IU trails Rutgers 27-24 at halftime of its homecoming game.
Rutgers regained the lead with 21 seconds remaining in the half as Rutgers quarterback Chris Laviano hit receiver Leonte Carroo for a 23-yard touchdown.
Carroo has 106 yards and two touchdowns on five catches.
On senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld’s first drive back from an ankle injury that held him out last week at Penn State, he completed his first five pass attempts for a combined 65 yards. The drive was halted at the 9-yard line and a Griffin Oakes field goal put IU up by three.
He finished the half completing 21-of-27 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns. His career high is 363 yards in a full game.
Other standouts for IU were sophomore receiver Simmie Cobbs, who had 104 yards on six catches, and junior receiver Mitchell Paige, who had 79 yards on five catches.
The Hoosiers outgained the Scarlet Knights 351 yards to 319, but have turned the ball over on two failed fourth down attempts. The IU running game only has 59 yards on 17 carries.
IU led Rutgers 52-27 in the third quarter but allowed 28 unanswered points to lose 55-52.
The Hoosiers lose their third straight game and fall to 4-3 (0-3) on the season.
Senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld passed for a career high 462 yards in a nearly flawless first three quarters, but threw consecutive interceptions in the fourth quarter to keep Rutgers within reach.
The Scarlet Knights finished the game with a 27-yard field goal as time expired to pull off the comeback.
Rutgers outgained IU 200 yards to 25 in the fourth quarter with 22 points. Rutgers quarterback Chris Laviano finished with 386 yards and three touchdowns. Rutgers running back Robert Martin finished with 124 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
The two teams combined for 1,223 yards in the game.
IU takes on Michigan State next week in East Lansing, Michigan.
Brody Miller
