Indiana vs Rutgers: First Thoughts On the Hoosiers' First Road Game

The Indiana Hoosiers are 4-0 and have won 20 games in a row, but concerns abound after a frustratingly narrow win over Northwestern. IU hits the road for the first time and plays Rutgers on Saturday night.

Sep 19, 2026; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights running back Antwan Raymond (3) is tackled by USC Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II (8) during the second half at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Backfield Depth is Extinguished

The Indiana Hoosiers entered the season with one of the nation’s deepest and most talented backfields. Curt Cignetti was expecting to lean on a three-headed monster at running back but in the first half of the season opener, Khobie Martin suffered a forearm injury that is expected to sideline him until midseason.

That left Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. to handle running back duties and the two were performing admirably. On Friday night, IU’s offense was humming with Richard leading the way.

On his ninth carry of the evening, Richard was knocked out of bounds and then hit late with a Wildcat defender rolling onto his ankle. He left the contest after racking up 68 yards and headed to the locker room.

The Boston College transfer did not return, and Lee Beebe took over as the last man standing in the backfield. He was fantastic with 203 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown as the Hoosiers advanced to 4-0, but the injuries to Martin and Richard are a major concern. A timeline for Turbo Richard’s return is unknown, but early reports were hopeful that he could return soon.

It seems highly likely that Richard will not be able to play on Saturday night in New Jersey, so IU will lean on Beebe, with backup duties handled by Sean Cuono or Jayreon Campbell. The Scarlet Knights are surrendering 5.02 yards per carry, including 5.1 against FBS competition.

That places them 114th nationally, so there should be plenty of opportunities for Indiana to control this game on the ground, but the thin depth chart is a major concern and needs to be monitored moving forward.

Talented Rutgers Attack Will Test IU's Defense

The Indiana Hoosiers were dominating Northwestern in the first half and the Wildcats were quite fortunate to only be trailing 12-0. The game flipped in the second 30 minutes and quarterback Aidan Chiles got hot. He consistently escaped pressure and made difficult throws to open pass catchers with tight end Luke Dehnicke erupting for 140 yards on receptions.

One of the concerns in Bloomington all offseason was how the secondary would replace the loss of stars like D’Angelo Ponds and safety Louis Moore. While the answers are not yet conclusive, the results thus far have been underwhelming.

Tayven Jackson hurt the Hoosiers in the season opener, Western Kentucky’s Brock Glenn found some success, and Chiles went 22-29 for 293 yards with two touchdowns. As Indiana hits the road for back-to-back games, it is clear that adjustments are needed.

IU has played zone coverage on 87% of pass plays (according to HuddleIQ), and it certainly seemed like Northwestern’s receivers were finding holes in the zone for much of the second half.

Mixing in man coverage more than 13% of the time might be an adjustment made this week by Bryant Haines as IU tries to find answers. In addition, we could see a change in personnel.

Getting A.J. Harris on the field after a lengthy injury absence would be beneficial, and shifting Preston Zachman or Tobi Osunsanmi to roles where they are relied upon less in pass coverage could be seen as well.

Rutgers has a pair of NFL talents on offense with star receiver KJ Duff (550 yards and seven touchdowns already) and running back Antwan Raymond (438 yards and four touchdowns), and the offense has looked much better recently with Dylan Lonergan back at quarterback.

The Scarlet Knights threw for 252 yards against USC and scored 35 points in a close loss at home and hammered Howard 58-7.

Turnovers have been a major issue for Greg Schiano’s team but if they can take care of the ball, they have proven to be able to generate points. The Hoosiers will look to continue generating a lot of pressure, and Lonergan does not have nearly the same escapability exhibited by Aidan Chiles.

Primetime in the Garden State

Indiana is the much better team but this is the team’s first test on the road and injuries are piling up for the #5 Hoosiers. With the star power of Duff and Raymond,

Rutgers could keep this one closer than the large point spread would indicate, but an improved performance from IU should see the Hoosiers improve to 5-0 and building some confidence.