the last three games after scoring a season-high 24 points in a win over Indiana last month, the team’s lone conference win of the season.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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