BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — 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 Saturday.
“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 TD.
“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.”
