Indiana's Offensive Collapse Leads to 24-17 Loss at Rutgers
Indiana fell to new lows in a 24-17 loss to Rutgers on Saturday at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.
Indiana’s offense generated 19 yards in its first five possessions second half, capped off by a Connor Bazelak pick-six to put the game out of reach. The Hoosiers move to 3-5 on the season, and Saturday’s loss was the most revealing yet.
"Very disappointing," Indiana coach Tom Allen said. "Could not sustain anything offense, that put a lot of pressure on our defense."
The afternoon began with a glimpse of promise when true freshman Jaylin Lucas blazed down the sideline for a 93-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff. On Indiana's first drive, Bazelak picked apart the Rutgers defense on an 11-play, 91-yard drive. Shaun Shivers' 24-yard screen-pass scamper and a 19-yard completion to Cam Camper brought the Hoosiers into the red zone before. Bazelak kept it himself for a 7-yard rushing touchdown to give Indiana a 14-0 lead.
Everything was clicking for Bazelak to start, but offensive execution fell off a cliff for the following 45-plus minutes. Indiana punted on each of the next seven possessions, four of which ended in three and outs barely lasting a minute.
Rutgers took hold of the game's pace and momentum early in the third quarter. A 15-play, 46-yard drive churned away six minutes and 27 seconds, resulting in a Jude McAtamney field goal. After another Indiana three and out, Rutgers went 56 yards on 12 plays in nearly seven minutes, running Indiana to the ground with a two-yard touchdown from Samuel Brown V.
Rutgers rotated at least two quarterbacks in every game this season, but stuck with sixth-year senior Noah Vedral for all of Saturday's matchup. Vedral completed 12-of-24 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown, and rushed three times for nine yards. Brown was a steady presence for the Scarlet Knights, gaining 101 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries.
Indiana's defense stood strong in the fourth quarter by forcing a trio of three-and-out possessions from Rutgers. Still without linebacker Cam Jones, Bradley Jennings Jr. led the Hoosiers with 11 tackles and three pass breakups, and Aaron Casey was close behind with 10 stops.
Indiana trailed by three points with five minutes left in the game when the offense took over possession at its own 12-yard line. Connor Bazelak scrambled across the end zone to avoid a safety, but his desperation heave fell directly to Rutgers' Christian Braswell, who dodged the Hoosiers for a pick-six.
After a 10-for-10 start from Bazelak, he completed just 13 of the following 31 pass attempts to end the game. Bazelak finished with 210 yards, his third-lowest mark of the season, with zero touchdowns and Indiana's most costly turnover of the season.
Indiana's leading receiver Cam Camper went down with an injury late in the second quarter after hauling in five receptions for 53 yards. Camper didn't return to the game, and Bazelak said this loss was a big momentum shift. Rutgers played more press coverage, and Indiana didn't win one-on-one matchups on the outside.
"[Camper] is a special player," Allen said. "Don't know the extent of the injury yet ... It's been a noticeable difference when he's in there."
The Hoosiers were largely one-dimensional as an offense again on Saturday, generating just 62 yards on the ground. Josh Henderson finished with four carries for 31 yards, and Shaun Shivers picked up 27 yards on six rushes. Indiana shook things up on the offensive line, starting Josh Sales at right tackle and Khalil Benson at right guard in place of Parker Hanna and Tim Weaver, respectively.
"We kind of beat ourselves again today, just not executing," Bazelak said. "A lot of that was Rutgers not letting us make easy completions."
On Saturday, Rutgers won a Big Ten game at home for the first time since Nov. 4, 2017. For Indiana, the fifth-straight loss marks No. 700 in program history, dating back to 1885. Indiana is the first Division I program to reach 700 losses.
Indiana has now lost five consecutive games, and wins will be difficult to come by the rest of the way. After a bye week, the Hoosiers will host No. 16 Penn State on Nov. 5 before back-to-back road games against No. 2 Ohio State and Michigan State, concluding the regular season with Purdue at home. For Allen, the upcoming bye week means evaluating everything.
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Connor Bazelak (9) drops back to pass against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the first half at SHI Stadium.
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Related stories on Indiana football:
- INDIANA-RUTGERS LIVE BLOG: Indiana football (3-4) takes on Rutgers (4-2) at Noon ET on Saturday in Piscataway, N.J. Here's our live blog, where you can follow along with live updates from today's game. CLICK HERE
- GAME DAY PREDICTION: After a 3-0 start, Indiana football has lost four games in a row heading into a road matchup with Rutgers on Saturday at Noon ET. CLICK HERE
- TOM ALLEN INTRIGUED BY JOSH SALES, KHALIL BENSON: Indiana football will continue to rotate personnel along the offensive line in search of the best combination, but coach Tom Allen is intrigued by the development of Josh Sales and Khalil Benson. CLICK HERE
