Scarlet Scare
Talk about deja vu. IU with the ball, tie game, late fourth quarter, and a chance for Lewis Richardson to win it on a field goal.
A week after finding themselves in the same position against Michigan State, Indiana found itself looking to hold off Rutgers in a Big Ten matchup at Memorial Stadium. And just like last week, Richardson’s kick that would have won the game for IU just missed. This time, the kick had the accuracy, but the 44-yard try into the wind fell just short, bouncing off the crossbar.
But let’s back up. IU was looking to continue their winning ways after an overtime nail-biter against MSU. Rutgers was trying to get back above .500 after falling out of the top 25, and was looking for their first road win on the year.
Defense was the name of the game for most of the first half, and it took until the 1:47 mark of the second quarter for either team to find the scoreboard, as Rutgers receiver Lance Bell hauled in a pass over the middle and took it the distance, outrunning a pair of IU defenders for the 72-yard TD. IU would knock in a field goal to end the half, and the teams went into the locker room with Rutgers up 7-3.
Indiana would take the opening possession of the third quarter deep into Scarlet Knight territory, and Daryl Chestnut finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown, giving the Hoosiers their first lead of the game. A Rutgers field goal late in the third quarter would tie the game at 10, setting up a dramatic fourth quarter.
With around two minutes to go in the fourth, it looked like Rutgers would take the lead on what appeared to be a touchdown run, but the points were taken off the board as the result of a clipping penalty. Rutgers would later try to go for it on fourth down, a questionable call with the Knights in field goal range, but would be stopped well short when Rutgers QB Eric Rodriguez would be sacked. The two teams would trade possessions from that point, and Indiana found themselves with the ball and a chance to seal the game in regulation.
In ideal conditions, 44 yards is within Richardson’s range. However, he found himself kicking into a five-mile an hour wind, which would be just enough to cause the potential game-winner to fall short.
In overtime, Rutgers looked to be on their way to a touchdown, but the Indiana defense would again step up, stopping the drive at the 2. Rutgers would take the easy field goal, retaking the lead. It appeared as though the Hoosiers would have to settle for a second overtime, as a pair of Chestnut rushes would go nowhere, setting up a third and long. IU quarterback Jon Manning would find receiver Sam Pitts on a short slant route, and Pitts would just inch his way into the endzone for the touchdown. Indiana wins, 16-13.
“We didn’t take advantage of some good opportunities,” said IU’s coach Pate.
“We left a lot of points on the field today. I’m happy we won, and that our guys fought all the way. I thought our defense really shined tonight. But as a unit, we have to do better.”
Chestnut picked up 132 yards on 31 rushes and scored a touchdown. IU’s Jon Manning threw for 147 yards, completing 12 of 17 passes, and had a touchdown and no interceptions. Rutgers QB Eric Rodriguez went 13 of 20 for 180 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions.
The Hoosiers suffered a notable injury in the game, as senior wide receiver Sean Alexander will be out 4 weeks with hip bursitis.
Indiana will now hit the road for a three game roadtrip, with their first game coming next week against a struggling Maryland. The Terps are 1-7 on the year, with their lone win coming against West Virginia by a single point.
“We can’t take anything for granted,” said Pate. “We have to come to play. Just because they don’t have a great record doesn’t mean anything. We still have to go out there and battle.”
Kickoff is set for 3:30 in College Park.
| Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Indiana Hoosiers |
| Oct 28, 2017 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | OT | SCORE |
| Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-4) | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| #12 Indiana Hoosiers (6-1) | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
| Team Stats Comparison |
| RUTG | IND |
| Total Offense | 236 | 275 |
| Rushing Yards | 56 | 128 |
| Passing Yards | 180 | 147 |
| First Downs | 9 | 15 |
| Punt Return Yards | 36 | 51 |
| Kick Return Yards | 0 | 72 |
| Total Yards | 272 | 398 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| 3rd Down Converstion | 3/11 | 4/10 |
| 4th Down Conversion | 0/2 | 0/0 |
| 2-Point Conversion | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals | 0/2 | 2/1 |
| Penalties | 3-35 | 0-0 |
| Posession Time | 11:44 | 12:16 |
| Scoring Summary |
| SECOND QUARTER SCORING | RUTG | IND |
| 1:47 | (RUTG) TD: L. Bell, 72 yd. pass from E. Rodriguez. (C. Warren kick) | 7 | 0 |
| 0:00 | (IND) FG: L. Richardson, 28 yds. | 7 | 3 |
| THIRD QUARTER SCORING | RUTG | IND |
| 3:25 | (IND) TD: D. Chestnut, 1 yd. run. (L. Richardson kick) | 7 | 10 |
| 0:09 | (RUTG) FG: C. Warren, 31 yds. | 10 | 10 |
| OVERTIME SCORING | RUTG | IND |
| -- | (RUTG) FG: C. Warren, 18 yds. | 13 | 10 |
| -- | (IND) TD: S. Pitts, 14 yd. pass from J. Manning. | 13 | 16 |
| Rutgers Scarlet Knights | | PASSING | C/A | YDS | TD | INT | | E. Rodriguez | 13/20 | 180 | 1 | 0 | | RUSHING | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | | D. Ayres | 17 | 66 | 3.8 | 0 | | E. Rodriguez | 6 | -34 | -5.6 | 0 | | C. Burns | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 0 | | RECEIVING | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | | L. Bell | 3 | 105 | 35.0 | 1 | | K. Manson | 3 | 36 | 12.0 | 0 | | J. Grant | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 0 | | A. Patton | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 0 | | E. Robinson | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | | C. Burns | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | 0 | | D. Ayres | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | | KICKING | FG | XP | PTS | LONG | | C. Warren | 2/2 | 1/1 | 7 | 31 |
| | Indiana Hoosiers | | PASSING | C/A | YDS | TD | INT | | J. Manning | 12/17 | 147 | 1 | 0 | | RUSHING | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | | D. Chestnut | 31 | 132 | 4.2 | 1 | | C. Dixon | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 0 | | J. Manning | 2 | -10 | -5.0 | 0 | | RECEIVING | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | | T. Williams | 6 | 56 | 9.3 | 0 | | S. Pitts | 4 | 64 | 16.0 | 1 | | D. Friend | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 0 | | D. Chestnut | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | | KICKING | FG | XP | PTS | LONG | | L. Richardson | 1/3 | 1/1 | 4 | 29 |
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