Rutgers Football vs. Indiana Recap

This past Saturday was another heartbreaking loss for Rutgers as they remain winless in Big Ten action despite now having played fairly winnable games against Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Indiana. Looking back at the game and the coaches' postgame comments, there was good and bad on both sides of the ball. The difference in the game was that Indiana made one more big play than Rutgers did. As Ash stated, "I like our preparation. We just need to get better in a lot of areas."

Special Teams

In his opening postgame remarks, head coach Chris Ash said of Rutgers, "we need to be better on special teams" later citing the missed field goal and blocked punt as things that Rutgers can't have happen. There was also plenty of good on special teams as Rutgers blocked two kicks and recovered a muffed punt. Rutgers has now blocked at least two kicks in every season since 2007. I also thought the first two returns put Rutgers in decent field position. The missed field goal was disappointing because it was a very makeable 33-yard kick, but those three points were not the difference in the game. Plus, David Bonagura made his other two kicks and all extra points.

Defense

Aside from surrendering Zander Diamont's 59-yard touchdown scamper on Indiana's first drive, the Rutgers run defense was solid. However, the pass defense left a lot to be desired. The radio announcers singled out Isaiah Wharton as a guilty party, and he certainly got beat on his share of 50/50 pass plays. Defensive coordinator Jay Niemann said that many of the Hoosiers' "deep shots were 50/50 balls that we didn't make plays on." But once again a lot of it came down to open-tackling. Rutgers just isn't making enough plays in space to prevent short completions from becoming big gainers.

Speaking of tackling, a reporter asked Niemann how he felt things improved once Kiy Hester replaced Anthony Cioffi in the game. Niemann mentioned they "tackled a little better" with Hester in there, and that's no surprise. Despite playing in just 6 of Rutgers' 9 games, and starting just 4 of them, Hester is still fourth on the team in tackles. I would love to see Rutgers find a way to get Hester and Saquan Hampton in the game together more often than not.

Darius Hamilton and Trevor Morris each had 10 tackles for Rutgers. Morris leads the team with 73 overall, a dozen more than Deonte Roberts. Rutgers as a team had a season- high 13 tackles for loss against Indiana.

The four forced turnovers were certainly a season highlight. It was the first time Rutgers forced four in a game since 2012. But both Ash and Niemann couldn't avoid discussing the turnover that got away--the forced fumble that Indiana recovered when the Rutgers defenders were unable to fall on the ball. That was just one of a few plays that could've been the difference in the game, especially since Indiana ended up scoring a touchdown on the drive.

I have two other observations on the defensive side of the ball. The first is that it was great to see Kemoko Turay get a sack and create some havoc in the offensive backfield. Let's hope he can stay healthy heading into next season. It would be interesting to see what he could do with a full offseason of training with this coaching staff. My other point is the play of Julian Pinnix-Odrick, who's forced fumble led to Darnell Davis's 75-yard scoop and score. It's a shame that JPO had so many injuries during his career. But if he continues his strong season I think some pro scouts will take notice.

Offense

There are two stats that put the offense's struggles into perspective. First, they were only able to generate 14 points off of the four turnovers and second, they were 1 of 16 on third down. That second stat is a killer. Setting aside potential scores, a few more third-down conversions is often the difference in winning the field position battle as well as giving your defense more of a rest. Offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer felt that the Scarlet Knights "didn't do a good job of handling pressure" on third down. And that "we have to communicate, we have to play with better technique up front."

Ash said that quarterback Giovanni Rescigno, still battling a hamstring injury, "was limited, but that's not an excuse." Of Rescigno, Mehringer said "Gio played pretty well. He made some good, tough throws out to the sideline." The head coach seemed more concerned with their inability to run the ball, particularly to get enough first and second down yardage to avoid third and longs. Ash was asked about the availability of starting tailback Robert Martin, who played sparingly on special teams. Martin played only on special teams because he had not received a lot of practice reps and "we were hoping he would be healthier." In his absence, Justin Goodwin racked up 130 yards from scrimmage but 30 of his 82 rushing yards were on one play. Ash also mentioned that Gio was pressured often.

There were some of the high points on offense worth noting. First, congrats to Jawuan Harris for eclipsing 100 yards receiving in a game. He continues to be a player to watch for Rutgers. Andre Patton had another strong game with the big TD in the first quarter and over 90 yards receiving, as did Justin Goodwin. And the toughness of Giovanni Rescigno, standing in the pocket, taking some big shots, and getting right back up. Hopefully they can find a way to keep him upright against Michigan State.