Indiana’s Offense Finds Another Gear in 47–15 Rout of Rutgers

Indiana entered Saturday night’s first road game with questions surrounding its running back room. Turbo Richard had left last week’s game unable to put weight on his leg, Lee Beebe Jr. was a game-time decision and Khobie Martin remains out.

By the end of the night, the running backs were the biggest reason Indiana left Piscataway with a 47-15 win.

Richard ran for a career-high 204 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, while Beebe added 122 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Indiana finished with 593 total yards, including 329 rushing yards, while averaging 8.7 yards per play. The Hoosiers did not commit a turnover or penalty.

“I put a lot of time in in the training room to make sure it really paid off for me,” Richard said. “I was really thinking I was ready to come back already, but just getting some work in early in the week, middle of the week, I was feeling really good.”

Richard had five runs of at least 14 yards, including gains of 41, 23 and 57 yards in the first half. His 57-yard run helped put Indiana deep in Rutgers territory before the Hoosiers missed a field goal, and he later broke off a 28-yard run in the fourth quarter to set up Beebe’s second touchdown.

Beebe, who was listed as a game-time decision before kickoff, gave Indiana a physical option between the tackles. He carried the ball 18 times and continued to find holes behind an offensive line that overwhelmed Rutgers throughout the night.

“We got the big boys up front,” Richard said. “They’re doing their job really well. Me and Lee just running off of there.”

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said the production reflected the work of both the offensive line and the backs.

“We must have played pretty well because we did gain a lot of yards and we didn’t have that many sacks and backs ran well and there were some creases,” Cignetti said.

The run game took over after Indiana established its passing game early. Quarterback Josh Hoover opened the night 10 for 10, using quick throws and RPO concepts to get Indiana into rhythm. He led an eight-play, 85-yard scoring drive on the opening possession, capping it with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Becker.

Hoover finished 20-for-27 for 251 yards and four touchdowns, and played his best football so far this season. Becker had eight catches for 107 yards and two scores, while Nick Marsh finished with seven catches for 120 yards and a touchdown.

Cignetti said Indiana found early success in its RPO game, especially when targeting Marsh, but Rutgers eventually adjusted its coverage.

“We had a lot of success throwing the RPO early to Marsh and they started changing up the coverage a little bit,” Cignetti said.

That adjustment opened up the ground game.

“They started trying to adjust and stop us from throwing it on the perimeter, and then we started gashing them,” Hoover said.

Indiana had the answer every time Rutgers gave it a different look. Hoover threw a perfect ball to Becker in stride for a 48-yard gain early in the third quarter, setting up a 12-yard touchdown pass to Marsh and a 30–0 lead. Becker later caught his second touchdown on a 3-yard pass in the third quarter.

“We saw the coverage that we wanted,” Becker said of the 48-yard completion. “I beat my guy and Josh put the ball exactly where it needed to be.”

The receivers also made an impact in the run game. Becker helped spring Richard’s 57-yard run with a block downfield, while Marsh threw a key block on Richard’s 28-yard run in the fourth quarter. Becker said the group has emphasized that small details can turn explosive plays into touchdowns.

“I think we were able to get some good blocking downfield and kind of create some space for our running backs,” Becker said. “It wasn’t perfect, and there’s going to be areas where we can improve.”

The game was largely decided by halftime, when Indiana held a 23–0 lead. Rutgers scored twice after the break, including a 53-yard touchdown pass, but Indiana answered with 14 more points and never allowed the Scarlet Knights to make it competitive.

Indiana left a few points on the field when Nico Radicic missed an extra point due to a bad hold and a 22-yard field goal in the first half, but the Hoosiers otherwise played a clean game. Radicic bounced back with a 48-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter.

The lack of penalties was especially notable in Indiana’s first road game. Cignetti said crowd noise and false starts were among his biggest concerns during the week.

“That was the thing that really was the unknown, I thought, about this game the whole week,” Cignetti said. “Going on the road and doing things…before you win it, can’t lose it. That was great to see.”

Indiana’s offense had shown flashes through the first month of the season. Saturday was the first time it put every piece together for a full game.

“It’s just about execution and continue to take steps each and every week,” Hoover said. “I’m just proud to be an Indiana Hoosier and get to play with these guys every day.”