GAME BREAKDOWN
KEY MATCHUP: Indiana can score, with 117 points in their first four games of the season, Rutgers has been outscored 149-30 during a three-game losing streak and comes into this game 105th in the nation in total defense, 115th against the rush, tied for 118th in scoring defense. According to NJ.com, the Scarlet Knights have allowed 55 plays of 10-plus yards (87th in the country), 25 of 20-plus, 13 of 30-plus, 10 of 40-plus and six of over 500. They gave up five plays of 37 yards or more against Buffalo.
DRAFT SLANT
–LB Trevor Morris has shaken off a dislocated elbow suffered in camp and is off to a strong start for what would be a third straight 100-tackle season. Last season, his 118 tackles were second in the Big Ten. He had 11 tackles against Buffalo, his 12th career double-digit tackling game and is tied for third in the Big Ten with 9.3 tackles per game — slightly under his 9.8 last year.
ROSTER REPORT:
–CB Blessuan Austin underwent knee surgery, coach Chris Ash saying, “Bless came out of surgery just fine. Thankfully he got a lot of opinions from several different doctors. He did have to have his ACL reconstructed. When he twisted it up, it strained the ACL graft that he had from last year pretty good, and I guess the phrase — to phrase the doctors, it was hanging on by a shoestring so they had to repair it. But he’s doing great. He’s handling it great and he’ll work his tail off to try to get back.”
–K Justin Davidovicz hit two field goal attempts last week and is 3-for-3 on the season. That makes him the first Rutgers kicked since 2001 (Ryan Sands) to open a season with three straight.
–QB Artur Sitkowski was 6-of-13 for 39 yards in the loss to Buffalo, giving way to Gio Rescigno, who went 12-of-24 for 129 yards. He was sacked twice but neither threw an interception.
–CB Isaiah Wharton, making his 40th straight start, had an interception.
–S Damon Hayes also registered a pick in the loss.
–A total of 27 players have made their RU debuts this season, 24 seeing their first college action and 11 of them true freshmen.
