The Indiana Hoosiers moved to 5-0 on the season with an emphatic 47-15 win over Rutgers on Saturday night. It was the first road test of the season for the Hoosiers, and they passed with flying colors.
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While there were some hiccups, the Hoosiers played a solid all-around game and controlled the Scarlet Knights from start to finish. Here is a look back at three winners and two losers from Indiana's Week 5 win.
Winners
1. Tobi Osunsanmi
Tobi Osunsanmi transferred to Indiana from Kansas State in the offseason, and brought even more talent to an already stacked IU defensive front. He's been a steady force up front to begin the season, and put forth an impressive effort on Saturday night against Rutgers. Osunsanmi was tied for the team lead with 7.0 tackles, which included a sack and a pair of tackles for loss. He had little trouble getting into the backfield and causing trouble for the Scarlet Knight offense. On the season, Osunsanmi leads the Big Ten in tackles for loss (8.5) and sacks (4.0).
2. Josh Hoover's turnover-less streak
When Josh Hoover transferred from TCU to Indiana, a lot was made of his turnover problems. Hoover threw 33 interceptions over three seasons as TCU's QB1, which included leading the Big 12 with 13 picks last season. But Curt Cignetti knew what he was doing. Hoover was simply asked to do too much in Fort Worth, and now he is in a much more complimentary system. It has yielded great results so far, as Hoover has completed over 70% of his passes for 1,101 yards and 15 touchdowns through five games. Most importantly, he hasn't thrown an interception. Hoover was strong again on Saturday night, as he completed 20 of his 27 pass attempts (74.1% completion percentage) for 251 yards and four touchdowns.
3. Indiana's secondary limiting KJ Duff
Heading into this matchup, we emphasized how good Rutgers WR KJ Duff is. Duff is the real deal, as the 6'6" 225-pound electric playmaker entered Week 5 with yardage totals of 196, 137, 86, and 131 to go along with an NCAA-leading seven touchdowns. But the Hoosiers held him in check. Duff was limited to four catches for 78 yards, and for the first time this season, was held out of the end zone. He had one impressive 41-yard catch in the first half, but outside of that he was relatively quiet. Rutgers' QB situation didn't do him any favors, but keeping Duff limited was a big key in this game. The Hoosier secondary delivered in that effort.
Losers
1. Greg Schiano
Things continue to go from bad to worse for Greg Schiano in Piscataway. Now in Year 7 of his second tenure at Rutgers, Schiano's Scarlet Knights are 1-4 and started the season with a shocking loss to UMass. Schiano is now just 15-41 in Big Ten play since returning to Rutgers in 2020, and the program continues to be in the cellar of the Big Ten. After another lopsided loss, his seat is only getting hotter and hotter
2. Indiana's kicking game
Indiana's special teams unit was not on its game. Nico Radicic missed an extra point on Indiana's second touchdown drive, and then missed a chip-shot 22-yard field goal late in the 2nd quarter. Radicic missed some time earlier this season with a nagging back issue, but it remains to be seen if that is still impacting his performance. But regardless, cleaning up some things on special teams should be a point of emphasis for the Hoosiers moving forward. The good news is that Radicic rebounded in a nice way and capped the evening by drilling a 48-yarder in the closing minutes of the game.
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