Rutgers football: Rod Carey shows progress in first game as Indiana’s offensive coordinator

Indiana offensive coordinator Rod Carey knows Rutgers football well.

For Rod Carey, last Saturday marked a significant day in his career. As Indiana took on Michigan, Carey was the offensive coordinator for the Hoosiers.

Carey was named the permanent offensive coordinator earlier this month following the dismissal of Walt Bell.

While Carey had a challenging task in his debut, the Hoosiers offense did show some encouraging signs. In the first quarter, the Indiana offense put seven points on the board while the defense kept Michigan scoreless. However, as the afternoon progressed, the Wolverine offense came alive and scored 52 points.

Against Michigan, Indiana recorded 232 total yards and 15 first downs. Their biggest issue was protecting the football, as they turned it over four times. While Carey’s offense only scored one touchdown, Tom Allen saw some improvement.

“Got off to a good start, which was definitely a positive. We made a big emphasis about trying to start fast as a football team,” Allen told reporters on Monday.

“We were able to do that in the first quarter. We were not able to sustain that. But obviously a tough task offensively against such a good defense. But at the same time, saw some good things.”

On Saturday, Carey will have the chance to build on last week when Indiana welcomes Rutgers to Bloomington. For Carey, this matchup represents a shot at redemption.

In 2021, he was the head coach of Temple when they lost 61-14 to Rutgers.

What did Indiana head coach Tom Allen say about Rutgers football this week?

Tom Allen of Indiana praises the Rutgers football rebuild.

Indiana head coach Tom Allen praised Rutgers football and the direction of the Scarlet Knights’ rebuilding effort.

For Indiana (2-4, 0-3 Big Ten) and Rutgers (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten), this Saturday’s game represents two very different opportunities. Rutgers, following a comeback win over Michigan State this past Saturday, is one win away from bowl eligibility. For Indiana, currently in a two-game losing streak, the game against Rutgers is almost a must-win for their hopes of being bowl-eligible.

India has already played three ranked teams this season including two ranked in the top five nationally. Their record is certainly deceptive.

During his opening remarks while speaking to the media on Monday, Allen certainly sounded impressed by what Rutgers has accomplished this season.

“Just excited about this week. Great opportunity for us with homecoming. A really good football team coming to Bloomington. Coach has done a great job there – coach Schiano, and systematically building that team, playing with a lot of confidence,” Allen told reporters on Monday.

“Got a big win this past week coming from behind, shown a lot of toughness and grit as a team, and just being able to play really good defense and run the football well and throw the football effectively and been on special teams. Good football team here for homecoming.

“Expecting a great crowd and just a great weekend for our university and a lot of things going on, and beautiful weather as well. Should be a great opportunity for our guys as we enter the second half of our season, very important part, to allow us to reach the goals we have for our team.”

Allen was not asked a question about Rutgers during Monday’s media availability.

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Schiano also talked up Indiana, noting their tough schedule and praising Allen’s ability as a head coach and the entire Indiana coaching staff.

“Tom Allen is an excellent football coach. I’ve known Tom for a while now. He’s a great coach. He’s a great person, and his program,” Schiano said,

“I know Rod Carey, who is now the offensive coordinator, is an excellent coach, the line coach, Bob Bostad was my line coach down in Tampa. They are a well-coached football team. Tom is so heavily involved in the defense, and you can see it. It’s just they make you really check every box in your preparation because they bring pressure from everywhere.”

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Carey should be a familiar name to Rutgers fans as he was the head coach at Temple from 2019-21 and is now the offensive coordinator at Indiana.

Big Ten team fires offensive coordinator

The first Big Ten coaching staff change occurred for the 2023 season.

The first Big Ten coaching staff change occurred for the 2023 season. Indiana fired offensive coordinator Walt Bell on Sunday afternoon.

The Hoosiers are 2-3 after Saturday’s 44-17 loss to Maryland. In five games this season, they have averaged only 20.8 points per game, good enough for 111th in the nation in scoring offense.

Offensive line coach Rod Carey will take on the offensive coordinator duties. Carey had previously been the head coach at Northern Illinois and Temple.

He holds a coaching record of 64-50 and 0-7 in bowl games. The Hoosiers will now prepare for the road as they travel to Ann Arbor to take on the Michigan Wolverines in two weeks.

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