PISCATAWAY -- If at first you don't succeed ... make sure to get the ball to Raheem Blackshear.

That's the lesson Rutgers learned Saturday when offensive coordinator Jerry Kill called for a second try of a busted play designed for the speedy running back. The result was a 35-yard touchdown catch that served as the turning point for a 14-12 victory against Purdue.

Blackshear was open behind the defense on a wheel route late in the first half, but quarterback Giovanni Rescigno tripped over his own feet and never delivered the pass. It felt like a huge missed opportunity in a game where Rutgers had little margin for error.

"I was kicking myself because I missed the first one," Rescigno said. "Then we ran the same play and he was open again, so it was really good to hit him. I told him I was going to hit him and we did."

With Rutgers clinging to a 7-3 lead in the third quarter, Rescigno hit Blackshear streaking up the home sideline after a misread by linebacker Danny Ezechukwu, who started to blitz and turned around but trailed the entire play.

Blackshear caught the ball in open space at the 22-yard line, made one cut at the 5 and walked into the end zone for his second touchdown in as many games (both Big Ten wins).

"It's like anything else: Just because they stop a play one time doesn't mean you can't come back to it," coach Chris Ash said. "There's no rule that says you can't run a play twice, and we just happened to like that matchup. Didn't work the first time. We thought we could do it again, protect it the right way, get the right defense called where we could exploit a matchup."

In addition to providing the decisive points, the play was significant for two other reasons.

First, it showed an aggressive tendency by Rutgers, which has played conservatively on offense most of the season. Going back to Ash's first season in 2016, Rutgers has punted from inside the opponent's 40-yard line more than a handful of times to battle for field position.

So, facing a third-and-19 from the 35-yard line, it seemed logical that Rutgers would run the ball to set up a shorter field goal. An incomplete pass would've left the offense in no-man's land and a penalty surely would have brought out the punter.

"We weren't playing for a field goal," Ash said. "We were trying to get a first down, and if we could get a touchdown, that would have been great.

He added, a bit sarcastically, "But we wanted to at least get a 1st down, and it worked out to go all the way, so great play call. When you call a play and it works like that, it's a great play call, right? Great coaching."

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Raheem Blackshear gives the Scarlet Knights a two-score lead. pic.twitter.com/314Z0i0Sz6 — Rutgers On BTN (@RutgersOnBTN) October 21, 2017

Second, it established the 5-foot-9, 185-pound Blackshear as pass-catching threat.

The true freshman had six carries for 87 yards and a powerful touchdown against Illinois, after rushing for 102 and two scores against Morgan State earlier this season. With Rutgers wide receivers struggling big-time, more is being asked of the tight ends and running backs.

"It feels good that the coaches are seeing I can (do) both to help my team get better and better," Blackshear said. "I think people underestimate me because they think I'm small, but I'm a nice size. People are starting to realize it."

Blackshear, out of Rutgers-friendly Archbishop Wood High School in Pennsylvania, committed to Rutgers on his official visit in late January after flipping from Temple and Michigan State.

Kill said Blackshear has a chance to be an all-time great at Rutgers

"Coach Kill helped me the most," Blackshear said of his final decision. "I love Coach Kill. I love Coach (Lester) Erb. It's close to home and my family can see me.

"I'm learning how to read my holes with my linemen, so I'm getting a better connection with them. I have senior (running backs) in front of me, so it's helping me."

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.