Indiana Football vs Rutgers: Key players, notes and opening spread

Indiana football hosts Rutgers at Memorial Stadium this Saturday for the team’s homecoming game.

Rutgers comes into this game with a record of 5-2 with wins against Northwestern, Temple, Virginia Tech, Wagner and Michigan State. The team’s two losses came on the road against Michigan and Wisconsin.

Kickoff is set for Noon ET on Saturday and the game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

Here is a look at some of the key players, notes and the opening spread.

Key players

QB Gavin Wimsatt: The junior QB is in his first season as the full-time starter and is off to an impressive start, leading the Scarlet Knights to a 5-2 start. Wimsatt committed to Rutgers as a four-star recruit in the spring of 2021. The 6-foot-3 225-pound QB is a threat as a runner as well as a passer, totaling 219 rushing yards and scoring four touchdowns on the ground in 2023. Wimsatt has struggled with accuracy this season, only completing 50.9% of his passes, but in seven games he has 1,095 passing yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions on the season.

RB Kyle Monangai: The junior running back is in his fourth season with Rutgers after redshirting as a freshman. Monangai committed to the Scarlet Knights as a three-star recruit in December of 2019. The 5-foot-9 210-pound running back had 779 total yards and six touchdowns in his first three seasons with the program. The New Jersey native is off to his most productive start of his career, totaling 658 yards and seven touchdowns in seven games in 2023. Monangai is coming off of a season high 148 rushing yards in the team’s victory against Michigan State.

WR Christian Dremel: The fifth-year senior wide receiver played sparingly for the Scarlet Knights prior to 2023, totaling 94 yards on 12 total touches in his first four seasons with the program. The New Jersey native is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten team member (2020-2022). The 5-foot-9, 185-pound WR has seen a huge spike in production this season, leading the team in receptions with 21. Dremel is also second on the team in receiving yards with 280 and leads the team with three receiving touchdowns on the season.

WR JaQuae Jackson: Jackson spent 2018-2022 with California PA where he was selected to the D2CCA Second-Team All-Region after he finished 2022 with 1,178 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on 77 receptions. The 6-foot-2 190-pound wide receiver transferred to Rutgers this offseason and has made an instant impact, averaging 17.6 yards per catch while leading the team in receiving yards with 282. Despite his explosiveness, Jackson has not scored a touchdown in his seven games with the Scarlet Knights.

LB Tyreem Powell: The redshirt-junior was selected to the Butkus Award watch list prior to the season after recording 71 total tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks and four pass breakups in 12 starts. He committed to Rutgers as a three-star recruit in 2019 after decommitting from Virginia Tech. The 6-foot-5 240-pound linebacker has been everywhere for the Scarlet Knights defense, leading the team in total tackles with 50. He also has 2 tackles-for-loss, two sacks, one pass breakup and a forced fumble on the season.

S Desmond Igbinosun: The junior safety played in 10 games in 2022 and recorded 55 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, one fumble forced and four pass breakups. Igbinosun committed to Rutgers in 2020 as a three-star recruit from New Jersey. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound safety leads the Scarlet Knights defense in tackles-for-loss with 5.5 in 2023. He also has 31 total tackles, one sack and a fumble recovery. Igbinosun had four tackles for loss a week ago in a victory over Michigan State.

CB Robert Longerbeam: The redshirt-junior corner was a three-star recruit who committed to Rutgers in 2019. He has been a ball hawk on the Rutgers defense with two interceptions and 15 pass breakups over the last tw0 seasons while also forcing three fumbles. The 5-foot-11 175-pound corner has continued to be a playmaker in 2023 for the Scarlet Knights with a team leading five pass breakups, one interception, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery on the season. 

DL Aaron Lewis:The redshirt junior defensive end is coming off of a 2022 season where he was Third Team All-Big Ten (Coaches, Phil Steele, Pro Football Focus) after recording 55 total tackles, eight tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. The 6-foot-5 260-pound defensive lineman transferred to Rutgers after spending half a year with Michigan after committing as a four-star recruit. Lewis is off to a good start in 2023 with 26 total tackles, four tackles-for-loss and a team-leading three sacks on the season.

Other Notable Players: 

Wesley Bailey, DE RS-Jr.

Flip Dixon, S RS-Jr.

Deion Jennings, LB RS-Sr.

Hollin Pierce, LT Jr.

Mohamed Toure, LB Sr.

Key Notes

• Indiana football is 5-4 against Rutgers all time with the first matchup taking place in 2014
• Indiana football has lost its last two games against the Scarlet Knights
• The last meeting took place October 22, 2022 where Rutgers beat Indiana 24-17
• Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano is 2-1 against Indiana
• Greg Schiano is 85-91 all time with Rutgers (2001-2011; 2020-Present)
• Rutgers is 5-2 for the first time since 2014
• Rutgers is outscoring opponents in the fourth quarter by a mark of 79-34
• Rutgers has scored points on its first offensive drive of the game in five games this season

Spread

• Indiana football opened as 4-point underdogs and an the O/U opened at 42.5.

SEE ALSO: Quick Hitters: Early breakdown and initial thoughts on Rutgers

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