Game Wrap and Reaction: Indiana 35 Rutgers 0
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Image: Amanda Pavelka, Hoosier Huddle
Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Opponent: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Location: Saturday October 12th, 2019 Bloomington, Indiana
Why They Played: The Hoosiers and Scarlet Knight meet annually as members of the Big Ten’s East Division.
What The Game Meant: The game was a SHOULD win for IU and they did just that in the manner of a 35-0 dominating shut out.
Top Offensive Performers:
Whop Philyor, WR, Indiana- Philyor set a career-high in receiving yards with 182 on 10 catches. Rutgers couldn’t guard him and the connection he has built with quarterback Michael Penix is catching fire at the right time for IU.
Stevie Scott, RB, Indiana-Scott had his best game of the 2019 season as he was finally able to break loose against Rutgers for 164 yards on the ground on just 12 carries and 172 all-purpose yards.
Indiana Offensive Line- The Hoosier offensive line was terrific and even held its own with starting center Hunter Littlejohn went down with an apparent injury and missed all of the second half. The Hoosier line did not surrender a sack and paved the way to a 6.8-yard per carry average.
Adam Korsak, Punter, Rutgers-Rutgers had one yard passing and just 74 yards rushing. However, their punter Adam Korsak had a tremendous day. He punted 10 times for an average of 47.3 yards per punt and pinned IU inside their own 20-yard line four time. His long for the day was 68 yards.
Top Defensive Performers
Indiana’s Defense- The Hoosier defense pitched its second shutout of the season. The recorded 14 tackles for loss including six sacks. While Rutgers was inept on offense, much of that had to do with the superior play by the Indiana defense.
Special Team Performance
Logan Justus barely broke a sweat kicking in five extra points as he slowly creeps up the all-time list in Indiana history for PATs. Punter Haydon Whitehead was great again punting for time for a 43-yard average including three that landed inside the Rutgers 20-yard line. Upback Bryant Fitzgerald took the only kick return back for 13 yards.
There were some concerns on IU’s part regarding special teams though. Indiana again had a big penalty that wiped out an 18-yard Philyor punt return. Reece Taylor was called offsides on a kick off and Philyor also almost misplayed a punt into a safety.
Key Stat(s)
557-75 and 0-11
The Hoosiers out-gained the Scarlet Knights 557 to 75. That is video game-like domination on the field. What helped those numbers out is that the IU defense held Rutgers 0-11 on third down and 0-1 on fourth down. Rutgers never had a chance to do anything on offense.
Turning Point
The turning point was the first play from scrimmage when lineman Demarcus Elliott burst throw the line and caused a fumble on a sack that was scooped up for a 17-yard touchdown return by linebacker Reakwon Jones. Rutgers was a four-touchdown under dog, but this play killed their will early.
I Knew it Was Over When…
Indiana wide receiver Nick Westbrook juked a Rutgers defender out of his shoes and scored a touchdown to make it 14-0 within the first five minutes of the game.
Players of the Game
Whop Philyor, Indiana- Philyor was fantastic and his play making ability has sparked the IU offense the last two weeks. He has become the go-to receiver for Michael Penix
Indiana’s Defense-A scoop-and-score, 14 tackles for loss, six sacks and just 75 yards allowed. This was domination.
What I took away from the game
It was a really good win for Indiana in terms of they did what they needed to do, outside of finishing drives in the second quarter, and punished a team they should have. The Hoosiers got their fourth win of the year and ended a 8-game homecoming losing streak. Honestly, my mind really went to what is going to happen to the Rutgers football program, because they are a mess. It will be one of the more interesting job searches this off-season that we’ll keep our eye on.
Back to the Hoosiers though, this was a stepping-stone win in that they did not cough one up they should have won. It lets them go to Maryland with momentum in a game that has a chance to change the tune of the season. A win would give the Hoosiers a 5-2 (2-2) record heading to Nebraska while a loss will send the fan base into a ‘here we go again’ tail spin.