Rutgers Homecoming Blackout vs No.6 Indiana Preview

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After earning a 58-7 victory over Howard last week, Rutgers is set to close out their three-game home stretch against No.6 Indiana this Saturday, October 3, on homecoming. The game will also double as the team’s annual blackout game, which is usually the best environment at SHI Stadium all year.

The Hoosiers are coming into this game at a perfect 4-0 as the defending national champions. Rutgers, on the other hand, is coming in at 1-3 after failing to make a bowl game last year. On FanDuel, the opening lines saw the Scarlet Knights listed as 23.5-point underdogs. ESPN gives Indiana a 96.6% chance of winning. Although the Knights have been playing better recently, it is clear that the talent scale is leaning heavily to one side.

Rutgers quarterback Dylan Lonergan will be going up against a defense that has already generated 11 sacks and three interceptions this year. He will have to do a much better job of taking care of the ball than in games past to give the Knights a fighting chance.

Luckily for the Knights on offense, they have a lot of talent at the skill positions. So far this season, Indiana has surrendered an average of 168 yards per game against lower-level offenses. Lonergan will need to find a way to get it to his star target, KJ Duff, to keep the offense rolling through the air, as well as having some of the other receivers step up when the Hoosiers key in on Duff. On the ground, Indiana has surrendered only 68 rushing yards per game on average. Rutgers, on the other hand, is averaging around 150 rushing yards per game. Since running the ball is the bread and butter of the Knights, their offensive line must find a way to create movement up front to make holes for star running back Antwan Raymond to run through.

On the defensive side, Rutgers defensive backs will have to find a way to contain Charlie Becker, who is averaging 19.5 yards per catch and already has 6 touchdowns this year. On top of that, they will have to find a way to contain the two-pronged attack of Lee Beebe Jr. and Turbo Richard, who Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti believes will be good to go for this game after suffering an injury last week. Both have at least 380 yards rushing this year and three rushing touchdowns. They will also need to put pressure on quarterback Josh Hoover, who has only been sacked 5 times this year, to give the rest of the pass defense a fighting chance.

A lot of things will need to go right for the Knights to stay competitive in this game, considering how the game looks on paper. However, Rutgers did hang in against a ranked USC team, so a competitive game isn’t entirely out of the question.

Rutgers vs Indiana will kick off at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, inside SHI Stadium. Live coverage for the game will be available on the Big Ten Network.

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