Strong day on ground keys win

With the defensive formations it used Saturday, it seemed as if Akron thought IU was a pass-happy offense.\nIt thought wrong.\n“We had a lot of fun today,” sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis said. “It was one of those games where I was proud of my receivers, because they never once complained about how many throws they were getting; how many catches they were getting. They just kept blocking the corners, and that allowed us to get a lot of rushing yards.”\nThe Zips played a 3-3-5 defense, and Lewis was all too happy to exploit that in a 41-24 IU victory. IU gained 338 yards on the ground – 199 coming from Lewis. It was the first time the Hoosiers recorded more than 300 rushing yards in a game since running for 305 yards against Kentucky in 2005.\nRacking up 475 total yards, the IU offense exposed holes in an Akron defense that held Ohio State to just three points in the first half last week. And while the defense gave up 370 yards, the Hoosiers still forced two turnovers and added four sacks to their NCAA-leading total of 17.\nThough IU coach Bill Lynch said total offense is not a statistic the Hoosiers focus on, junior running back Marcus Thigpen took satisfaction with the job the offense did Saturday.\n“There’s a lot of pride in that because early on, we couldn’t really get the running game established at all,” Thigpen said.\nThe ball bounced the Hoosiers’ way early.\nJust 1:30 into the first quarter, a fumbled snap was recovered by sophomore linebacker Will Patterson. The Hoosiers soon took their first lead on a field goal by sophomore kicker Austin Starr.\nA stagnant Akron defense then produced a quick three and out, punting to the IU 31-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Lewis faked a handoff and sprinted 64 yards – the longest run of his career.\nInside the five-yard line, the Hoosiers were unable to put the ball in the end zone on their first three plays. But on fourth down, Lewis found wide open senior fullback Josiah Sears in the flat for a six-yard touchdown.\n“It was one of those things where we were getting down to the goal line and we kind of had a lot of mental mistakes,” Lewis said. “In some cases, we’re not even blocking guys on the sides that we’re running to, so it’s something we have to work on.”\nAfter an Akron field goal, IU began to drive, again through the running game. This time, it was sophomore running back Demetrius McCray who gained 39 yards on four carries during the drive. However, Lewis was intercepted at the goal line, and momentum shifted.\nWith sophomore quarterback Carlton Jackson inserted into the game, Akron went on a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive.\n“I thought their quarterback was pretty good,” Lynch said. “He was slippery, and he made us miss some. We hadn’t seen a whole lot of him on tape, but he was a difference.”\nOn the Zips’ ensuing possession, Jackson led the Zips 78 yards on seven plays, capping the drive with a 21-yard touchdown strike.\nWith just minutes remaining in the half, the Hoosiers responded. Starting on their 23-yard line, Lewis led IU on a drive that nearly died at the Akron 24. Lewis threw to a heavily covered Ray Fisher in the flat on third down. The sophomore wide receiver made a defender miss and scampered 24 yards to tie the game at 17-17 going into the half.\n“I’m glad halftime came, because I think we had a chance to go in and regroup,” Lynch said. \nIU came out re-energized at the start of the second half. \nLewis handed off to Thigpen on the first play of the half, and he took off down the left side for 59 yards. After again stalling inside the 10-yard line, Starr hit a field goal to take back the lead.\nOnce again, IU forced Akron to go three-and-out. Riding Lewis’ scrambling ability, the Hoosiers embarked on a 14-play, 81-yard drive. Accounting for nearly half the yardage on the drive, Lewis ran up the middle for a touchdown to give IU a 27-17 lead.\nBut Akron did not go away.\nWith time winding down, Jackson orchestrated an 80-yard drive that ended with a 26-yard touchdown pass over the middle to cut the deficit to three.\nBut for every play Akron made, the Hoosiers answered.\nHelped by a pair of pass interference calls, Lewis, McCray and Thigpen ran through the Akron defense en route to Lewis’ second rushing touchdown of the afternoon. Up 34-24 with six minutes left, there was little time left for the Zips to come back. Just to make sure, Lewis found junior wide receiver James Hardy in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown pass to ice the game.\nNow, with non-conference play all but over, the Hoosiers will welcome Illinois to Bloomington next weekend.\n“This team is not the team we’ve been in the last couple of years,” Hardy said. “I feel each and every guy has the determination to get victories, and now it’s time to get ready and look forward to the Big Ten season.”