Still Perfect: Hoosiers Move to 8-0 With "Gutty" 31-17 Win Over Washington
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Written by: TJ Inman
One week after FOX Big Noon Saturday came to Bloomington, ESPN’s College GameDay was in town as the Hoosiers hosted Nick Saban, Rece Davis, former IU coach Lee Corso and the accompanying circus that comes when GameDay “comes to your city”. Indiana hosted Washington and had to find a way to keep on winning, this time without starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke. Tayven Jackson stepped in and the passing game struggled to find a rhythm but the Hoosiers leaned on the defense and ground game to outlast Washington 31-17. Through eight games, IU has not allowed a point in the first quarter and they have yet to trail for a single second. Most importantly, the Hoosiers are now 8-0.
The Memorial Stadium crowd made themselves felt right away as Will Rogers was sacked on the first play and the Huskies were penalized for a false start before the second snap. The third down play was intentional ground and IU took over after a three and out. Tayven Jackson had an incomplete pass and Myles Price and the Hoosiers had a false start of their own, also going three and out to begin the game. Washington had a decent drive going, picking up a fourth down conversion and advancing into Indiana territory. Will Rogers attempted a quick pass that may have been setting up a double-pass but it was deflected and D’Angelo Ponds snagged it and ran it back for the game’s first score as the red-clad IU faithful roared. Washington went three and out and IU’s offense had a great opportunity to seize early control of the contest but Tayven Jackson overthrew a potential touchdown to Elijah Sarratt and then was stuffed on fourth and short to keep it at only 7-0. Washington tried to throw deep but D’Angelo Ponds was there again, beating Denzel Boston for a jump ball and coming down with his second interception of the game. The Hoosiers took advantage of the good field position and just two plays later, Tayven Jackson ripped a pass to Omar Cooper who scampered into the end zone to put Indiana ahead 14-0 early in the second quarter. In danger of a blowout, Washington’s offense got the response they had to have. Jonah Coleman busted a 56-yard run and Giles Jackson scored on an end around as the Huskies caught IU’s defense unready for the quick snap. The Hoosiers went three and out and Washington drove into IU territory again but a fourth down scramble by Will Rogers was stymied by Aiden Fisher just short of the first down. Indiana’s defense had spent a ton of time on the field so IU’s next offensive possession was extremely important as the Hoosiers chewed up the rest of the first half and grinded out a 19-play drive. Unfortunately, they were stuffed on three plays inside the two-yard line and were forced to settle for a short field goal by Nicolas Radicic to finish the half at 17-7.
The Hoosiers got the ball to start the second half but the game was quickly thrown into question as the first play of the half resulted in an interception for a Washington defensive lineman and the Huskies scored a few plays later to make it 17-14. For the first time all season, the Indiana Hoosiers were facing real on-field adversity. Curt Cignetti and Mike Shanahan turned to their offensive line and running backs to pound the rock and Tayven Jackson converted a critical third down with a pass to Myles Price. Justice Ellison got a first down on third and three from inside the ten-yard line on a nice play call that directly snapped it to him and then Ellison finished the drive for a six-yard touchdown. Indiana’s defense then turned up the heat on Will Rogers with a sack that put the Huskies in third and long and an illegal forward pass ended the drive and forced a punt. UW pinned IU at the two-yard line and the Hoosiers again rode the ground game to move downfield before punting it away and then forcing another three and out for the Huskies. Myles Price delivered a huge blow with an electric 65-yard punt return to set IU up at the 12-yard line and Tayven Jackson kept the ball on a read option and jogged into the end zone to put IU ahead 31-14 with time running out on the Huskies. Washington moved into scoring position but a great tackle by Lanell Carr forced a short field goal that made the score 31-17 with 6:06 remaining. Indiana’s offense did not let Washington have the ball again, churning out the rest of the clock with a physical rushing attack and sealing the victory and IU’s 8-0 start.
The offensive performance was hardly a thing of beauty as Tayven Jackson was only 11-19 for 124 yards but he did have two total touchdowns as the Hoosiers turned to the running game, churning out 188 yards on 52 carries. The defense made a few remarkable plays and Myles Price added a key punt return to help set up the final nail in Washington’s coffin. The Hoosiers held Washington to 318 yards and they were 3-11 on third-down and 1-3 on fourth down. Justice Ellison was the hammer for IU, rushing the ball 29 times for 123 yards with a touchdown.
Key Takeaways
Allow me to editorialize for just a moment: this site has covered Indiana football for more than a decade and I have been a fan for more than three decades. There are seasons when it has been painful, disappointing, hard to watch. We have questioned why on earth are we doing this to ourselves every Saturday? We’ve kept going and you have kept reading and watching because there was a belief that it could be different. Well, the change has arrived. I never thought I would see what we’ve all seen the past two Saturdays in Bloomington and regardless of what happens the rest of the way, this has been really special.
D’Angelo Ponds was exceptional today. He had two interceptions, a few pass breakups and he limited Denzel Boston to four catches for just 43 yards.
Washington has a lot of offensive talent and IU gave up some big plays to Jonah Coleman but this was a strong performance from Indiana’s defense.
Tayven Jackson showed a lot of growth in his reads in the second half. A key difference was keeping the ball on a run near the goal line and scoring instead of handing it off as he did earlier in the contest. If he starts next week at Michigan State, the Hoosiers will need more from the passing game.
Good teams win when they are comfortable. Great teams find different ways to win and that’s exactly what IU did today. Also, great teams cover and the Hoosiers are now 8-0 “against the spread” and in the standings.