Indiana football enters a matchup with Rutgers on Saturday coming off a beatdown loss Oct. 14 to No. 2 Michigan on the road. While the Hoosiers had an early 7-0 lead, the Wolverines responded with 52 unanswered points. Redshirt freshman quarterback Tayven Jackson started for Indiana, but he and his counterpart redshirt freshman quarterback Brendan Sorsby split time under center.
“I was just trying to use this as an opportunity to see who would step up and take it, hoping that one of them would’ve done that,” Indiana head coach Tom Allen said Oct. 14.
In welcoming Rutgers — who enters Saturday’s noon kickoff at 5-2 and seemingly in line for a bowl game appearance — to Bloomington, the contest likely will determine the fate of Indiana’s season.
A win would improve the Hoosiers to 3-4 with a six-win season and a bowl game appearance still possible. But a loss would drop Indiana to 2-5, with a bowl game likely out of the question. While the final score is the most important, solidifying a starting quarterback Saturday could give Indiana a sense of belief.
“We’ll make a decision,” Allen said Monday. “When we make this decision this week, that person will be the guy. So, I’m not going to rotate back and forth.”
Whoever Allen decides to tab as the starting quarterback, he’ll be tasked with taking on a Rutgers defense that allows 16 points per game — fifth best in the Big Ten.
“A really good football team coming to Bloomington,” Allen said Monday.
While the Scarlet Knights boast one of the conference’s leaders in yards allowed per game with 277.4, their offense has had their fair share of struggles.
Although Rutgers completed a dramatic comeback win over Michigan State on Oct. 14 in which it displayed grit and toughness, its quarterback play was less than ideal. Junior quarterback Gavin Wimsatt went 13-of-28 for 181 yards alongside a touchdown and a pair of interceptions.
With Wimsatt largely struggling throughout the game, the Scarlet Knights’ offense was led by their rushing attack. Junior running back Kyle Monangai totaled 148 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Monangai leads the conference in rushing yards with 635 but also totals a conference-high 120 carries.
Rutgers enters Bloomington with a largely successful first seven games of its season under head coach Greg Schiano. If Indiana wants to stand a chance against the Scarlet Knights, the quarterback that Allen elects to name the starter must improve their play.
Jackson and Sorsby went a combined 13-of-28 for 96 yards alongside two interceptions and two fumbles. Four turnovers against No. 2 Michigan resulted in the 52-7 drubbing but also led to neither quarterback separating themselves from the other.
“Both have positive traits, and you just want to see more consistency,” Allen said Monday. “I think that’s key, for us to be able to do that as a staff to help them with that in both the game plan and the calls and the way they’re going to operate.”
Although the offense showed glimmers of promise under newly hired offensive coordinator Rod Carey in the opening quarter against Michigan, it eventually went downhill with the Hoosiers being shut out in the final three quarters.
Other than the second half against the University of Louisville on Sept. 16, Indiana has largely struggled offensively, with the second half of the Michigan game being no different.
For the Hoosiers to claim a victory against the Scarlet Knights on homecoming weekend, Allen explained what he wants to see from his squad throughout all four quarters during Saturday’s contest.
“Obviously now the next step is, OK, start strong and be able to consistently play well as a football team on both sides of the ball, at all positions because every position is being evaluated,” Allen said Monday.
While Allen explained that he would go through an extensive evaluation process after scraping by the University of Akron on Sept. 23 and a blowout loss to Maryland on Sept. 30, the process has been continuous in the past four weeks.
An improved showing from its offense against Rutgers could propel Indiana into a more successful second half of the season, but another performance like a week ago could send the Hoosiers into further despair with a bowl game looking less likely.
Follow reporters Matt Press (@MattPress23) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
