IU starts strong, holds on to defeat reeling Rutgers
Purdue sends Nebraska to eighth consecutive loss
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Indiana got away with playing half a game against downtrodden Rutgers.
Peyton Ramsey ran for a touchdown and threw another Saturday and Indiana scored on its first four possessions before holding off Rutgers 24-17, sending the Scarlet Knights to their fourth straight loss.
“We still have a lot of things to work on,” said receiver J-Shun Harris II, who caught a 2-yard TD pass in the Hoosiers’ 17point second quarter. “We learned from this game coming out on fire in the first half and we didn’t finish.
“We just have to continue to strive for that greatness because as we get further into the conference, the second half is going to be more important for us.”
Ramsey scored the goahead TD on a 1-yard run on the first play of the second quarter and led four long scoring drives that carried the Hoosiers (4-1, 1-1) past Rutgers (1-4, 0-2).
Ramsey also ran for 51 yards.
“A win is a win, especially in the Big Ten,” Ramsey said. “We came away with one. Obviously, we’re not satisfied. We’re going to go and we’re going to learn from it.”
Scottie Stevens scored on a 16-yard run on Indiana’s first possession and Logan Justice kicked a 44yard field goal on their last possession of the half as the Hoosiers built a 24-7 lead.
The Scarlet Knights threatened in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to a 24-17 with 3:52 to play.
“Challenged our guys at halftime to finish and we did not,” Indiana coach Tom Allen said. “That’s something we have to grow from and learn from. We let them hang around and hang around and they made it interesting at the end.”
Ramsey, who completed 27 of 40 passes for 288 yards, made sure Rutgers didn’t get a chance to tie the game. The redshirt sophomore completed a 25-yard fourth-down pass to Peyton Hendershot from the Hoosiers 34 to ice the game in the closing minutes.
Ramsey ’s go -ahead fourth-down score came after Indiana had a fumble overturned and Ramsey’s TD run upheld on consecutive replays.
Purdue 42, Nebraska 28: David Blough threw for 328 yards and accounted for two TDs and D.J. Knox scored twice on short runs as Purdue beat host Nebraska, sending the Cornhuskers to their programrecord eighth consecutive loss.
The Huskers totaled 582 yards and 30 first downs but couldn’t overcome five personal fouls and 11 penalties for 136 yards.
The Huskers (0-4, 0-2) also set a program record with their seventh straight home loss on a chilly and misty afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska has the second-longest losing streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. UTEP took a 16-game losing streak into its game at UTSA.
Markell Jones gave Purdue (2-3, 1-1) a 42-21 lead with a 6-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
Knox led Purdue with 87 yards rushing, Rondale Moore caught eight passes for 85 yards and Brycen Hopkins had five receptions for 103.
Purdue, which was coming off a 30-13 win over then-No. 23 Boston College, has won two straight after losing its first three games by a total of eight points.