PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Before No. 6 IU football took an offensive snap vs. Northwestern, they committed a pair of illegal snap penalties, angering head coach Curt Cignetti so much that he burned a timeout after the second penalty.
On Saturday night against Rutgers, the Hoosiers went 60 minutes without committing a single infraction. From the opening kickoff to the final whistle, Indiana remained penalty-free.
IU’s mistake-free night was the main reason the Hoosiers dominated the game from start to finish, defeating Rutgers 47-15 on a crisp October evening in Piscataway, New Jersey. The victory improved the Hoosiers’ record to 5-0 on the season.
“The unknown I thought about this game was how loud would it be; I was concerned about false starts,” Cignetti said postgame on avoiding penalties. “Before you win it, you can’t lose it.”
Not only did Indiana handle their first road test of the season, they passed with flying colors. The Hoosiers have now won six consecutive road contests in the Big Ten under Cignetti.
“There’s nothing better than a road win,” quarterback Josh Hoover added postgame. “The crowd’s against you. It’s just you and your brothers; We didn’t let any external factors affect us. It shows the maturity of our team and where we’re heading.
In addition to IU avoiding penalties, they did not turn the ball over once, a very encouraging sign against a Rutgers defense that had forced six takeaways across their first four games.
It’s not like Indiana was conservative offensively either. Hoover finished 20-for-27 with 254 yards and four touchdown passes. The TCU transfer now has 15 touchdown passes to zero interceptions on the season
IU finished with 593 yards of total offense, over 300 yards more than the Scarlet Knights. That included four players with over 100 yards of scrimmage.
Cignetti’s emphasis on a penalty-free night was communicated to the team early and often. To say they listened would be a massive understatement.
“In the locker room right before the game coach Cignetti preached to us; one of the things he said was no penalties,” wide receiver Nick Marsh added after the game. “We went out there and executed and it was great to see.”
Indiana will need to keep that confidence away from home, as they have two more road contests in October alone, and a trip to Seattle to face Washington in late-November.
The Hoosiers will head to Lincoln, Nebraska, next week to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who are undefeated themselves. Kickoff is scheduled for noon Eastern on FOX.
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