It wasn’t pretty, but IU did just enough to defeat Rutgers 24-17 on Saturday afternoon.
After leading 24-7 at halftime, the Hoosiers were shut out in the second half. But, IU withstood a fourth-quarter rally from the Scarlet Knights.
Thanks to 339 total yards and two total touchdowns from sophomore quarterback Peyton Ramsey, along with another good showing from IU's defense, the Hoosiers improved to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten Conference.
Here are three key takeaways from IU’s first Big Ten win of 2018.
1. The IU defense looked strong yet again.
For most of the game, IU’s defense was stifling, holding Rutgers quarterback Artur Sitkowski to just 154 yards passing and limiting the Scarlet Knights to just 98 yards rushing.
Sitkowski never looked comfortable against the Hoosier defense, as he was sacked twice and also threw an interception in the end zone.
After scoring a touchdown on the opening drive of the game, Rutgers was unable to score again until the fourth quarter, allowing IU to extend its lead to 21 points.
Sophomore husky Marcelino Ball returned from his one-half suspension in the second half, and he seemed to provide an immediate boost as he picked up a tackle for loss and a pass breakup on his first series back.
2. The IU offense stalled in the second half.
For the second time in four games, IU failed to score in the second half.
After scoring 24 points and looking unstoppable in the first half, the Hoosier offense went to sleep after the break. In the first half, IU scored on all four of its possessions, and jumped out to a 24-7 lead behind two touchdowns from Ramsey and a 16-yard touchdown run from freshman running back Stevie Scott.
In the second half, IU looked like a completely different team. After racking up 285 yards and avoiding turnovers in the first half, the Hoosiers could only muster 164 total yards along with two turnovers in the second period.
IU has been able to survive both games in which it failed to score in the second half, but the offense will need to improve its ability to close out games as the schedule gets tougher during the coming weeks.
3. No matter how sloppy it was, IU is now 4-1.
With tough games against Ohio State, Iowa and Penn State in the near future, this was a must-win game for IU with regard to its bowl hopes.
Despite the poor second half on offense, the Hoosiers still walked out of Piscataway, New Jersey, with a victory. With this win, IU is now just two wins away from bowl eligibility with seven games remaining.
The Hoosiers may not have looked like a great team on Saturday afternoon, but they picked up a road win in the Big Ten and that’s the most important thing.
