A glaring Indiana weakness will be put to the test in Week 5 against Rutgers

Just because a team is favored by a wide margin doesn’t mean it will coast to an easy victory. Look no further than Indiana's Week 4 matchup against Northwestern. The Hoosiers were favored by three touchdowns, but were put on upset alert all through the game and ended up winning by just six points.

Heading into Week 5 against Rutgers, Indiana is heavily favored once again. The Hoosiers are 24-point favorites over the Scarlet Knights, but Rutgers has one elite weapon that is capable of exploiting a glaring Indiana weakness.

Rutgers WR KJ Duff presents a serious problem for the Indiana secondary

There's no denying it's been a rough start to the season for Rutgers. Greg Schiano's team started the season with a shocking loss to UMass, and is now just 1-3 with their lone win coming last week against Howard. But wide receiver KJ Duff has been a serious bright spot and is among the best wideouts in all of college football.

Through four games, Duff ranks 4th nationally with 550 receiving yards and is tied for the NCAA lead with 7 receiving touchdowns. He is by far and away Rutgers' top offensive weapon, as he's already collected 29 catches on the season. For comparison, Rutgers only has one other receiver with double-digit catches, which comes in the form of Jourdin Houston with 14.

Duff is already garnering plenty of First Round NFL Draft hype, and has a chance to put up some special numbers this season. He's already matched his touchdown total from last season (7), and is poised to shatter his yardage total of 1,084 from a year ago.

Key Indiana position group in even more trouble heading into Rutgers matchup

Duff has an enormous catch radius and thrives at bringing down contested throws. He is a highlight reel waiting to happen, but Indiana needs to limit his production if they want to avoid being put on upset alert for the second consecutive week.

Indiana's secondary needs to tighten up against Rutgers in Week 5

Owning a 6'6" 225-pound frame, Duff is a matchup nightmare for just about every defense out there. And given the way Indiana's secondary looked against Northwestern, Duff could be on the verge of another monster game.

The main reason why the Hoosiers were put on upset alert last week as due to a secondary that sprung too many leaks. Northwestern QB Aidan Chiles put forth a sensational performance that saw him complete 22 of his 29 pass attempts (75.9% completion percentage) for 293 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

The Hoosier secondary provided little resistance to the Wildcat passing attack, giving up big play after big play––particularly in the second half. Indiana had no answer for TE Luke Dehnicke, who totaled 7 catches for a whopping 140 yards. WR Griffin Wilde also had a solid night, bringing down 6 catches for 56 yards and two touchdowns. Duff's skill set is far more elite, and if the Hoosiers aren't well-prepared, he could burn them.

Heading into Saturday night’s matchup, Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines will need to use creative schemes and packages to limit Duff’s production. Cornerback Jamari Sharpe figures to be tasked with slowing Duff down, but other players including Byron Baldwin Jr, Preston Zachman, and Amare Ferrell need to be ready to help out as well.

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