Rutgers Football vs. Indiana Preview

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team takes the field at Noon on Saturday against the Indiana Hoosiers. By the time they emerge from the tunnel at High Point Solutions Stadium, Rutgers will have finished up a much-needed two-week layoff after last week's bye. With multiple starters at key positions banged up, including running back, quarterback, safety, linebacker, and offensive line, the extra week off gave the Scarlet Knights a little extra time to heal up. For example, in his weekly press conference, Chris Ash mentioned that had RU played Saturday, quarterback Giovanni Rescigno would likely have missed the game or would've been limited. With the extra week, there's a greater chance he'll be able to run the complete offense. Ash "feels good about where he's at," meaning Gio's health.

Ash said that he was encouraged by certain things. The Rutgers offense is "running the ball fairly well" and is "better with third down" and in the red zone. He's "excited about the tackle position," pointing to the progress of both Kamaal Seymour and Tariq Cole. In fact, Josh Liskiewitz of Pro Football Focus named Cole as one of the five most underrated players in the Big Ten. Ash mentioned that Josh Hicks has improved his pass-blocking, which allows him to stay on the field longer. On the negative side of things, Ash pointed out that turnovers continue to be a problem and that Rutgers leads the conference in fumbles lost.

Offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer feels that Indy is better on defense this year than they were last year. One of Gio's strong suits is preparation, so hopefully he'll be ready for what Indiana throws his way. A reporter asked if it's likely that Rutgers will once again look to throw the ball deep, seeing as how Gio had some success against Minnesota. Mehringer said they "need to take deep shots but also need to stay on the field." I wouldn't be surprised if Rutgers takes an early deep shot or two provided the score is close or in their favor. A big play gets the home crowd fired up. Look for Jawuan Harris to get involved early, as Mehringer praised his "acceleration" in "twenty-yard bursts."

The standard Tylin Oden questions continued and both Chris Ash and Mehringer provided a little clarity. While there is a package in place for Tylin each week, whether Rutgers uses him or not will be "situational." Mehringer said that Oden is "improving, progressing" but is "not ready to start." This is likely why he's not officially listed as the backup even though he's the other QB most likely to see action aside from Rescigno.

Preparing for Indiana on defense seems to be contingent on how Rutgers is able to keep track of three players the Hoosiers line up at quarterback and who is in the backfield with them. Indiana plays at a very fast pace, and last amassed over 400 yards rushing against Maryland. On paper, this does not bode well for a Rutgers defense that has given up obscene amounts of rushing yards thus far. Defensive coordinator Jay Niemann mentioned that he feels the linebackers are a bit fresher with the extra rest. But it's important to note that the Indiana starting quarterback, Richard Lagow, has also completed over 60% of his passes for close to 2,200 yards. So, the Hoosiers are not a one dimensional team. Chris Ash says that Indiana has been playing fast and is "fun to watch." It'll be fun for me to watch if the RU defensive line is snuffing out plays in the Indiana backfield.