Indiana football: 3 things I want to see from the Hoosiers this week against Rutgers
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It's easy to joke that Indiana might actually have two bye weeks in a row, but that's just not my style, Mostly, because history tells me it's not entirely true.
Indiana comes off its bye week to play Rutgers on Saturday in its annual Homecoming game. The Hoosiers are 3-2 overall and still chasing at least six wins and a bowl bid. But those two losses are both in the conference, so beating Rutgers is a big deal just to get in the win column and start a critical four-game stretch off on the right foot.
The Scarlet Knights are a bit of a mess right now. They are 1-4 and already have fired coach Chris Ash. He's been replaced by Nunzio Campanile on an interim basis, and he's had to deal with player defections already, as his starting quarterback and running back — Art Sitkowski and Raheem Blackshear — have chosen to sit out the rest of the season to redshirt and save a year of eligibility.
Indiana is a massive 27.5-point favorite in the game, but there's still a lot to play for here. It's a Big Ten, and a Big Ten opponent, so it's incumbent on the Hoosiers to be sharp.
Here are three things I want to see from the Hoosiers on Saturday against Rutgers:
1. Be pinpoint accurate on the long throws
Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has a big arm and he can make all the throws. he won the starting job over Peyton Ramsey because he has the ability to stretch the field, and offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer loves having that threat in his offense.
Penix missed two-plus games because of a shoulder injury and when he returned against Michigan State, he was very good, picking apart the Spartans' elite defense with short, quick throws.
He took a few deep shots downfield but just missed. He did hit a few intermediate balls though, and those were beauties, including this touchdown to Whop Philyor.
It would be nice to see the timing be perfect on a bomb or two against a Rutgers defense that's been known to give up a lot of big plays. This is a big Saturday to see improvement in the deep passing game.
2. Defense continues to dominate inferior opponents
The Indiana defense has struggled against big boys Ohio State and Michigan State in those 51-10 and 40-31 losses. But against teams without much offensive punch, they've been stifling, which is good.
The Hoosiers shut out Eastern Illinois 52-0 and against Connecticut, they were nearly perfect, too. Indiana won that game 38-3, but the only points came after an IU fumble where the defense couldn't do anything about that scoring opportunity.
This unit has worked on a few new wrinkles during the bye week, so it will be nice to see them completely clamp down on a Rutgers offense that's missing its keep components and is really struggling to score.
A shutout, or close, would be nice heading into a two-game road trip at Maryland and at Nebraska.
It's going to be rocking at Memorial Stadium on Saturday as the first taste of fall weather rolls into Bloomington.
3. Everyone enjoys that first fall weekend in Bloomington
A cold front is moving through on Friday night, so that means at Saturday's Noon ET kickoff, it's going to be sunny and in the low 50s. Hello, fall.
For many of you, that'll get a loud cheer. Boots, sweatshirts, hats, all that is a good thing. I am biased, of course, but there is no better or more beautiful Big Ten campus in October than Indiana University. So those of you in town for Homecoming, enjoy yourselves and have a wonderful time.
The Hoosiers will do their part, so you do the same.
