Game 5: Football vs. Indiana

AGAINST THE HOOSIERS

Saturday marks the fifth meeting between Rutgers and Indiana with the schools splitting the all-time series. The Scarlet Knights won the first two matchups since joining the conference in 2014, with the Hoosiers winning the previous two contests.

DB Saquan Hampton (pictured) recorded an interception which he returned 30 yards. He also added six tackles, including one for a four-yard loss.

The Scarlet Knights returned home after consecutive road games to face Buffalo most recently, falling 42-13 in the final non-conference contest of the regular season. Sophomore Justin Davidovicz converted two field goals to improve to 3-for-3 on the season. He is the first RU kicker to start their career 3-for-3 since Ryan Sands began 6-for-6 in 2001. Sophomore Raheem Blackshear scored his eighth career touchdown against the Bulls and led RU in all-purpose yards for the fourth-straight game with 102. The running back is averaging 118.3 yards per game to rank seventh in the Big Ten. Breaking it down, he also owns team-bests with 264 rushing yards and 15 receptions. Junior Jerome Washington paces the offense with 147 receiving yards, including a career-high 62 last time out for the most by a Rutgers tight end since 2013. Washington has recorded at least one catch in 15-of-16 games since joining the lineup last year. Freshman Artur Sitkowski and fifth-year senior Giovanni Rescigno have both taken snaps behind center in each of the last three games. Sitkowski has totaled 39 completions as a rookie, while Rescigno is at 1,639 career passing yards in 19 appearances. Defensively, senior Trevor Morris reached double-digit stops for the 12th time in his career with 11 tackles against Buffalo. He is currently tied for third in the Big Ten with 9.3 tackles per game this season after averaging 9.8 in 2017. Fifth-year senior Isaiah Wharton, who has started all 40 career games played, and junior Damon Hayes both brought down interceptions last Saturday. In addition, sophomore Elorm Lumor added a tackle-for-loss for the fourth consecutive outing to help Rutgers to 26 stops behind the line of scrimmage as a unit, 11 more compared to the same point a year ago. Three more players made their debut for the team last week to make it 27 newcomers in action so far this season. Twenty-four among the group recorded their first collegiate action, including 11 true freshmen. There are 28 combined freshmen and sophomores on the latest depth chart (16 offense, 12 defense). SCOUTING INDIANA The Hoosiers took their first loss of the season at home last Saturday against then-No. 24 Michigan State, 35-21, after previously defeating FIU, Virginia and Ball State. IU ranks seventh nationally and is tied for first in the conference with nine turnovers gained, permitting 329.5 yards per game. Quarterback Peyton Ramsey is completing passes at a 72.1 clip with seven touchdown throws, while Stevie Scott leads the offense with 406 rushing yards and four total scores. Whop Philyor owns a team-high 194 receiving yards on 18 catches. Indiana has totaled 15 touchdowns on the season. The program is led by third-year head coach Tom Allen. THE SERIES Rutgers won the first two matchups before Indiana evened the series with wins in the last two meetings. The first game in Piscataway in 2014 was a 45-23 victory for the Scarlet Knights, the largest margin of victory over a Big Ten opponent since joining the league. RU then made history in 2015 by tying the school record with a 25-point road comeback to triumph, 55-52, on a walk-off field goal by Kyle Federico. That game featured 1,223 yards of total offense between the two schools. However, Indiana rallied from a 24-13 deficit in 2016 with three consecutive touchdowns despite Rutgers previously blocking two field goals in the game. The Hoosiers claimed a 41-0 win last season in Bloomington, as the day included a 1:46 lightning delay. UP NEXT Rutgers stays home to welcome Illinois, who is on a bye this week, on Oct. 6 at noon. It will be the annual Blackout game at HighPoint.com Stadium and will broadcast on Big Ten Network. The two teams have split a pair of meetings in recent years. Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding football, follow the program on Twitter (@RFootball). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.