It had been eight years since an Indiana football running back rushed for over 200 yards in a game. Stevie Scott III went for 204 yards against the University of Virginia in 2018.
That drought ended in the Hoosiers’ Big Ten opener against Northwestern on Sept. 25, when redshirt senior Lee Beebe Jr. rushed for 203 yards.
Just over a week later, No. 6 Indiana had another 200-yard rusher: junior Turbo Richard. The running back notched 204 ground yards Saturday and helped lead an efficient Indiana offensive attack that powered a 47-15 victory over Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Richard had exited the game against Northwestern and struggled to put any weight on his lower body as athletic trainers helped him to the locker room.
While he couldn’t share the field with Beebe in the second half against the Wildcats, Richard said he took inspiration from his backfield counterparts' performance.
“Watching the game after me going out last week, I’m like, ‘Yo, Lee (Beebe) holding it down, like I’m proud of him,’” Richard said postgame Saturday. “Just gave me motivation like get ready to come back, you know, be there doing it with him.”
Richard was probable on availability reports throughout the week but showed no ill signs Saturday.
He consistently gashed the Rutgers defense for chunk gains. On his longest carry of the night, Richard showcased his speed along the right sideline as he outran Scarlet Knight defenders for 57 yards.
The Boston College transfer was also highly efficient with his 13 carries, averaging 15.7 yards per rush. Richard attributed his success to an all-around blocking effort.
“I think they did a great job blocking,” Richard said. “You know, just opening up the holes for us. You know, double teams and just getting up to the second level. Also with the receivers blocking, can’t forget them. So yeah, I feel like everybody played a part in the big runs we had tonight.”
Coming off his 200-yard performance last week, Beebe entered Saturday as a game-time decision. He suited up and returned significant production for the Hoosiers, rushing for 122 yards and a touchdown.
“Backs ran well and there were some creases,” head coach Curt Cignetti said postgame. “We felt they had given up some points, and we thought we’d have to score some points. But we made a lot of big plays and that was good to see.”
While the running game developed as the game went on, the Hoosiers’ passing attack set the offensive tone early. Rutgers’ soft coverage on Indiana’s first drive of the game opened several free access throws for redshirt senior quarterback Josh Hoover.
On the Hoosiers’ first series, Hoover completed quick throws to his top two targets — junior wide receivers Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh. The Scarlet Knights struggled to tackle Marsh as he eluded defenders for gains of 25 and 15 yards. Becker caught three passes on the drive, including a 9-yard touchdown reception. Hoover completed his first 10 passing attempts Saturday.
Becker and Marsh both finished the night with over 100 yards receiving and caught three combined touchdowns. Meanwhile, Hoover completed 20 of 27 passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns.
“Game plan’s always kinda like, put your players in the best scenario to make plays and be successful,” Cignetti said. “And we had a lot of success throwing the RPO early to Marsh, and they started changing up the coverage a little bit.”
This quick offensive start was something the Hoosiers have lacked early in the season. Against Northwestern, Indiana took just 12 points into the halftime locker room, to Cignetti’s displeasure.
“Took the offense about 22 minutes to get going,” Cignetti said during a press conference Monday. “First 25 plays there was 12 either penalties, critical missed assignments, or missed opportunities. We should have gone in there at halftime with a four-score lead and went in 12-nothing.”
Indiana also started slow offensively in Week 3 against Western Kentucky University. The Hoosiers were shut out in the first quarter and entered halftime with just 14 points despite being heavy favorites.
But the Cream and Crimson were efficient in the first half of Saturday’s contest. Indiana totaled 349 total yards of offense, gained 15 first downs and averaged 10 yards per play through the opening two quarters in Piscataway. The Hoosiers entered halftime with a commanding 23-0 lead and continued to apply offensive pressure en route to 47 points.
“I think it’s important to start fast like we did,” Hoover said postgame. “I did feel like I was in rhythm and guys were making plays. Then they started trying to adjust and stop us from throwing it on the perimeter and then we started gashing them. So, I think it was just a great team win.”
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
