After years of waiting, Rutgers win at home against a Big Ten opponent. The last time the Scarlet Knights beat a Big Ten opponent at home was in 2017 vs Maryland. Rutgers was down 14-0 in the first quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers but made their way up for a 24-17 victory. The Scarlet Knights now have a 4-3 record, and the Hoosiers have a 3-5 record. After many ups and downs this season, here is what went into this Rutgers win and what is next for the team.
Rutgers Win: Spotlight Players
The Scarlet Knights winning was a team effort, but some players truly shined in this game.
Christian Braswell
Senior defensive back, Christian Braswell was a huge impact on this team. His most notable play in the Rutgers win was a pick-six in the fourth quarter. The scoring play essentially sealed the deal for Rutgers, bringing them to a ten-point lead. A video of the pick-six can be found here, on a tweet posted by Rutgers On BTN.
Samuel Brown V
Freshman running back, Samuel Brown V, did what he does best, ran through the defense. According to ESPN, Brown rushed for 113 yards after 28 attempts. The player who had the second most rushing attempts was, Aron Cruickshank with only five carries. The majority of rushing plays that came from other players were in the fourth quarter when Brown was on the sideline getting his ankle taped.
Brown had one rushing touchdown in this game at the end of the third quarter. This was the touchdown that put the Scarlet Knights ahead. Aside from the touchdown, Brown stood out by the way he broke tackles. There were many times he could have gone down, but he continuously pushed for the extra yardage. That motivation was extremely important for a Rutgers win. Brown is only a freshman and could be the spark the Rutgers offense needs moving forward.
Wesley Bailey
Sophomore defensive lineman, Wesley Bailey, put the pressure on Indiana’s quarterback, Connor Bazelak. Bazelak was only sacked once, being able to run and throw away the ball multiple times. The only sack of the game was by Bailey as well.
The defensive lineman’s stats are not great, only having two total tackles, according to ESPN, but Indiana knew he was a threat. In the fourth quarter, Indiana’s offensive line had a holding call against them, knowing they had to stop Bailey from getting to their quarterback. The penalty was declined based on the distance they had to go for a first down, but this demonstrates the impact he had on the Rutgers win.
Bailey was also the reason for the pick-six. When he went to sack Bazelak in the endzone, the Hoosiers’ quarterback went to throw the ball to avoid a safety, allowing a defensive touchdown instead. If he can continue to put pressure on the opposing team, Rutgers should be able to win more games.
Rutgers Win: Room for Improvement
Noah Vedral
The Scarlet Knights stuck with one quarterback tonight, and it paid off. I found taking out quarterback Noah Vedral against Nebraska in week six was the main reason for their loss. In the Rutgers win, they stuck to one quarterback, which was worth it, but Vedral needs to play better.
Vedral did not throw any interceptions, which was vital for this team, but there were many incompletions due to the ball being thrown behind the intended receiver. Vedral completed 12 out of 24 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown, according to ESPN. Some throws could have been intercepted, but the team was lucky enough to not have any turnovers against Indiana. Moving forward, in order to continue to get another Rutgers win, Vedral will need to be more accurate in his passes.
Questionable Play Calls
The coaching was better this week, not pulling out their quarterback, but there are still a few ways for improvement. This does not mean anything bad was called, simply something to look to improve on. For instance, continuously calling the same plays cannot happen this often. Brown is a great running back, but at a certain point, Indiana’s defense understood what Rutgers was doing and made it hard for the Scarlet Knights to run down the middle. Mixing it up in future games can help Rutgers moving forward.
Rutgers Win: Play of the game
The play of the game was the pick-six by Braswell. There were many times the Indiana quarterback was able to run and avoid a sack. While he avoided a safety, the play worked even better in the Scarlet Knights’ favor. The play sealed the game for a team who desperately wanted a win.
Honorable Mention
Vedral threw a touchdown pass to senior wide receiver, Sean Ryan. It was a tough catch, but Ryan managed to keep the ball under control and stay in bounds. This was Ryan’s first touchdown of the season and a big reason for the Rutgers win.
The Scarlet Knights will head to Minnesota next week to face the Gophers in hopes of another Rutgers win.
For more NFL and NCAA football content:
Check out my most recent article on which players to watch this week for the San Francisco 49ers. For more college football content, check out my article on the famous Penn State Whiteout, and its importance to the school.