3 Things Scarlet Knights must do to beat Indiana

Rutgers 18 point comeback win over Michigan State last weekend was one for the ages. With the victory, the Scarlet Knights are now 5-0 at home for the first time since 2006. Unfortunately, not every game can be played at home as Rutgers will be looking for its first road win of the year at Indiana. Right now Rutgers is the favorite to win the game. Here are three things the Knights must do to ensure the win.

3. Finish Drives

Rutgers, in their last game against Michigan State, only managed six points on three field goal attempts before the fourth quarter. That is not a recipe for success in any Big Ten matchup and the offense is lucky the defense prevented the Spartans from taking further advantage. The offense cannot disappear for entire quarters at a time like it did against Wisconsin. Indiana is a good opponent to give the offense the spark it needs to up their game.

2. Run up the score

Playing off the first point, Rutgers needs to score on its first drive and not look back. As of right now, Indiana has let up the second most points per game in the Big Ten. Rutgers needs to put their foot on the gas and exploit this weakness so they can put this game away early. The longer that Indiana hangs around the tougher it will be to beat them so getting up by a few touchdowns will go a long way to securing the win.

1. Take away the run game

Right now, Indiana has the 13th best rushing offense in the Big Ten. Rutgers in comparison has the seventh best rush defense in the Big Ten. If Rutgers can find a way to stonewall Indiana’s rush attack, it will place all the pressure on Indiana’s shaky QB room. Indiana rotated two QBs in their last game against Michigan and it is currently unknown which one Rutgers will face. Regardless, constantly rotating QBs have a tendency to shake their confidence. If Rutgers can take away the run game and force the Indiana QB to beat them, there is a very good chance the added pressure can cause some mistakes.