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By Tom Luicci
ScarletKnights.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Less than a year after pulling off the greatest comeback in school history, Rutgers did it again.

Kyle Federico's 26-yard field goal as time expired capped an improbable rally from a 25-point third-quarter deficit and lifted the Scarlet Knights to a 55-52 victory over Indiana Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

In last year's regular-season finale, Rutgers rallied from a 35-10 second-quarter deficit on the way to a 41-38 victory at Maryland.

Saturday, the Scarlet Knights (3-3 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) scored four touchdowns in a span of 10:37 after Indiana built a 52-27 lead with 5:25 left in the third quarter, ending with Federico's game-winning kick.

But the stage was set when Rutgers' defense held sway after that 25-point deficit, coming up with two key interceptions, as the Scarlet Knights responded by scoring 28 unanswered points.

The combined point total equals the most in a game in Rutgers history, with Rutgers beating SMU in three overtimes by the same 55-52 score in 2013.

"I'm so proud of my team," head coach Kyle Flood said. "They fought in the first half and they fought in the second half. It speaks to the quality of the people we have in the program."

After getting a second-straight three touchdown performance from Leonte Carroo (seven catches for a career-high 157 yards), the Scarlet Knights continued their rally in the fourth quarter despite their senior star on the bench with an injury the entire quarter.

Quarterback Chris Laviano (28-of-42 for a career-high 386 yards with three touchdown passes) moved Rutgers to the game-winning field goal on a drive that started on the Scarlet Knights' 33 yard line following a punt with 4:47 to play. Robert Martin (17 carries for 124 yards and three touchdowns) did the bulk of the work on the winning drive, setting the stage for Federico.

Federico earlier had two extra point tries blocked and Rutgers failed on two two-point conversion tries.

"That's every kicker's dream at the end of the game to be the hero," said Federico. "That was my time."

Fourth-quarter interceptions by Isaiah Wharton and Anthony Cioffi led to touchdowns during the comeback to ruin a career day by Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld (32-of-42 for 461 yards and four touchdowns).

A high snap that sailed over the punter's head and was scooped up by Kemoko Turay ignited the remarkable fourth quarter, with Turay returning the miscue 26 yards for a touchdown to make it 52-39. Martin followed with a three-yard touchdown run and Paul James had a 40-yard touchdown run to force a 52-52 tie with 6:29 remaining.

Rutgers' early ability to answer every Indiana score, and its success on fourth downs on both sides of the ball, enabled the Scarlet Knights to claim a 27-24 halftime lead, doing so on the strength of Carroo's second touchdown catch - this one just 21 seconds before the halftime break.

The tone for responding to the Hoosiers and quarterback Nate Sudfeld's 301-yard passing first half was set early too.

After Indiana took a 3-0 lead, Rutgers answered with a 75-yard, five-play drive on Robert Martin's 24-yard touchdown run. It would be the first of two scoring runs in the half for the sophomore, who tallied three rushing touchdowns against Indiana a year ago.

The Hoosiers then had a 17-7 second quarter lead when the Scarlet Knights reached deep into their playbook for this response. Aided by a 15-yard run off a direct snap to fullback Sam Bergen off a fake punt, Rutgers needed only one play to take advantage of the new life.

Laviano immediately hooked up for a 58-yard touchdown pass to Carroo to make it 17-13 (the PAT was blocked).

A series later, the Hoosiers gambled on fourth and one on their own 40 yard line, only to have Quanzell Lambert stuff running back Devine Redding for no gain.

Sudfeld, 21-of-27 passing in the first half, then tried to create some distance between the teams on Indiana's next possession, engineering a 68-yard, four-play drive that ended with Jordan Fuchs' six-yard touchdown run to make it 24-13.

But Rutgers wasn't done answering.

A 30-yard touchdown run by Martin had the Scarlet Knights within 24-20 with 7:29 left in the first half before Rutgers' defense came up with another fourth down stop. This time, with the Hoosiers at the Scarlet Knights' 37-yard line, Steve Longa and Anthony Cioffi combined for a nine-yard sack of Sudfeld on fourth and three.

Laviano (17-of-25 for 216 yards in the first half) then capitalized on the two-minute drill, finishing it with that 23-yard touchdown pass to Carroo, giving Rutgers the lead heading into the locker room.