Rutgers rides new look offense to victory over Indiana

How will Rutgers use its quarterbacks with all three healthy? Can Nunzio Campanile make it work?

All questions were answered on Saturday afternoon as the Scarlet Knights snapped a 21-game Big Ten losing streak at home with a 24-17 triumph over Indiana in Piscataway.

With all three quarterbacks available, Campanile decided to go with Noah Vedral full-time. The speed of Aron Cruickshank on the edges was displayed while Johnny Langan was used in a limited role in the wildcat set.

Long story short, many positive changes were made on the offensive side of the ball.

Vedral finished 12-for-24 for 113 yards and one touchdown. The numbers were not eye-popping but Rutgers did not turn the ball over during its trek back from a 14-0 deficit.

Samuel Brown V is more than solidified as the lead back, totaling 28 carries for 101 yards and one touchdown. The Scarlet Knights totaled 305 total yards and 192 on the ground.

After falling in a 14-0 hole, Rutgers found itself in a familiar position — using defense to hang around.

The Scarlet Knights allowed a touchdown on the opening drive but that is the only time the Hoosier offense would find the end zone.

On the first touchdown drive for Rutgers, Vedral finished with 59 passing yards, including a 15-yard strike to Sean Ryan.

The offense for Rutgers was not breaking any records on Saturday but the unit looked much improved. Campanile made adjustments that Sean Gleeson failed to make over the first six weeks. After two losses in Big Ten play that could have went the other way (Iowa and Nebraska), the Scarlet Knights needed to see one go their way.

Campanile is a candidate to take over as the offensive coordinator next season after working as the interim for the rest of 2022. In his first test, the offense looked improved and had more consistency than over the first half of the season.

From this moment on, it is all about improvement for Rutgers while it continues to adjust to the new style.