Matchup to Watch: Week Nine – IU’s Running Game vs. Washington’s Defense

Written by: TJ Inman 

The Indiana Hoosiers improved to 7-0 with a walloping of the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday. Memorial Stadium was sold out (and is now sold out for the rest of the season!) and FOX’s Big Noon crew was in the house. The table was set and then the Hoosiers feasted. The only negative was a thumb injury to starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke that will sideline him for at least one game and likely ends a budding Heisman Trophy campaign. That injury sets up an easy pick for matchup to watch as Tayven Jackson taking center stage as the starting quarterback with ESPN’s College Gameday in Bloomington. However, the focus for this article will be on an aspect of the game that will go a long way towards setting Tayven Jackson up for success: IU’s running game against Washington’s defense.

The Indiana Hoosiers ran wild on Nebraska’s stingy rush defense, averaging 6.5 yards per carry and racking up 215 yards with five rushing touchdowns. That brings IU’s season average up to an impressive 5.31 yards per carry. For context: Penn State is averaging 5.16 yards per rush, Oregon is at 4.54, Georgia is at 4.49 and Michigan averages 4.76 yards per carry. Boise State leads the country but the Hoosiers have run it very well and they are now second in the country with 28 rushing touchdowns. The best way to get a young quarterback comfortable in a huge game is to run the ball effectively and keep the offense in manageable situations on second and third down. I expect a heavy dose of Ty Son Lawton and Justice Ellison and the increased use of Tayven Jackson in the read option game to take advantage of his mobility. Washington has surrendered 4.23 yards per rush this season. Washington State used a mobile quarterback to get 4.5 yards per carry, Rutgers had 5.6 yards per carry, Michigan’s one-dimensional attack still ground away for 4.7 yards per rush and Iowa shelled them for 5.9 yards per carry. It’s not that Washington is awful against the run, it’s just a strength for the Huskies and the Hoosiers will surely be looking to find balance to keep Tayven Jackson in good spots.

Mike Shanahan and Curt Cignetti are outstanding offensive minds that have been dialed in all season and the Hoosiers have scored at least 40 points in all but the season’s first game (a 31-7 win over Florida International). Losing a quarterback playing as well as Kurtis Rourke, even if it only ends up being for one game, is a major hurdle. The staff has a full week to put a plan in place for Tayven Jackson. All IU has done this season is exceed expectations and hammer opponents. They will try to add the Washington Huskies to the growing list of victims but they’ll have to do it with a new leader on offense.