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It's 'Groundhog Day' for Rutgers: Defense horrid again in loss to Illinois | What went wrong

It’s déjà vu all over again.

Rutgers suffered its fifth straight loss on Saturday, falling to Illinois, 38-17, at HighPoint.com Stadium in Piscataway.

Some of the details changed. Others did not. But, on the whole, the song remained the same.

A disastrous first half on defense (and the second half wasn't much better). An inconsistent offense that looks lost at one moment and like a well-oiled machine the next. An inability to get the game-changing play, on either side of the ball, when it needs it. No luck.

And now, a 1-5 record halfway through the season with an 0-3 mark in the Big Ten and, if you go by the expectations and records, a 1-11 finish looking more likely by the day.