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The Rutgers football team is back on the Banks this weekend to celebrate Senior Day for its final home game against Illinois. The Scarlet Knights (6-4, 3-4) are bowl-eligible for the second straight season after defeating Maryland 31-17 in College Park, Maryland.

The Fighting Illini (7-3, 4-3) are having a solid season despite losses in 2 of their last 3 games. With marquee wins against Nebraska and reigning national champion, Michigan, early in the season, No. 24 Illinois finds itself back in the AP Top 25. 

The Daily Targum sat down with Tess Eken, the assistant sports editor for the Daily Illini and Laura Mendes, the football beat reporter for the Daily Illini, to preview Saturday’s matchup. 

Coming into this season, the Fighting Illini did not have high expectations for the team. After finishing last season two games less than .500 and losing talent to both the NFL draft and the transfer portal, fans had a lot of questions entering the 2024 campaign.

“I think people were really curious to see how this year would go,” Eken said. “I did not expect us (Illinois) to be seven and three and going to a bowl at this point. I really am not used to seeing Illinois football be overly successful.”

A lot of that success can be attributed to quarterback Luke Altmyer, who has shown strides of improvement in his second season with Illinois. This season, Altmyer has shown his ability to read defenses, reducing his 10 interceptions thrown last season to just three this season. Along with improved ball security, Altmyer has also thrown for a career-high in yards and touchdowns as a member of the Fighting Illini.

“(Altmyer) has been reading the field much better,” Eken said. “He’s noticing his field position a lot better, too. So rather than taking a sack, he’ll throw the ball away … (and) his intelligence overall is something that has improved tremendously on the field.”

Of course, a quarterback is only as good as his receivers are. For Illinois, Pat Bryant is as good as it gets. Bryant has been a starter for four years, is a team captain this season and ranks fourth in all-time career touchdowns with 17 for Illinois. 

Defensively, the Fighting Illini’s greatest strength lies in their secondary, accounting for 20 of the team’s 28 sacks. Gabe Jacas leads the group with an impressive eight sacks and three forced fumbles this year. Jacas and company present a tough test for a banged-up Rutgers offensive line, in both the pass and run game.

As for Eken’s prediction for Saturday’s contest, “I’m going to say 28-21 Illinois,” she said.

Mendes’s prediction was similar, but with a little twist, “Mine is more specific. I think it’s going to be 24-21 in overtime,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a really close matchup.”

After a winless October, the Knights look to continue their clean sweep of November with a third straight victory before finishing the regular season on the road against Michigan State. Saturday’s matchup is set to kick off at noon and will be broadcast on Peacock and 88.7 WRSU-FM.

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To view more of Nicholas Hart’s work, follow @nhart03 on X.

It’s Homecoming and Family Weekend for the Rutgers football team. A time to give a warm welcome back to alumni while also, less warmly, welcoming UCLA into town for a battle on the gridiron.

The Scarlet Knights (4-2, 1-2) have had a rough past two games, to say the least, while the Bruins (1-5, 0-4) have had a rough, well, basically whole season. Many people strive to answer the age-old question, “What happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force?” But what happens when a pretty movable object meets a fairly stoppable force?

That’s the question in play on Saturday when two struggling teams take each other on at SHI Stadium on Busch campus. The Daily Targum gives its predictions for how things will shake out below.

Josh Meyers, head sports editor:

“Let’s be honest. Rutgers’ 42-7 loss against Wisconsin last week was brutal. It was probably the worst loss in the Greg Schiano 2.0 era. That is why I expect the Knights to bounce back with a win. Injuries, though, will hinder Rutgers and make this game a lot closer than fans would like. Senior quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis will lead the offense with 250 passing yards and two touchdowns, while senior running back Kyle Monangai will find the end zone twice with 100 yards rushing. Rutgers wins 27-17 after a field goal from junior placekicker Jai Patel in the last five minutes of the game.”

Camden Markel, associate sports editor:

“Rutgers needs this game badly — which is exactly why I fear things will go wrong. But honestly, I’m a fearless guy, so the Scarlet Knights are winning this game 30-10. Rutgers blocks a punt, forces two other turnovers and records two rushing touchdowns.”

Matthew Mangam, associate sports editor:

“This isn’t a must-win game, it’s a can’t-lose. Even though Rutgers is banged up with injuries and has looked bad the past two weeks, I think the Scarlet Knights get back on track with a 27-13 win.”

Philip Jaccoma, correspondent:

“The UCLA offense is by far the worst in the Big Ten. The patchwork Rutgers defense shouldn’t let up more than 70 rush yards and 14 points, if it does, that’s a big issue. I don’t really know what to expect from the Scarlet Knights’ offense anymore, but they should be able to put up at least 25 points on this Bruin defense. Monangai has been pretty inconsistent the past few weeks, but if there were ever a bounce-back game for him, it’d be Saturday. He’ll have two touchdowns. Rutgers gets back in the winning column with a score of 28-13.”

James Mertz, contributing writer:

“This game is a must-win for Rutgers. After a disgusting loss to Wisconsin at home last week, the Scarlet Knights need to bounce back versus an inferior UCLA team. The Rutgers roster is really banged up right now, but this matchup for offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarocca’s offense calls for running the ball over and over again. And for the defense to throw away last week and play with some toughness.”

“Monangai will show why he’s one of the best running backs in the country when he runs for 150 yards and the defense forces at least one interception of Ethan Garbers.”

Nicholas Hart, contributing writer:

“After a tough 42-7 loss last week to Wisconsin and losing another key piece of the offense in junior running back Samuel Brown V, there are a lot of questions coming into Saturday’s game against UCLA. The Bruins have struggled this season as well, losing five straight games and having an offense that ranks near the bottom of the Big Ten. Rutgers needs a get-right game and this is the perfect opportunity for that.”

“The offense is going to find the rhythm that fans saw early in the season and Kaliakmanis is going to throw for more than 200 yards and at least two touchdowns. Defensively, the Knights must take advantage of Ethan Garbers’ mistakes and come away with at least one interception. As a unit, Rutgers’s defense also needs to take advantage of an underperforming running back group and hold UCLA to less than 100 total yards rushing. As for a score prediction, the Knights come out victorious in this one, 35-13, and get back on track.”

Jonathan Vasquez, contributing writer:

“Final score of 23-14 Rutgers, UCLA scores first. Halftime score of 14-7 Rutgers. Monangai has at least 15 carries going for more than 125 yards. The Knights’ defense gets one interception and forces a fumble. The defense will win this game. UCLA is a walk in the park even with all the Rutgers injuries.”

Saturday’s Homecoming and Family Weekend game will begin at noon and be broadcast on FS1 and 88.7 WRSU FM.