Indiana left no doubt in Piscataway on Saturday, turning Rutgers’ homecoming blackout game at SHI Stadium into a long night for the Scarlet Knights.
The Hoosiers controlled the game from the start and rolled to a blowout win over the defending national champions, with Rutgers once again looking overmatched after its Week 1 loss to the University of Massachusetts Amherst snapped the Minutemen’s 16-game losing streak.
Indiana’s offense set the tone immediately, and the quarterback play never let up. Redshirt senior Josh Hoover opened the game by completing his first 10 passes, all of them coming on read-option throws into the soft spots of Rutgers’ zone coverage.
Through the first two drives, the Heath, Texas, native was 10 for 11 for 142 yards and a touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Charlie Becker. He finished 20 for 27 with 251 yards and four touchdowns, easily his best grade of the season.
The ground game was even more overwhelming. Indiana entered the matchup with uncertainty in the backfield after redshirt senior Lee Beebe Jr. picked up an injury in practice last week and junior Turbo Richard was listed as probable after leaving last week’s game against Northwestern with an ankle injury. Both suited up and both delivered.
Richard was the headliner, ripping off 204 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries for an eye-popping 15.7 yards per carry. Beebe did plenty of damage too, adding 122 yards on 18 carries after his career-high 203-yard performance against Northwestern. Indiana finished with 329 total rushing yards, the third-most in head coach Curt Cignetti’s tenure.
The receivers got in on the action early as well. Rutgers was already short three defensive backs, and Indiana took advantage.
Junior Nick Marsh and Becker combined for nine catches, 140 yards and a touchdown in the Hoosiers’ first 15 offensive plays. Sophomore Davion Chandler added a second-quarter touchdown, while redshirt senior Shazz Preston also contributed.
The passing game cooled once Indiana took control and leaned harder on the run, but the early burst was enough to earn a strong mark.
Up front, Indiana’s offensive line put together its cleanest showing of the season. Hoover had time to throw, the backs found room to work, and the unit kept things spotless in the first road game, finishing without a penalty.
The defense was just as punishing in the trenches. Fifth-year Stephen Daley and redshirt senior Tobi Osunsanmi were a problem all night for Rutgers, using stunts, twists and other moves to wreck the Scarlet Knights’ protection.
Daley and Osunsanmi each finished with two tackles for loss, Daley added a team-high two sacks, and Osunsanmi tied for the team lead with seven tackles. Indiana’s front also swallowed up Rutgers’ run game, holding the Scarlet Knights to 59 yards on 35 carries.
The linebackers kept the pressure on by closing quickly and forcing rushed throws. With three different Rutgers quarterbacks taking snaps, none of them found much success attacking the middle of the field. Redshirt senior Isaiah Jones and junior Rolijah Hardy each logged a quarterback hurry, and Jones finished with seven tackles.
Indiana’s secondary had a better first half than second, though. Rutgers junior wide receiver KJ Duff came in as the player to watch after piling up 29 receptions for 550 yards and seven touchdowns in the first four games, and the 6-foot-6, 225-pound target was held to three catches for 63 yards before halftime.
The rest of Rutgers managed only 19 receiving yards in the first half. But the back end loosened up after the break, and sophomore Jaylen Bell was beaten on a 53-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
The overall performance still landed in the average range.
Special teams, though, was the roughest part of Indiana’s night. Senior kicker Nico Radicic missed both an extra point and a 22-yard field goal, hooking each wide left.
The PAT miss ended his streak of 168 consecutive makes. Becker continued handling punt returns instead of redshirt senior wide receiver Tyler Morris and did well overall, though he did make a fair catch inside the 10-yard line in the first quarter on a ball that likely would have rolled into the end zone for a touchback.
With tougher games ahead, that phase has work to do.
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