Indiana at Rutgers Game Day Primer
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The Indiana offense has to look down field more often this week Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle
Written By T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
Week Five Primer – Rutgers Scarlet Knights
What: Indiana Hoosiers (3-0) at Rutgers (1-3)
Where: HighPoint Solutions Stadium
When: Saturday, September 29, Noon
How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on BTN. You can also listen to the legendary Don Fischer on the radio on any IU Radio Network station.
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What’s at Stake: The Indiana Hoosiers suffered their first loss of the season, falling to Michigan State 35-21. Indiana fell behind early and battled back to within a touchdown before giving up a long run that sealed the outcome. Still, the Hoosiers are 3-1 and a win at Rutgers would put IU at 4-1 heading into October. Plainly put, a win over Rutgers is a must as it would leave Indiana needing to win just two of four against the quartet of Iowa, Minnesota, Maryland and Purdue. IU also has games against Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan remaining but those teams look to be in a different class. Rutgers needs a victory to stop the bleeding of their downtrodden program. They are on a three-game losing streak and none of the games were particularly close. Another blowout loss, to a program their fans feel they should be ahead of, could settle the fate of head coach Chris Ash.
Things to Watch
1. Setting the Tone
We spelled out what this game means for each squad and how both teams enter the contest. Rutgers has been blown out in three straight outings and there is no reason to believe they would have a comeback in them if IU took care of business early and got ahead by a significant margin. That’s not to say IU could just coast if they staked themselves to a 14-0 lead but it certainly feels the kind of game that wouldn’t see the Scarlet Knights storming back (although we’ve seen that occur before between these two teams…hang on while I go scrub my memory and try to forget that dark day). The Hoosiers need to give Rutgers no reason for hope.
2. Establishing the Vertical Passing Game
One of the things that stood out in IU’s past few games has been the lack of a vertical passing game. Either by design or because of limitations stemming from Peyton Ramsey’s arm strength, the Hoosiers have not stretched the field with the deep ball. While Ramsey has been very efficient and looks great on short to intermediate passes, the IU offense will not be able to function against good defenses if they cannot stretch the field. Michigan State stuffed the box, stymied Indiana’s running game and turned IU’s offense into a one-dimensional and average attack. The Hoosiers have some good deep options, guys like Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale are big-time weapons that are not currently being utilized to their full potential. To beat other teams in the Big Ten, Indiana is going to need to make some explosive plays and the best way to do that is to find the vertical passing game. Whether that means playing Michael Penix some or simply giving Ramsey a chance to stretch the field more often, Saturday would be a good time to start addressing this.
3. Takeaways
Indiana has done a nice job of forcing takeaways so far this season. It was a large point of emphasis during the offseason and the Hoosiers have responded well through four games. IU forced FIU into three turnovers in the opener, one against Virginia, one against Ball State and four against Michigan State. That is nine takeaways through four games. Not bad but it could be better and Rutgers has been prone to coughing it up. Quarterback Art Sitkowski has thrown seven interceptions despite not playing full-time and IU will likely have some opportunities for takeaways. Missing Marcelino Ball for a half due to last week’s ejection is somewhat concerning but IU’s defense should have a nice afternoon this Saturday against a Rutgers attack that has been mostly toothless for a few seasons now.
Other Links From the Week
What the Sharps are Saying
ESPN’s FPI is giving the Hoosiers an 82.4 percent chance of winning and the Vegas line is IU (-16.5). The Hoosiers are a major road favorite on Saturday at Rutgers.