Ah, Rutger. The perpetual thorn in the side of Indiana football. Nothing ever comes easy with you, does it? Indiana “escaped” with a 24-17 win against Rutger in an extremely Indiana football game.

The defense was...fine.

The Hoosiers came into the game as the No. 19 ranked defense in S&P+. By all accounts, they looked the part. After allowing a touchdown on the opening drive due to costly third down penalties, Indiana settled in on the defensive side of the ball and gave the Rutger offense fits all afternoon. Save for a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter that was sprung by a halfback pass, Rutger really had no rhythm whatsoever.