Indiana Puts It All Together In Dominant Win Over Rutgers

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For the first time this season, the Indiana Hoosiers looked every bit like the team everyone expected it to be. 

The No. 6 Hoosiers overwhelmed Rutgers from the opening kickoff Saturfday night, rolling to a 47-15 victory at SHI Stadium to improve to 5-0 this season.

And unlike last week's hard-fought win over Northwestern, there was very little drama.

Indiana dominated on both sides of the ball, piling up 593 total yards while holding Rutgers to just 254. The Hoosiers rushed for 329 yards, threw for another 264 and consistently created explosive plays throughout the night. 

It was the kind of complete performance head coach Curt Cignetti has been looking for.

Quarterback Josh Hoover once again looked comfortable directing the offense, completing 20 of 27 passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns without throwing an interception. He consistently found ways to keep Rutgers defense on its heels while making the most of an increasingly dangerous group of playmakers.

Charlie Becker led the way through the air with eight catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns, while Nick Marsh continued his impressive season with seven receptions for 120 yards and a score.

The Hoosiers were just as dangerous on the ground.

Turbo Richard erupted for 204 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries, averaging an eye-popping 15.7 yards per attempt. Lee Beebe Jr. added 122 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, giving Indiana a devastating one-two punch in the backfield. The production is even more impressive considering that both backs were on the injury report ahead of the game. Beebe was listed as questionable, while Richard was probable. Clearly, both were just fine.

Cignetti praised all of those contributors afterward, but perhaps what please him most was something that doesn't show up in the box score the same way.

Indiana was penalized zero times. 

After some sloppy moments against Northwestern, the Hoosiers played a clean, disciplined game from start to finish.

Defensively, Indiana was nearly perfect for most of the night. Rutgers didn't score until the third quarter and finished with only 59 rushing yards. The Scarlet Knights converted just 2 of 14 third downs and were shut out in the first half. 

Indiana also recorded four sacks and never allowed Rutgers to generate anything resembling sustained offensive momentum.

The result was Indiana's most convincing performance of the season and one of the more complete games under Cignetti.

At 5-0, the Hoosiers aren't simply surviving anymore. They're starting to look like a title team hitting its stride.

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