Welcome to the third edition of two game Tuesdays! This is a crucial stretch to analyze, as Indiana football gets into the meat of their schedule against the Rutgers University and University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Make sure to subscribe below so you don’t miss exciting updates, previews and game recaps for Indiana all season long!
Week 5: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
All time series: Tied 5-5
Indiana heads to Piscataway to face Rutgers on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Scarlet Knights Season Recap
Rutgers went 5-7 overall last year, but only managed to get two wins in the Big Ten Conference. Under head coach Greg Schiano, Rutgers has been notoriously pesky, usually behind a stout defense. Last year, the offense finally held up their end of the bargain, but the offense did not. Junior Antwan Raymond was a star in the backfield at running back. He won the Jon Cornish Trophy for most outstanding Canadian college football player. QB Athan Kaliakmanis played well enough to get drafted into the NFL as well. The defense finished 127th overall, and they simply were not good enough to beat Big Ten teams. The run defense was bad, and the pass rush only managed to get 11 sacks all year. The sack total was good for 17th in the Big Ten.
This Year
Luckily for Rutgers, they return both Raymond and star receiver KJ Duff, who had an amazing sophomore campaign with 1,084 yards receiving. Dylan Lonergan was brought in from Boston College to play quarterback. Lonergan began his career at Alabama, and this could be the year he finally puts it all together for Rutgers. Rutgers overhauled the defensive side of the ball, and I think they will return to the plucky form that has become a staple under Schiano.
To bolster the defensive line, Rutgers brought in Malachi Davis and J’Dan Burnett from Toledo and Tulsa respectively. With both Davis and Burnett being juniors, this was a move for the future as well as the present. In the secondary, junior Kaj Sanders will look to build on a sophomore season in which he was third on the team with 65 tackles. Sanders had two blocked kicks a season ago, which was top 15 nationally.
Indiana vs. Rutgers
Indiana’s first road test of the year will not be a particularly difficult one. Although the Rutgers defense should be much improved, they are still outmatched in this game. Indiana should be able to score at will. A season ago, Rutgers was a team that went as their run game did. However, they were never able to establish that run game against the top competition they faced. Bryant Haines will have an excellent gameplan to neutralize the rushing attack, which bodes well for Indiana. The Hoosiers defense will be more challenged than their offense, but this should be a comfortable win for Indiana.
Image courtesy of The Herald-Times
Week 6: Nebraska Cornhuskers
All time series: IU leads 11-9-3
Indiana travels to Lincoln for their first road test of the year against Nebraska on Oct. 10.
Cornhuskers Season Recap
Nebraska finally got over their bowl game hump, yet ended the year with a 22 point loss to the University of Utah. They went 7-6, led by quarterback Dylan Raiola, who has since transferred to the University of Oregon. Emmett Johnson ran for almost 1500 yards, and will be in Kansas City this fall with the Chiefs. Overall, their offense wasn’t the issue last year.
Their defense was bottom third of the Big Ten Conference, which derailed their hopes for success. They were also last in the conference in punting, which contributed to some of the defensive issues. They gave up 40 points to the University of Iowa which is almost unfathomable as the Hawkeyes are never that potent on offense. Under head coach Matt Rhule, Nebraska is just 66-62, which is below the historical standard in Lincoln. He is a hot seat candidate this year unless Nebraska shows progress from last year. His enormous buyout looms larger than Memorial Stadium itself; however, we’ve seen big programs eat monster buyouts to attempt to get back to where they want to be.
This Year
Nebraska will look completely different this year, as they bring in senior quarterback Anthony Colandrea to take snaps. The transfer from University of Nevada, Las Vegas graduated from the Dan Mullen School of Quarterbacks, and looks to build on that in Lincoln. At running back, sophomore Isaiah Mozee will be relied on to fill the Emmett Johnson sized hole at the position. The offensive line continues to have question marks throughout, and must be better than last season at protecting their new QB. The Cornhuskers are bringing back junior wide receiver Jacory Barney and grabbing junior wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer from UCLA who should improve the passing offense, but only if Colandrea has enough time to throw.
Defensively, Nebraska brings in Rob Aurich as Defensive Coordinator. His San Diego State University Aztecs finished 11th in total defense a season ago. Junior linebacker Owen Chambliss, the star of the Aztec defense, followed Aurich to Nebraska after a great year in San Diego with 110 tackles and 4 sacks.
Indiana vs Nebraska
Nebraska is currently ranked at 37th in SP+, and this will be a raucous environment in Lincoln. Nebraska could be 5-0 going into this game, and will be in the Top 25 if that’s true. The Cornhuskers will have a chip on their shoulder after the embarrassing 56-7 defeat they suffered in Bloomington just two seasons ago. Indiana will need to start fast to take the crowd out of the game. Field position will be critical in this game, and head coach Curt Cignetti is a master at tilting the field in his favor. If the Nebraska offensive line holds up, and if the defense is improved, this game could come down to the final minutes. If Indiana dominates in the trenches like we saw them do consistently last season, it could be a Hoosier takeover in Lincoln.
After 4 warm-up types of games, IU’s schedule gets progressively harder with a road matchup and then their first opportunity against a ranked opponent. If IU is 5-0 after the Nebraska game, they’ll be in line for a heavyweight clash against The Ohio State University the following week.
If you’ve ever needed better online security and wanted to save a ton of money while doing so, make sure you check out this link! We’ve partnered with NordVPN to get you 65%+ off at the link below. Sansom Sports Media is happy to partner with them to keep our connections safe, and you should consider it as well!
https://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=1002&aff_id=147031
Cover picture courtesy of Indy Star