Rutgers Football: Scarlet Knight Collapse in Big Ten Loss to Iowa, 38-28

With a record-setting game, and overall positive showing, Rutgers can not walk away completely unhappy after a close loss to Iowa to enter Big Ten football play. The Scarlet Knights fell 38-28 in what was an incredibly closely fought battle until the end, when the Hawkeyes were able to run away with it off of some key defensive mistakes by Rutgers. We’ll break down the Week 4 clash in this game recap.

Rutgers Football Recap: Scarlet Knights Collapse to Iowa, 38-28

Iowa opened scoring before either quarterback could reach the field, as Kaden Wetjen returned the opening kickoff 104 yards for a quick score to put the Hawkeyes up seven.

Kaden Wetjen is a MACHINE. 95-yd PR TD in Week 3, 100-yd KR TD in Week 4. B1G’s most electric returner is back and DANGEROUS. 🏈⚡️ #HawkeyeFootballpic.twitter.com/69gttfAkvf

— Run The Damn Ball (@RTDB_95) September 20, 2025

Rutgers, however, was not deterred as Athan Kaliakmanis and company easily walked down the field to return the blow, tying it all up at seven.

Kaliakmanis has been successful this season due to all of the trusted options he can now work with. From receivers KJ Duff, Ian Strong, and DT Sheffield, to running back Antwan Raymond, and more, the senior signal-caller has been able to utilize his options well. Despite the loss, Rutgers’ 28 points are the most the Scarlet Knights have ever put up versus Iowa, and the feat should still not go unnoticed.

Ian Strong

Ian Strong was, without a doubt, the biggest key to the Rutgers offense on Friday. Despite being a game-time decision due to a lingering injury, he immediately made his mark in the contest. He was a continuous weapon making sure the offense was moving throughout the game, and really helped keep Rutgers ahead for most of the matchup.

Strong finished the night with eight receptions for 151 yards, the most on either team. He is and will continue to be an integral part of this team’s success, and he certainly has shown the makings of a top NFL draft prospect.

Fine-Tune the Defense

The defense surrendered a season-high 31 points (one TD was on special teams) on Friday, and they have really been the weak link all season long for Rutgers. With the team running such a competitive offense, there really needs to be more support from the other side of the ball. Despite keeping Iowa close for much of the game, a late-game meltdown due to a lack of depth and injuries really is what ended up sealing the win for Iowa.

It seems to be the same problems every game, and there needs to be some changes soon before Big Ten play really ramps up to the ranked schools that will be huge challenges.

Big Ten Struggles to Come?

Against the two groups of five schools and an FCS opponent, Rutgers, as was widely expected, took care of business. Now, though, the Scarlet Knights return to the world of the Big Ten, a world that has not been kind to them for many years. The Big Ten is one of the most challenging conferences in all of sports, and for Rutgers, especially, it has been an upward battle.

Iowa was one of the easier teams on the upcoming schedule. And while they lost, there is hope. Rutgers was able to really keep up with and put up numbers against the Hawkeyes. With plenty more opportunities ahead of them, the Scarlet Knights simply need to tighten up the defense while continuing the offensive production, and Big Ten wins could very well be in their future.

Final Thoughts

The talent for big Big Ten wins is undoubtedly there, but how does Rutgers make sure that they all perform on game day? There will always need to be things fixed. Yet as the Scarlet Knights continue to play these top teams, the problems will only become more apparent, so hopefully that also means they will be tended to efficiently.

There is a real energy around the teams this year, and they really are set up to have big wins this season, just maybe that time is yet to come.

Up Next

Rutgers will head away from home for the first time this year to Minnesota on Saturday, September 27th. It will be the second Big Ten matchup of the year for Rutgers, and the kickoff will come at noon on the Big Ten Network.