Keys To Slaying The Scarlet Knights

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

The Hoosiers are looking to improve to 5-4 and get to within one victory of bowl eligibility. Here are a few things to focus on as they battle the Rutgers Scarlet Knights this Saturday in Piscataway.

1. Repeating Ground Game Success

The Indiana Hoosiers had struggled all season to run the ball and there were legitimate concerns that they may never get it turned around. Then last Saturday’s 414-yard performance against the Maryland Terrapins happened. The Hoosiers had three runners exceed 100 yards and they hammered the Terrapins with multiple formations and creative looks and the return to form of All-American right guard Dan Feeney certainly didn’t hurt! This Saturday, we’ll find out if that was a fluke or if it IU’s ground game can begin to consistently churn out good performances in the second half of the season. Rutgers is surrendering 261.1 rushing yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry. They have been a bit better in the last two weeks (5.3 yards against Illinois and 4.6 yards against Minnesota) but this is still a defense that IU should have success on the ground against. Mike Majette’s status for Saturday’s contest is unknown so look for increased opportunities for Devonte Williams and Tyler Natee if Majette can’t go. The Scarlet Knights will try to pound the ball with Robert Martin and Justin Goodwin so it will be important for IU’s run defense to resemble what we saw against Northwestern and Maryland in the second halves as opposed to the first halves. 

2. Tom Allen’s Takeaways

Since Tom Allen arrived in Bloomington, the Indiana Hoosiers new defensive coordinator has preached about the value of takeaways. He has an intense desire for his team to aggressively make plays and take possession away from the opposition’s offense. The defense has gotten demonstrably better in Allen’s short stint but they haven’t taken the ball away as much as he would like. The Hoosiers should have a chance to add a few takeaways to the tally on Saturday because Rutgers has fumbled 15 times (they’ve lost ten of them) and they’ve turned it over eight times in the past two games. 

3. Start Fast and Don’t Let Up

After several poor starts, it was refreshing to see the Indiana Hoosiers jump out to a 13-0 lead over the Maryland Terrapins. However, they let the lead slip on two occasions and needed to come from behind to get their fourth win. Rutgers has switched to a new quarterback and they are coming off of a bye that will have them feeling refreshed and confident. It would be extremely beneficial to get off to another great start but this time, they’ll need to show a killer instinct and finish Rutgers off instead of letting them creep back into the game.