BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — No. 13 Indiana relied on a new winning combination Saturday — power running, ball control and defense.
It worked perfectly.
Tayven Jackson threw one touchdown pass and ran for another in his first start of the season, and the Hoosiers turned two D’Angelo Ponds interceptions into touchdowns as they pulled away from Washington 31-17 despite throwing only five passes in the second half.
“Pretty darn good,” coach Curt Cignetti said when asked how it feels to have matched Indiana’s 1967 Rose Bowl team for the best start in school history. “Offensively, we adjusted and ran the ball there.”
Jackson started in place of injured starter Kurtis Rourke (right thumb) and went 11 of 19 with 124 yards, one TD and one interception while scoring on a 2-yard run early in the fourth quarter to give Indiana a 31-14 with 8:55 to play in front of another sellout crowd and a second straight visit from a network’s studio crew.
The Hoosiers (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) didn’t disappoint, winning their eighth straight by double digits to remain atop the league standings. Justice Ellison ran 29 times for 123 yards and one score.
The Huskies (4-4, 2-3) have lost three of four and still haven’t won outside their home stadium this season. Will Rogers was 19 of 26 for 202 yards with two interceptions. Jonah Coleman had 19 carries for 104 yards and one touchdown.
“We only had four offensive possessions in the second half, so it was a little strange,” Huskies coach Jedd Fisch said of the sequence that cut the deficit to 17-14. “We got the interception to start the second half and two plays later we score. That’s when you need to get a stop, but they went eight minutes, nine minutes the other way and got a touchdown and that’s tough.”
It was an atypical game from the nation’s highest-scoring team. Indiana failed to top the 40-point mark for the first time since its season opener though it still hasn’t trailed this season.
Instead, the Hoosiers defense set the tone.
Ponds picked off Will Rogers ′ sixth throw of the day and returned it 65 yards for a 7-0 lead. Three series later, Ponds intercepted Rogers again. Jackson took full advantage with a 42-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr.
Washington answered with Giles Jackson’s 6-yard TD run, only to watch the Hoosiers close the half with a 19-yard field goal to make it 17-7.
Indiana put it away with Ellison’s 5-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and Jackson’s late score.
The takeaway
Washington: The defense played well. The offense did not. Until Fisch’s team gets both units working in sync — on the same day — it’s going to be tough.
Indiana: With Rourke out, the Hoosiers faced their biggest challenge yet, and they passed the test thanks to a power running game and an opportunistic defense.
Up next
Washington: Hosts another Big Ten newcomer, USC, on Saturday.
Indiana: Visits Michigan State on Saturday in the battle for the Old Brass Spittoon.
