Red-out crowd. ESPN pre-game show College GameDay in Bloomington with its full crew for the first time ever. Playing with a backup quarterback.
And still, Indiana football (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) took a 31-17 victory over Washington (4-4, 2-3 Big Ten) on Saturday afternoon in a sold-out Memorial Stadium. It’s the Hoosiers’ second 8-0 start in program history, the other being in 1967, and the team’s ninth eight-win season ever.
Indiana redshirt sophomore quarterback Tayven Jackson, starting in place of injured sixth-year senior Kurtis Rourke, went 11 for 19 for 124 yards, one touchdown and one interception while adding 17 yards and another score on the ground.
Fifth-year senior running back Justice Ellison starred, taking a career-high 29 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown.
The Hoosiers’ defense, however, made the first game-changing play of the afternoon.
Indiana sophomore cornerback D’Angelo Ponds intercepted Washington fifth-year senior quarterback Will Rogers III on a screen pass and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown.
Leading 7-0, Indiana’s defense forced Washington to punt on the ensuing possession, and the Hoosiers’ offense marched into Huskies’ territory. But on fourth-and-inches, Jackson was stopped for no gain on a quarterback sneak.
Indiana forced a turnover on downs the following drive, but the Hoosiers’ offense failed to capitalize and punted from just shy of midfield.
Then, Ponds struck again.
With senior linebacker Jailin Walker bearing down on him, Rogers launched a deep ball toward redshirt sophomore receiver Denzel Boston down the left sideline. Ponds, who’s seven inches shorter than Boston, won the jump ball, marking his second interception of the game — and season.
Two plays later, Indiana found the endzone, as Jackson hit redshirt sophomore receiver Omar Cooper Jr. over the middle for a 42-yard touchdown.
Washington punched back, spearheaded by a 46-yard carry from junior running back Jonah Coleman. Sixth-year senior receiver Giles Jackson finished the drive for the Huskies, taking a handoff six yards into the endzone to trim their deficit to 14-7.
Indiana retained possession for the final seven and a half minutes of the second quarter, posting a 19-play, 62-yard drive that ended with a 29-yard field goal from redshirt freshman kicker Nicolas Radicic. The Hoosiers were stopped at the goal line on three consecutive plays before settling for Radicic’s field goal.
Holding a 17-7 lead to start the third quarter, Indiana received the opening kickoff — and immediately gave it up. On the first play of the half, Jackson’s pass to Cooper was tipped and intercepted.
The Huskies scored four plays later, as freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. kept the ball on a read option and rushed eight yards into the endzone. Suddenly, Washington trailed only 17-14.
But Indiana responded with another lengthy drive, as Ellison’s five-yard rushing touchdown capped a 14-play, 75-yard drive that lasted over seven minutes.
After two punts from Washington and one from Indiana, the Hoosiers put the game away.
Senior receiver Myles Price’s 65-yard punt return gave Indiana the ball in the redzone, and after three runs from Ellison, Jackson scampered into the endzone from a yard out.
Indiana’s 31-14 lead was trimmed to 31-17 by a field goal midway through the fourth quarter, and the Hoosiers ran out the rest of the clock, carrying a 12-play, 44-yard drive across the finish line.
Still undefeated, Indiana returns to action Nov. 2 against Michigan State at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. Kickoff will either be at noon or 3:30 p.m. while the television network hasn’t yet been announced.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Jhett Garrett (@jhettgarrett) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
