PISCATAWAY, N.J. — For the first time this season, the Hoosiers are hitting the road.
No. 6 Indiana (4-0) travels to challenge Rutgers (1-3) on the road at 8 p.m. on Saturday. It’s one of four regular season road trips, three of which are set to take place in October, beginning with this matchup in Piscataway, New Jersey.
“We're going on the road,” Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said on Monday, “we’re still playing on a 100-yard football field, 52 yards wide… we’ve got to prepare well this week and put it between the white lines.”
Indiana survived a scare against Northwestern last week, but can reset and refresh against Rutgers before facing Nebraska on the road and No. 5 Ohio State at home in the next two weeks.
A few important positional matchups as the Hoosiers hit the road for the first time:
Indiana’s cornerbacks vs. KJ Duff, a truly elite wide receiver
Indiana hasn’t yet defended a wide receiver quite of the caliber of Rutgers’ KJ Duff.
Duff is currently tied for the most touchdown catches in the country with seven, and is No. 4 in the nation in receiving yards, trailing only one Big Ten receiver, Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith who slots in at No. 1 in that category.
“They’re capable of scoring points and they do score points,” Cignetti said about Rutgers. “KJ Duff is a premier receiver and their other receivers are developing.”
Duff is awesome, and Indiana lost its top cornerback from last season, D’Angelo Ponds, to the NFL Draft. Whether it’s Jamari Sharpe, Ryland Gandy or a mix of secondary defenders, one or multiple Hoosiers must step up to significantly limit or erase Duff’s production.
This is important not just because Duff is the most dangerous component of the Rutgers offense, but also because Duff’s presence serves as a preview of Indiana's upcoming test against Smith of Ohio State.
Whether or not the Hoosiers effectively limit Duff directly impacts the public’s confidence in Indiana’s ability to prevent Smith from dominating in two weeks.
Of course, most importantly, Duff could substantially impact the result on the field in Piscataway, New Jersey this Saturday, and it's on Indiana to prevent just that.
Josh Hoover’s trebuchet vs. a weakened, questionable Rutgers secondary
Indiana scheduled a light non-conference slate, and did so on purpose, taking advantage of a runway to league play in an attempt to prepare the Hoosiers for Big Ten action as best as possible.
Then, the Hoosiers had a much tougher time toppling their competition, in a game that caused Northwestern head coach David Braun to say that the Wildcats “not could have won,” but “should have won this football game.”
Rather than immediately embarking on a continuation of the conference’s arduous tests, the Hoosiers can refresh and reset to some degree during this road trip to Rutgers, an adversary slightly less threatening than the likes of Nebraska, No. 5 Ohio State and Michigan. Indiana ramped up to league play, then saw its previously unexploited weaknesses exposed by Northwestern, and now briefly revisits the drawing board before the rest of its conference schedule.
As those massive matchups creep ever closer, a few boxes remain unchecked for Indiana's offense and defense to satisfy. One is the aforementioned verifiable ability to limit or erase the influence of an elite receiver, and another is the unleashment of Hoover’s trebuchet.
Hoover hasn’t yet connected with a receiver deep down the field in seamless, emphatic fashion this season. His 79-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Becker in week three drew a rise from the crowd, but it was slightly underthrown, forcing Becker to backpedal for it.
A truly spectacular connection deep down the field, one with perfect timing and execution, is an unchecked box for the Indiana offense.
“We’re still early,” Hoover said after the game against Northwestern, “we’re still getting our rhythm and timing down and we’re going to clean those (misconnections) up and we’re going to have a really explosive offense.”
Offenses improve over the course of seasons, and Indiana’s explosiveness may be on the way. Rutgers presents one the most exploitable secondary remaining on Indiana’s schedule, amplifying the possibility of Hoover unleashing his trebuchet on Saturday.
Five Scarlet Knight defensive backs are listed as probable, questionable, doubtful or out in the Big Ten’s availability report, and Rutgers ranks at No. 12 in the Big Ten in passing yards allowed so far this season. Jayden Maiava of USC, the only Big Ten quarterback to challenge the Scarlet Knights to this point, completed 20-of-32 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns in week three.
Rutgers quarterback Dylan Lonergan and Duff are likely to connect for a big gain at least once, as are Julian Sayin and Smith for Ohio State. It’s important that Hoover and the Hoosiers match that, and Rutgers is a prime opponent for Hoover to unlock his trebuchet against.
Execution by Indiana’s defensive front vs. Rutgers quarterback Dylan Lonergan
Last week, members of Indiana’s defensive front were unhappy with how much success Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles had on the ground. Lonergan isn’t exactly the most mobile of signal-callers, but it remains important that the Hoosiers blow up the backfield like they did in non-conference action.
“I know a lot of sacks were missed just by not getting to the high shoulder of the quarterback… I feel like as the game went on, our technique kind of deteriorated,” Indiana defensive lineman Tobi Osunsanmi said after the game against Northwestern.
At times, Indiana’s defensive linemen were in position to bring down Chiles, but didn’t always capitalize on those opportunities, instead allowing Chiles to scamper for first downs.
Rutgers’ strength is its passing game, especially when it involves Duff. That won’t be too much of an issue, though, if Indiana executes sacks and tackles for loss against Lonergan, an easier target than Chiles given his relative immobility.
When the opportune moment arises, it’s important that the defensive front seizes it.
The first of four road trips
Indiana hits the road for the first time this season in week five. After this trip, the Hoosiers will travel to challenge Nebraska, Michigan and Washington.
It’s a “business trip,” in Cignetti’s words, and the Hoosiers don’t view it as any different from any other matchup, despite the flights and unfamiliar environment involved.
Before it battles better opponents on the road, Indiana starts with Rutgers. After fighting for survival against Northwestern, the Hoosiers can refresh and reset, although the Scarlet Knights surely won’t go down easy in their own building.
The Hoosiers enter New Jersey undefeated, and will leave either 5-0 or 4-1.
