Instant analysis as Rutgers football's 2nd half collapse leads to frustrating loss vs. Washington

Another game, another missed opportunity for Rutgers football.

The Scarlet Knights’ losing streak continues.

Greg Schiano’s team started off hot Friday, Oct. 10 against Washington but couldn’t come close to sustaining it amid a second-half collapse in a 38-19 loss to the Huskies at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington.

The Scarlet Knights fell to 3-3.

It was the third-straight defeat for Rutgers, which next plays No. 3 Oregon on Oct. 18 at SHI Stadium.

This was another frustrating game for the Scarlet Knights, who had plenty of opportunities to take command in the first half but continuously failed to do so.

They took an early 10-0 lead after quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who was 31-of-50 for 386 yards, hit KJ Duff for a 20-yard touchdown pass and Jai Patel kicked a 35-yard field goal midway through the opening quarter – at that point Rutgers looked like a refreshed team after the bye week.

And perhaps most importantly, its defense was playing well.

Washington sliced Rutgers’ lead to three points at the break, but then everything changed in the third quarter − the Huskies scored two touchdowns in the first five minutes of the quarter to take an 11-point lead.

Rutgers cut it to five when Kaliakmanis hit running back Antwan Raymond for a 48-yard touchdown, but then the Huskies responded with two touchdowns.

They officially put the game away when Ephesians Prysock intercepted Kaliakmanis in the end zone with just less than two minutes left.

Still, the Scarlet Knights’ offense again wasn’t the problem, though it again stalled out after the hot start. Their defense just isn’t good enough right now. The Huskies hit multiple big plays to start the second half, including a 59-yard pass that helped set up a go-ahead touchdown to start the third quarter.

Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. threw for 402 yards and rushed for 136 more.

Washington as a team finished with 579 total yards. Rutgers had 493.

What’s frustrating for Rutgers is that it had chances – it got into the red zone six times, but too often failed to capitalize.

So the losing streak continues, and the Scarlet Knights’ bowl hopes continue to be in question.

This was an important game to possibly accomplish a third-straight postseason appearance, but that’s becoming more and more difficult.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Instant analysis of Rutgers football's loss to Washington