Game Day Primer: No. 17 Indiana at Rutgers
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Written by T.J. Inman
Who: #17 Indiana at Rutgers
Where: SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey
When: Saturday, October 31 at 3:30 on Big Ten Network
Odds: -11 Indiana – Game lines provided by legal Indiana Sports Betting apps
Series History: The Big Ten East foes have met six times with the first meeting coming in 2014. IU has won the last four meetings, although both contests in New Jersey have been very close. Rutgers memorably knocked off Indiana 55-52 in Bloomington in 2015 during Kevin Wilson’s final season in charge as the Hoosiers blew a huge lead. That was the Scarlet Knights last win against IU but a new era of the series begins on Saturday as Greg Schiano takes on Tom Allen for the first time.
What’s at Stake: Very few people envisioned Indiana and Rutgers meeting with both teams at 1-0. Now, the Indiana Hoosiers have their highest ranking since 1993 and are attempting to start 2-0 and continue the tremendous momentum they’ve gained from upsetting Penn State. For the Scarlet Knights, it is Greg Schiano’s home debut and they are undoubtedly sensing an opportunity to steal some national headlines by beating a ranked opponent and knocking off a Big Ten East foe they feel must begin to step to as a program.
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Things to Watch
1. Takeaways
Prior to the Penn State game, a key was to play a clean game. That meant tackling well in open space, limiting penalties, executing on special teams and avoiding giving the ball away. For the most part, Indiana was the cleaner team and it was a huge part in IU coming up with the victory. Rutgers had three turnovers against Michigan State but they forced an incredible seven by the Spartans. Michigan State fumbled six times with the Scarlet Knights recovering five of them. They added two interceptions of Rocky Lombardi to win the takeaway battle by four. IU’s offense needs to move the ball better than they did against Penn State and I think they will but none of that will matter if they do not take care of the ball.
2. Offensive Line Improvement
It was apparent to anyone that watched the Hoosiers and Nittany Lions last Saturday but Tom Allen publicly confirmed it, saying the offensive line did not play well and has to perform better. Rutgers held MSU to only 1.3 yards per rush and they consistently pressured Lombardi, getting three sacks and 12 tackles for loss on the day. IU should be striving to provide a cleaner pocket for Michael Penix and generating a much better rushing attack than they showed against PSU. While Rutgers does not have the same caliber of line, they showed they are very capable and this will be a challenge for the Hoosiers front five to show they are capable of protecting and providing for the type of offense IU hopes to have.
3. Containing the Quarterback
IU’s defense performed pretty well against Sean Clifford and the Penn State offense. However, there is certainly room for improvement as the Hoosiers gave up a long passing play for a score on a busted coverage and repeatedly allowed Sean Clifford open lanes to pick up chunk yardage. A very similar thing happened against Clifford in 2019. Rutgers quarterback Noah Vedral is a good athlete and a capable runner. The Nebraska transfer had 24 yards rushing and was mostly bottled up but he did have a rushing score against Michigan State. IU’s defensive line did a nice job against the Penn State running backs and they managed some pressure against Clifford but they have to do a better job of converting that pressure into sacks and a much better job of containing the quarterback run game.
Big Ten Betting Picks
In partnership with legal Indiana Sports Betting apps, this article will include a couple of Big Ten betting picks each week!
-Minnesota (-19) at Maryland – Friday night at 7:30 on ESPN
I’m fading the Maryland Terrapins until they prove me wrong. It worked in week one as Maryland was waxed by Northwestern. Minnesota did not look great against Michigan, something that does concern me as they have to lay a lot of points on the road. I do think the Gophers are the far superior squad though and I expect Minnesota to score at will.
-Ohio State (-12.5) at Penn State – 7:30 on ABC
The smart move is to go against the public money and bet on Penn State. I get that and it is tempting to take the underdog getting points at home. If the line gets up to more than 14, this turns into a stay away for me but at the current number, I just don’t see the Nittany Lions staying within two scores. Hoosier fans, you saw the PSU offense. If the game ends in regulation, how many points do you think Penn State scores? Do they reach 24? If not, can they keep the Buckeyes from the mid-30s? Personally, I think the Penn State defense makes Ohio State work but the Buckeyes ultimately pull away for a comfortable victory.
Game Week Links
Know Your Opponent: Rutgers
Hoosier Huddle Podcast Presented by BetOnline
Pregame Show with Juliet Gahan