With 13 seconds left in Saturday’s game between Rutgers and Illinois, the Scarlet Knights led by a point and the Illini faced a fourth down at the Rutgers 40.
Illinois was going to try for a long field goal until Rutgers called time to ice the kicker as he missed from 58 yards.
The decision by Greg Schiano backfired as Illinois put the offense back on the field and Luke Almyer threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Pat Bryant.
It mattered not that the two-point conversion failed because Rutgers somehow allowed Illinois a safety on the final play of the game to complete a 38-30 loss.
Rutgers attempted a circus lateral play as the game was ending and the ball went out of the end zone, awarding Illinois two points.
PAT BRYANT SCORES THE GAME-WINNING TD ON 4TH DOWN! 😱@IlliniFootball pic.twitter.com/ndso5u3X8B
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) November 23, 2024
Rutgers had taken the 31-30 lead on a touchdown pass with 1:08 left only for everything to collapse in the final seconds.