Indiana running back Turbo Richard and Rutgers quarterback Dylan Lonergan, who shared a backfield at Boston College last season, are on tap for a reunion Saturday.
asserted
who → share → reunion
Their paths have taken a very different turn after transferring during the offseason.
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paths → take → offseason
Richard is an integral part of the running attack for the sixth-ranked and defending national champion Hoosiers while Lonergan has struggled for Rutgers (1-3, 0-1 Big Ten).
asserted
Lonergan → rank → Rutgers
Lonergan won the starting quarterback job over AJ Surace but has yet to find consistency leading the offense.
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Lonergan → win → offense
He has thrown five interceptions and completed just 56.1% (46 of 82) of his passes.
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He → throw → passes
Richard, who Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said is expected to play Saturday after getting injured during last week’s closer-than-expected 29-23 victory over Northwestern, has run for 383 yards and four touchdowns.
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Cignetti → say → yards
He is part of a vaunted ground game with Lee Beebe Jr. that is averaging 233.5 yards a game.
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that → average → yards
“We got good news on Turbo (Richard) and he will be day to day,” said Cignetti.
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Cignetti → get → day
“I’m optimistic he can play Saturday.”
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he → ’m → ?
Indiana (4-0, 1-0) owns the Football Bowl Subdivision’s longest active winning streak, a school-record 20 consecutive games.
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Indiana → own → streak
They also have won 12 consecutive conference games.
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They → win → games
“There’s no weakness in this team (Indiana) that’s why they’ve won 20 straight,” said Rutgers coach Greg Schiano.
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Schiano → ’ → 20
“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.
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which → win → accomplishments
So certainly, a tough task, but one we are certainly looking forward to.”
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we → look → ?
A dip in the poll
The six-point win over feisty Northwestern dropped the Hoosiers a spot in the AP Top 25 poll this week.
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win → drop → poll
“The last game, positive is we were in a close game and prevailed,” Cignetti said.
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Cignetti → prevail → game
Negative is we didn’t play well.
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we → play → ?
We got to play better.”
Inexperienced defense
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We → get → ?
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.
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that → play → 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.
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who → win → transfers
In Humes’ only start against USC, he misplayed a pass that resulted in a 52-yard touchdown in the 42-35 loss to USC.
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that → misplay → USC
“The big thing is going to be limiting the explosive plays and take the ball away,” said Schiano.
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Schiano → go → ball
“That’s going to be a challenge.
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That → go → ?
You better tackle well against this outfit because those running backs run as hard as anybody in the country.”
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backs → tackle → country
Rutgers’ dynamic duo
Junior wide receiver KJ Duff made the second team preseason AP All-America team and leads the nation with seven receiving touchdowns.
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Duff → make → touchdowns
He ranks fourth in receiving yards per game (137.5) and 11th with 7.25 receptions per game.
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He → rank → game
Duff and Raymond went over 2,000 yards for their careers in receptions and rushing yards, respectively, in the win over Howard.
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Duff → go → Howard
On the road again
A sellout crowd is expected at SHI Stadium for Indiana’s first road game of the season.
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crowd → expect → season
Cignetti has lost only one regular season road game as the Hoosiers coach — in November 2024 at Ohio State.
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Cignetti → lose → State
Cignetti downplayed any potential road hurdles.
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Cignetti → downplay → hurdles
“We’re still playing on a 100-yard football field, 52 yards wide,” he said.
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he → play → field
“We’ve got a lot of veterans on this team that have been there.
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that → get → team
It’s a business trip, so we’ve got to prepare well and put it between the white lines.”
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we → ’ → lines
The Aporia
