Indiana football entered the Rutgers game coming off two straight wins in spite of imperfect performances.
IU shut out Western Kentucky in week 3, but some offensive concerns created some questions. The Hoosiers pulled out a win over Northwestern last week, in a closer game than some expected, even against a good opponent.
Indiana left no such doubts or concerns lingering after Saturday. This was one of the most dominant offensive games of the Curt Cignetti era at IU, in a 47-15 victory at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.
The Hoosiers (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) racked up 593 yards of offense, tied for their third most in a game under Cignetti and Mike Shanahan. Tom Allen’s teams rarely even approached those sorts of figures.
“You’re trying to get better every week, and I felt like we started really fast tonight, had some big explosives,” quarterback Josh Hoover said after the game. “I thought we did a great job of just trusting our eyes and playing. I felt like we took a step in a way. Every week, it’s about just taking a step and becoming the team you want to become. You don’t just get to dream that. You’ve got to go out and do it every day. And that’s what we’ve done. It’s a testament to our team and the way we’ve worked.”
Hoover played his strongest game so far this season, finishing 20 for 27 for 251 yards and four touchdowns. He looked comfortable from the first snap he took, dissecting Rutgers’ defense every play and making good throws all over the field.
The Scarlet Knights provided little resistance, as only three IU drives didn’t end in points — and one of those was only because Nico Radicic missed a short field goal. RU’s defense ranks in the bottom four of the Big Ten in yardage allowed, and it showed.
But no matter the opponent, this was the sort of performance Hoover and the Hoosiers needed.
“Coach Shanahan did a great job of the play calling and just putting us all in a position where we felt comfortable going out there and executing our job. Josh is a baller, so he’s gonna put the ball exactly where it needs to be every single time,” wide receiver Charlie Becker said. “Just to see him kind of dice them, it was really good to see.”
