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If you were at all late tuning your television to Big Ten network, you probably missed the most electric play of the season from the Hoosiers.

True freshman running back Jaylin Lucas took the opening kickoff 93 yards to paydirt, taking the lead just 11 seconds into the game. It was the first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2012 for Indiana. It looked easy, almost foreshadowing how the entire game would go on Saturday afternoon.

"I can say, whenever my number is called I'm always going to do what I have to do. When an opportunity comes I'm gonna take advantage of it," Lucas said.

The second possession reinforced that very feeling. Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak completed his first ten passes and even got involved in the running game, scampering in the front left corner of the endzone. Indiana would have their largest lead of the season, 14-0, after just eight minutes of play.

Fans were giddy, many wondering where this team had been all season. Tight end AJ Barner was back for his first game in three weeks, and defensive back Jaylin Williams was as well. Indiana seemed to be clicking, as many on the team thought they would eventually.

It didn't take very long for the group of players they have seen the majority of this 2022 season to show up, yet again.

The Hoosiers wouldn't score again until there were under two minutes left in the game when Tom Allen would trot out his kicker to bring them within a score in hopes of recovering an onside kick.

"Really, to be honest, the first drive Rutgers was playing a lot of quarters, playing soft, allowing us to make quick easy throws," Bazelak said. "Then they just started playing man, and we gotta be able to win out one-on-one matchups.

Bazelak would lose his favorite target, Cam Camper, in the first half. Nursing an injury coming into the game, it was clear he didn't have his usual giddy-up after his first reception.

He inevitably took a bad enough hit that would leave him unable to return to the game. Allen doesn't see that as a legitimate excuse for how quickly the offense stalled, however.

"Obviously cam going down was difficult for the offense. But, we gotta find ways to make plays," Bazelak said.

"To me, we have to find a guy at the same position who can run the similar routes and make the similar plays... Somebody's gotta step up... Nobody's done that. We need that to happen, we need that right now," Allen said.

After their first drive which resulted in a 91-yard march down the field for a touchdown, Indiana would gain 181 yards over their next 12 drives until the final seconds ticked off the clock.

Rutgers's offensive game plan was vanilla, and they completely took advantage of the worst parts of Indiana's defense. The worst facet being the blatant inability of tackling anyone at first contact. Rutgers freshman running back Sam Brown rushed the ball 28 times for 101 yards, averaging 3.6 yards per carry.

"There's a weight room piece to that. But, also it's our leg drive. When we make contact we have to accelerate through the tackle," Allen explained. "We'd hit him at a yard, and then they'd push for three or four or he'd spin out... As I've talked about before, tackling wasn't to our standard."

Allen did go on to say the Indiana defense only gave up 17 points, which is usually enough to win.

Rutgers quarterback Noah Vedral played a good game, but by no means won this one by himself, more just didn't do much to lose. He used a lot of his throws targeting wide receiver Sean Ryan who excelled in the one on one matchups and made catches over multiple Indiana defensive backs.

Ryan would score on the Scarlet Knights third drive and the momentum would shift to Rutgers and stay with them for the remaining 46 minutes.

"Those are critical, we had the lead; we lost the lead. It's just a bullet we gotta bite. We'll do better," Williams said. "We have the bye week and a four game stretch to figure it out."

Indiana's hopes for a bowl game are getting bleaker and bleaker as the winnable games go by the wayside, this likely being their last. Being spotted with 14 points within eight minutes of a game's start usually leads to a win, but this Indiana team continues to baffle viewers with how disappointing they can be.

Some of the team's best players aren't seeing the field despite a coaching staff's promise for them to do so. Crystal clear production and ability are apparently not enough for Tom Allen to get them playing time. Unlike last season's over-aggressive use of former quarterback now-turned-receiver Donaven McCulley, burning his redshirt when it wasn't at all necessary.

Jaylin Lucas has already appeared in more than four games, yet he is still being used sparingly.

"He needs to be on the field more," Bazelak said about Lucas. "I have to trust they’re going to put the best players on the field. That’s part of my job, that’s why I’m a player. They coach for a reason. I play the game and do my job."

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