Rutgers · Big TenRutgers collapses after halftime in 31–10 loss at Wisconsin
The Scarlet Knights lost a potential interception to roughing the passer, committed three more costly defensive penalties and went scoreless after halftime.
NOV 8, 2026
Second-half scoring margin
Final score at Wisconsin
Rutgers record before Wisconsin
01 · The NewsRutgers Collapses After Halftime
Rutgers turned a competitive first half into a 31–10 loss at Wisconsin on Saturday, Nov. 7, entering the game at 2–6 after the Badgers scored 18 unanswered points in the second half.
“Second half no position (player or players) played well enough to consider winning,” Greg Schiano said. “We got shut out 0 to 18. So no position played well enough to consider winning the game. That’s on me.”
Rutgers had scored a touchdown and stayed in the game through the first half. After halftime, it produced no points, and penalties helped Wisconsin keep control of the game.
A roughing-the-passer call on Jesse Ofurie erased an interception by JJ Conyers at the Wisconsin 35-yard line, a turnover that would have given Rutgers the ball in favorable field position. The Scarlet Knights also committed two defensive pass-interference penalties and a targeting foul on Tariq Hayer.
The loss extended Rutgers’ losing streak to three games since its Oct. 17 victory at Maryland. It also deepened a season that began with a 21–37 loss to Massachusetts on Sept. 3. Rutgers was 2–6 before facing Wisconsin and finished 2025 at 5–7.
Wisconsin entered Saturday at 6–3. Rutgers had stayed within one score of Michigan in a 28–21 loss on Oct. 31, but the defense’s penalties against Wisconsin changed possession and field-position opportunities before the Badgers pulled away. The offense never answered the 18–0 second half.
Schiano’s assessment left little room to separate one unit from another. As he finished, he clenched his left hand and cracked his knuckles.
02 · The StakesThe Slide Is Schiano’s Test
The remaining season is a test of whether Schiano can stop the slide that began with the Massachusetts loss. After Wisconsin, the burden sits with him: Rutgers must keep its penalties and second-half collapse from deciding the rest of its season.
03 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
Rutgers’ 2–7 record has already surpassed the five losses from its 5–7 finish in 2025, with three fewer wins. The deeper concern is how little the Oct. 17 victory at Maryland changed the trajectory. The Scarlet Knights then lost by 28 points at Northwestern, by seven against Michigan and by 21 at Wisconsin. That sequence moved from a blowout to a one-score game and back to a three-score defeat, while the Wisconsin loss added a scoreless half and penalties that changed possession opportunities. The remaining season therefore tests more than bowl math: It tests whether the Maryland win marked any durable correction.
04 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
Will Tariq Hayer face additional discipline for the targeting call?
Rutgers has not said whether the targeting call will bring further discipline. Any absence would add a personnel decision to a defense coming off four costly flags against Wisconsin, including the roughing call that erased Conyers’ interception. Rutgers’ next depth chart or a team announcement before its next game will provide the first answer.
05 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching
Can Rutgers avoid another second-half shutout?
The tell is whether the offense produces points after halftime instead of repeating the 18–0 second-half margin.
Will penalties keep changing the game?
Watch for defensive penalties that erase turnovers or alter possession and field-position opportunities.