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While the focus will be on what happens Saturday night, Indiana and Rutgers have a  short history that dates back to just 2014. The Hoosiers enter this year's matchup with an all-time record of 5-5 against Rutgers, including a home record of 2-3.

Indiana has has actually lost three in a row against Rutgers, but they have not played since Curt Cignetti took over in Bloomington.

Indiana's longest winning streak in the series is five from 2016 to 2020. For Rutgers, its longest win streak is just three, during the last three matchups from 2021 to 2023.

Last Meeting

The most recent matchup between Indiana and Northwestern came in 2023, with the Scarlet Knights coming away with a 31-14 road victory.

Indiana actually struck first with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Brendan Sorsby to Omar Cooper Jr., but Rutgers quickly imposed its physical play style on both sides of the ball.

The game was tied 7-7 in the second quarter, when Rutgers blocked an Indiana punt and ran it back for a touchdown. From that point, the Scarlet Knights never trailed again.

Rutgers relied on heavy, disciplined power running and suffocating defense in the second half to pull away completely. Quarterback Gavin Wimsatt had three rushing touchdowns on the day. 

For the Hoosiers, redshirt freshman quarterback Brendan Sorsby provided virtually all of Indiana's offensive spark. He had a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown during the game but it wasn't enough. He finished the day 15-of-31 for 126 yards and a touchdown. He also carried the ball 11 times for 49 yards and the previously mentioned score.

Recent History

Over the last five meetings, Indiana has gone 2-3 against Rutgers.

2023: Indiana 14, Rutgers 31

2022: Indiana 17, Rutgers 24

2021: Indiana 3, Rutgers 38

2020: Indiana 37, Rutgers 21

2019: Indiana 35, Rutgers 0

Indiana and Rutgers have played only 10 times with the Scarlet Knights being a new addition to the Big Ten, so it's pretty easy to talk about the series in its entirety. None of the 10 matchups have been particularly close.

A lot of the games in this series have been a little one sided. In 2015, Rutgers won by the smallest margin of victory in the series in a 55-52 shootout. Indiana led 52-27 midway through the third quarter, but Rutgers stormed back with 28 unanswered points. On the final play of regulation, Rutgers kicker Kyle Federico drilled a 26-yard game-winning field goal as time expired to seal the huge comeback win. Just two years later, Indiana gave Rutgers a beatdown winning 41-0 in Bloomington, the largest win of the series. 

What History Says About Saturday

Of course, past results don't determine what happens on Saturday night in Piscataway. The two teams entering this year's matchup are different from ones that played in all previous matchups.

Indiana enters the game at 4-0, while Rutgers is sitting at 1-3. The Hoosiers have been mostly dominant, aside from last week's close win over Northwestern, while Rutgers has been pretty bad. Rutgers started the year with a huge letdown loss against UMass as heavy favorites, followed by back-to-back seven-point losses at the hands of Boston College and USC. The lone win for Rutgers came last week as the Scarlet Nights beat Howard, 58-7.

Still, the short and even history between these programs adds another layer to Saturday's matchup. Indiana will look to keep rolling like a well-oiled machine, while Rutgers just hopes it doesn't get run off the field.  

With another chapter about to be written, Saturday will add to a series that includes just 10 meetings with a couple of pretty memorable moments.

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