Indiana football: Hoosiers thoroughly handle Rutgers in 37-21 win
Indiana Football is 2-0 after handily beating Rutgers 37-21
This was a battle of two 1-0 teams, but Indiana showed vast superiority in their matchup with Rutgers. They had a shaky first quarter, trailing the Scarlet Knights 7-3 after the first 15 minutes. Michael Penix Jr. was part of the slow start — Indiana’s junior signal-caller was 3/10 on his passing attempts at one point.
In the second quarter, however, Tom Allen’s team found their stride. The Hoosiers scored two 17 points and held Rutgers to zero in the second period, and the team kept pace from there. Indiana outscored the Scarlet Knights in every quarter the rest of the way.
Things got a little tense towards the end of the game after Rutgers quarterback Noah Vedral tossed a 16-yard score to Bo Melton. Down 16, Rutgers attempted an onside kick and was able to recover. From there, the Hoosiers sacked Vedral twice, ultimately resulting in a 4th and 32. Rutgers lateraled eight times and found the endzone.
However, this miraculous play was called back after a forward pass was called in the middle of the craziness. Indiana took over and ran out the clock, sealing their victory.
If you take away the first quarter, Indiana looked the part of a top-25 team. Penix shed off his slow start and ended up 17/26 for 238 yards and three touchdowns. Whop Philyor had a great day, catching five balls for a total of 137 yards.
Rutgers had a decent week one performance, but they are a weak team. Indiana continued its’ theme from last season of beating teams it should beat. Their next opponent, however, will give them more trouble. Michigan will be coming to Bloomington fresh off a bad loss to Michigan State. For all their faults, Michigan is a solid team and will be focusing their anger on the Hoosiers after laying an egg to their in-state rival. The Hoosiers will need to be prepared for a tough fight next Saturday, but they are 2-0 for now and have enough confidence to beat anyone.
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