Matchup To Watch: Indiana's Pass Rush vs. Rutgers' Offensive Line

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Written By Alex Compton

It wasn’t the defensive performance we were expecting, but Indiana got back on track last weekend after taking down Maryland 42-36. The Hoosiers stand at 4-4 with 4 games left, and 3 of them are very winnable. Another game in the “must win” category is on the slate this weekend as IU travels to Piscataway to face a 2-6, last place Rutgers team. I’m sure everyone remembers the collapse against Rutgers on homecoming last season, so IU will have to stay focused on Saturday to come out of New Jersey with a crucial fifth win.

Indiana’s Pass Rushers vs. Rutgers’ O-Line

Something has clicked in the past few weeks. All summer, we here at Hoosier Huddle and other members of the media pointed to Indiana’s defensive line, and basically said Tom Allen can only improve the unit so much with the lack of talent in the trenches. At times during the first eight games, we were right. The secondary and linebackers were playing well, but there was little to no pass rush for huge portions of the games. Blitzes are great when used properly, but the ability to get pressure on a quarterback with just four defensive linemen really changes what a team can do on defense. The pass rush has come alive since the tough loss to Nebraska, and the D-Line has another great chance to make impact plays this coming Saturday against a banged up, and bad, Rutgers offensive line. 

The first six games of the season saw Tom Allen’s defense either record one or two sacks in each contest. Like I said, something has clicked during these last two games for the Hoosier D. Against Northwestern, they racked up three sacks, and the game against Maryland saw the defense total 4 sacks. Maryland is last in the Big Ten in sacks given up with 24, and actually rank towards the bottom of the entire country in the same metric. Rutgers is just slightly better at protecting their quarterback so far this year, as they have given up 21 sacks through eight games for an average of 2.63 per game. Indiana got to Perry Hills all game, and Rutgers quarterback Giovanni Rescigno should be under duress most of the contest as well. 

The Hoosiers have been defending the run well all season for the most part, but the pass rush was lagging slightly. As it has picked up, Tom Allen has been able to be much more creative with his play calling, and it led to two takeaways last week by way of a pick and a fumble recovery. In my mind, a few guys have been the key to the resurgence of the pass rush. First off, getting Robert McCray healthy has been a huge boost. He is a matchup nightmare in passing situations on the inside, as his length and quickness have allowed him to bother quarterbacks with ease. Additionally, Nile Sykes has been a force of nature the last two weeks. The Northwestern game was his “breakout game” of sorts, and he followed it up with another solid performance against Maryland. Coach Wilson said he is really, really good when he puts his mind to it, and it appears that Sykes is focused, as he is playing the best football of his IU career so far. Finally, Jacob Robinson has been taking a good deal of snaps on the interior of the line, and is seeing great success with those. Traditionally a larger defensive end, Robinson had been struggling to get pressure on outside rushes. Much like McCray, his athleticism allows him to cause problems for centers and guards on offense, and this has been evident as he has moved inside more and more. Other guys that have been playing really well up front include Mike Barwick Jr. and Patrick Dougherty. If these guys can stay fresh and keep bringing the heat for a full 60 minutes, it will make a huge difference for this defense, and this team. If IU jumps out to an early lead, Rutgers will have to throw the ball to stay in the game. Look for the big guys up front to dig their feet in and try and make it a long day for Rescigno. If Rutgers drops in to last for sacks allowed among Big Ten teams after Saturday, then it was a really solid performance for IU’s defensive line against a pretty underwhelming offensive line.

Other Notes On This Matchup:

5th year senior starting right tackle JJ Denman has been banged up over the last two weeks, and remains a game time decision for Saturday. If he is unavailable, redshirt freshman Kamaal Seymour will make his first career start. 

Indiana is currently sixth in the Big Ten with 15 sacks allowed. Nebraska is fifth in the nation and first in the conference with just 6 allowed (IU had just one). Troy leads the nation with just 1 sack allowed, and Army is next with 5. 

Indiana Sack Leaders (8 Games):

  • 1. Marcus Oliver- 3.0 for 40 yards
  • 1. Nile Sykes- 3.0 for 21 yards
  • 3. Nate Hoff- 2.5 for 10 yards
  • 4. Tegray Scales- 2.0 for 6 yards
  • 5. Patrick Dougherty- 1.5 for 6 yards
  • 6. A’Shon Riggins- 1.0 for 7 yards
  • 6. Ralph Green III- 1.0 for 6 yards
  • 6. Derrian Meminger- 1.0 for 1 yard

Rutgers Projected Starting Offensive Line

LT- #65 Tariq Cole, 6’6”/313 lbs, SO
LG- #60 Dorian Miller, 6’2”/294 lbs, JR
C- #69 Derrick Nelson, 6’3”/295 lbs, 5th-SR
RG- #70 Chris Muller, 6’6”/312 lbs, 5th-SR
RT- #77 JJ Denman, 6’5”/315 lbs, 5th-SR