Final: Rutgers 55, Indiana 52 

Key play: Kyle Federico makes 26-yard field goal to win it

Wow. If Michigan and Michigan State hadn’t played in the game of the century, the entire conference would be talking about how nuts the end of the Indiana-Rutgers game was. The Scarlet Knights came back from down 25 points in the middle of the third quarter to win it with a field goal from Federico. Think about how unlikely it was for IU to not score for the final 20 minutes after putting up 52 points?! Federico will get credit for being the hero, but the key stops by the Scarlet Knights set him up to shine in the final minute.

Telling stat: IU totals 627 yards of offense…and loses

Remember in non-conference play about how we all thought the IU defense had serious issues? Well, those all resurfaced in the fourth quarter on Saturday and demoralizing fashion. There’s no way you can ask your offense to do more than score 52 points. Sure, a late conversion would’ve been nice, but the IU defense played on its heels down the stretch and had no answer for Robert Martin and Leonte Carroo, both of whom had three-touchdown games. Credit Anthony Cioffi and Steve Longa for coming up big and making game-changing plays against a cruising IU offense.

Worth noting:

-Kyle Flood wins memorable first game back

-It looked like Flood’s group was dead in the water when IU made it a 52-27 game. But credit the Rutgers coach for keeping his team believing that it still had a chance against the porous IU defense. Who knows if Rutgers could’ve pulled that comeback off with Norries Wilson running the show. But based on the fact that he called for a spike on fourth down against Michigan State last week, that’s questionable at best. For a guy that’s been under countless fire this year, there’s no doubt that Saturday was the high point of his season.

–IU had three receivers with 100-yard games 

A lot went wrong for IU in that final quarter. But you can’t fault the IU receivers for the effort they gave on Saturday. The Hoosiers became the first team in the B1G this year to have three wideouts finish with over 100 yards. Mitchell Paige, Simmie Cobbs and Ricky Jones were all huge on a day when IU didn’t have Jordan Howard again. Kevin Wilson’s offense ripped up the Rutgers secondary for most of the day. For the Hoosiers, it’s a shame they don’t have a win to show for it.

What it means: IU takes a step back, Rutgers a step forward

Rutgers isn’t competing for a conference title. But it does have a coach competing for his job and a team that’s definitely competing for a bowl. That was a game the Scarlet Knights had to have to keep those hopes alive. IU on the other hand, is reeling in a major way. With a win, IU would’ve been one victory away from a bowl game. Instead, it falls to 0-3 in B1G play, which is an all-too familiar sight for IU in the Wilson era.