My two cents: Rehearsals are all over, so now it's time for Indiana to take care of business

The Hoosiers did what they were supposed to do in trouncing Rutgers 35-0, but now comes a critical three-week stretch that will make or break their season.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Three hours came and went on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, and we learned a little more about Indiana's football team with each passing hour.

We already knew that they were good at dominating inferior opponents, but they proved that again Saturday, this time against a Big Ten team. The Hoosiers completely dismantled Rutgers in a 35-0 shutout that was — quite literally — over before the opening kickoff.

We know this offense can be pretty good, especially with a running game that's finally starting to come around. Indiana rolled up 557 yards against hapless Rutgers, with a season-high 260 of it coming on the ground. 

And that defense? Well, they gave up only 75 yards all day and pitched another shutout. It was impressive, because shutouts — even against inferior opponents — are hard to come by.

So let's cut to the chase here. All those numbers are wildly impressive, but it's Rutgers. Sure, they are a Big Ten team, but they are also a 1-5 team in disarray that gets blown out every single week. 

Indiana took care of business, which was what they were supposed to do, and they did it well.

So now what?

Saturday was nothing more than a quick reminder that Indiana football is getting better and it can crush all the bad teams on their schedule. TCB, baby. Takin' care of business. But now, at the halfway point of the season, this Indiana team on the rise is at a crossroads. 

Now, it's showtime. Now, they need to start beating good teams, too.

They can.

But will they?

A golden opportunity awaits

With two byes weeks this year, Indiana's season breaks neatly into three parts. The Rutgers win was the first in a four-week window that might be the most important month in Indiana football for a long time. 

And that's because the next three weeks are at Maryland, at Nebraska and home against Northwestern. After watching a half-season of Big Ten football, my eyes tell me that Indiana can win ALL THREE OF THOSE GAMES!

It won't be easy, of course. Two are on the road, and it's just always harder to win there. Still, Maryland showed it still has plenty of flaws that flamed up in a 40-14 loss at Purdue on Saturday. Nebraska is Nebraska, and winning in Lincoln would be something special, but the Cornhuskers haven't been impressive either. And Northwestern? Well, the defending Big Ten West champs simply cannot score right now.

Vegas will say these are all going to be pick' em games, or close. All three are certainly winnable, especially for an Indiana team on the rise that keeps getting better on both sides of the ball.

Can we wake up on Nov. 3 with Indiana being 7-2?

We certainly can, which is what makes this stretch of games oh so critical. Tom Allen and his staff — and many of their well-spoken and articulate players as well — are saying the same thing. We're coming, they say. We're building, they say. We're getting better, they say.

So now, go prove it. On the field. The next three weeks.

Indiana has been great at staying singularly focused with their "1-0 mentality'' and living in the moment. So, that's means all that matters this week is Maryland, a team much like themselves that's proven it can crush bad teams but has massive question marks otherwise. 

Getting things done the right way 

We'll get more into 3-3 Maryland all week, and that's all good and well, but our focus now is all on Indiana. The Hoosiers deserve props for a totally dominating performance on Saturday.

When I say this game was over before it even started, it's really true, not just some corny line. Perfect example needed? Here it is. Rutgers won the toss, and these days everyone defers to the second half. Rutgers instead elected to receive, clearly because it did not want Indiana to score first on offense.

So what happens? On the very first play, Indiana defensive tackle Demarcus Elliott forced a fumble on a strip sack and linebacker Reakwon Jones scooped it up and scored from 17 yards out. Just like that, it's 7-0 on the fastest touchdown in Indiana history.

Two more Indiana touchdowns came in the next 7 minutes and the rout was on. The first Big Ten win of the season was in the books.

Indiana is 4-2 and the first half of this season has mostly played out as expected. The four wins — Rutgers and the three nonconference foes Ball State, Eastern Illinois and Connecticut — were all expected. So was the loss to Ohio State, frankly, because the Buckeyes just might be the best team in the country right now.

That one outlier was Michigan State, and that's really the game that tells me the most about the future of this program. Indiana played well up there and had a very good chance to win. The Hoosiers had a lead early in the fourth quarter, but they couldn't hang on and lost on a late field goal. 

It was the one close game they played all year, good or bad. They learned a lot that day, and going forward they've done everything right. They had a good bye week and an excellent week of practice leading into the Rutgers game.

Now comes this stretch. It's Maryland. It's Nebraska. It's Northwestern.

Check off some boxes, and make this season something sensational. It can happen.

Check, check, check.