PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — They were together in Boston College’s backfield last season and on Saturday, Indiana running back Turbo Richard and Rutgers quarterback Dylan Lonergan will reunite when the No. 6 Hoosiers visit New Jersey.
Their paths have taken a very different turn after transferring during the offseason.
Richard is an integral part of the defending national champions running attack, while Lonergan has struggled for Rutgers (1-3, 0-1 Big Ten). Lonergan won the starting quarterback job over AJ Surace but has yet to show any consistency leading the Scarlet Knights offense. He has thrown five interceptions and completed just 56.1 percent (46-of-82) of his passes.
Richard, who Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said is expected to play Saturday after getting injured during the second quarter of Friday night’s closer-than-expected 29-23 victory over Northwestern, has run for 383 yards and four touchdowns. He is part of a vaunted ground game with Lee Beebe Jr. that is averaging 233.5 yards a game.
“We got good news on Turbo (Richard) and he will be day to day,” said Cignetti. “I’m optimistic he can play Saturday.”
Indiana (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) owns the Football Bowl Subdivision’s longest active winning streak, a school-record 20 consecutive games. They also own the longest FBS active home winning streak at 19, and have won 12 consecutive conference games.
“There’s no weakness in this team (Indiana) that’s why they’ve won 20 straight,” said Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. “They have won or tied the turnover margin for 28 straight weeks which is a modern-day record and goes along with many of their other accomplishments.
“So certainly, a tough task, but one we are certainly looking forward to.”
A dip in the poll
The six-point win over feisty Northwestern dropped the Hoosiers two spots down in the AP poll this week.
“The last game, positive is we were in a close game and prevailed,” said Cignetti in his weekly press conference. “There is value in that. Negative is we didn’t play well. We were very inconsistent. We got to play better. We’re not going to go very far playing the way we played Saturday night.
Inexperienced defense
If Richard plays Saturday, the Hoosiers should be able to control the ball and the clock against an inexperienced Scarlet Knights defense that allows 166.8 yards a game on the ground.
Schiano, who won his 100th game at the school in Friday’s 58-7 romp over FCS school Howard, has built his defense around portal transfers that have yet to materialize. The only Power 4 transfer on defense is cornerback Kevyn Humes who came over from Maryland.
In Humes’ only start against USC, he misplayed a pass that resulted in a 52-yard touchdown in the 42-35 loss to the Trojans.
Lonergan is the only other Power 4 transfer in the Scarlet Knights program. Of the 18 Indiana transfers from the portal, 16 are from FBS schools.
“The big thing is going to be limiting the explosive plays and take the ball away,” said Schiano. “That’s going to be a challenge. You better tackle well against this outfit because those running backs run as hard as anybody in the country."
Rutgers' dynamic duo
Junior wide receiver KJ Duff made the pre-season AP second team All-America and leads the nation with seven receiving touchdowns. He ranks fourth in receiving yards per game (137.5) and 11th with 7.25 receptions per game.
Running back Antwan Raymond is eighth nationally with 109.3 rushing yards per game. Duff and Raymond went over 2,000 yards for their careers in receptions and rushing yards, respectively, in the win over Howard.
On the road again
A sellout crowd is expected at SHI Stadium for Indiana's first road game of the season. Cignetti has lost only one regular season road game as the Hoosiers coach -- in November of 2024 at Ohio State. Cignetti downplayed any potential road hurdles.
“We’re still playing on a 100-yard football field, 52 yards wide," he said. "We’ve got a lot of veterans on this team that have been there. It’s a business trip, so we’ve got to prepare well and put it between the white lines.”
Injury update
In addition to Richard’s availability, Cignetti is optimistic that linebacker Rolijah Hardy will be available against Rutgers. He left the Northwestern game with an undisclosed injury. Hardy has recorded 29 tackles, three tackles for loss, one interception, two pass breakups and one defensive touchdown.
“We expect him (Hardy) to be fine,” Cignetti said.
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