Indiana Football: 3 takeaways from comfortable win over Rutgers
By Dante Pryor
After an upset win against Penn State, Indiana football handily defeated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 37-21 in Piscataway on Saturday.
After a couple of seasons dealing with injuries, redshirt sophomore Michael Penix Jr. is healthy and living up to his promise. It was quite the coup when Penix chose Indiana football over Alabama, proving his ability to play quarterback. Against Rutgers, he threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns, adding a rushing touchdown as well.
Defensively, the Hoosiers had three interceptions and five sacks as Rutgers struggled to get into an offensive rhythm most of the game despite scoring first against Indiana. Neither team ran well. Indiana ran for just 105 yards, and Rutgers 118 yards as each defensive line did a good job at the point of attack on running plays.
Rutgers quarterback Noah Vedral did not fare as well in this game as his counterpart. The Nebraska transfer threw for just 128 yards and two touchdowns and three interceptions; Vedral was under duress most of the game. When he had time, he made some nice throws. The issue was he rarely had time to throw.
With the win, the Hoosiers are tied to the Big Ten East with Ohio State, while Rutgers falls to 1-1 on the season.
Here are three more takeaways from the game.
3. Indiana might be trouble
If an underdog has confidence, they are difficult to stop. After the first two games of the season, the Indiana Hoosiers have to feel good about themselves. Though their win against Penn State was controversial, it was still a win. They forced turnovers and gave themselves a chance to win in the fourth quarter.
This week against an improved Rutgers team, the Hoosiers came out and took control of the game early. Though Rutgers did an outstanding job of limiting Indiana in the running game, the Scarlet Knights could not do anything with Michale Penix Jr. The Alabama native carried the day for Indiana.
The Hoosiers might not be good enough to win the East, but they could ruin it for someone else. Ask Penn State.