Indiana Topple Hilltoppers
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Opportunity came against Western Kentucky Saturday afternoon and Isaiah Jones seized it. It’s what leaders do, veterans do, guys who make a difference when it matters most.
In the first half of No. 4/4 Indiana’s eventual 38-0 victory over Western Kentucky (0-3) at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium, it mattered in a big way. The offense and defense had missed opportunities. Expected dominance had become cliffhanger. Hoosier Nation angst intensified.
Enter Jones’ late-second quarter interception and 22-yard run. The veteran linebacker’s play sparked a run of 17 points in just over five game minutes spanning the first and second halves as the Hoosiers improved to 3-0.
“Isaiah Jones’ play was huge in terms of a momentum swing,” head coach Curt Cignetti said. “We went into the locker room with a two-score lead.”
Just like that, all was right in the Indiana football world entering Big Ten play.
“Football is a game where people feed off energy,” Jones said. “That play gave us the energy to get back on track, get back to our roots, play how we can play.”
Added quarterback Josh Hoover: “For the momentum going into halftime, with Bones making that play and us punching it in (for a touchdown), that was huge.
“Our defense made great plays all day.”
Jones’ interception came as opponents try to counter IU’s attacking defensive approach with quick passes.
“People are going to try to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hands quick against us,” Cignetti said. “When we’re on our game, we’re tough. It’s tough to pass protect against us.”
Jones has spent the last two years rising to the occasion. On Saturday, he was a big reason why the Hoosiers have recorded consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1993, why they stopped Western Kentucky on fourth and short three times. Besides the interception, he finished with five tackles, one for loss, a quarterback hit, and lots of leadership.
“That’s just how we play,” Jones said about the consecutive shutouts. “It’s one play at a time. If everyone does his job, you’re going to like the result.
“You’re going to have mistakes and times the other team drives the ball, but it’s the next-play mentality. We have a lot of guys who believe in that and know how to step up when their name is called.”
The only glitch -- Jones came three yards short of a pick-6 and match what fellow linebacker Rolijah Hardy had done the previous week in the 55-0 win over Howard.
“Some guys said, ‘Man, you were so close,’” Jones said. “I was trying to run through (Hilltopper quarterback Brock Glenn, who tackled him). He was playing back and trying to get at the ball, which was smart. If I could have it back, I’d try something else.”
In just over two seasons under Cignetti, IU is 30-2 with a 19-game winning streak and a national championship. He’s never lost a game at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium. The Hoosiers begin their quest for a second straight Big Ten title, starting Friday night at home against Northwestern.
“It’s been a nice run,” Cignetti said. “Of course, we get criticized because we kind of play an ‘exhibition season’ before we get to Big Ten play. I can understand that, but those ‘exhibition seasons’ have been real valuable to us.
“Last year we were 16-0. It hadn’t been done since (Yale in 1894). For spring ball, we had a lot of guys out with postseason surgery. Even the new guys coming in needed surgery. We needed these games to learn about ourselves, our guys, about where we are and what we have to do to be the best we can be.”
Do-it-all Charlie Becker added punt return to his in-game duties of receiver and special teams after fellow receiver Tyler Morris struggled the previous week against Howard with one fumble and nearly another.
Becker returned one punt for 17 yards. He fair caught the others.
“It was pretty cool,” Becker said. “I keep saying returning punts is one of the hardest positions ever. It’s so hard to judge the ball. Coach Cig told me to fair catch a couple of them. I’m happy I didn’t put any on the ground.”
Becker said catching punts isn’t anything like catching passes.
“It’s totally different,” he said. “You’ve really got to read the nose of the ball. If the nose turns over, it can drop right. Drop left. There are so many things the ball can do as opposed to one of Josh’s passes, which are just dimes that go right in the bucket.”
Does this mean Becker is now the regular returner?
“Today he was,” Cignetti said. “You’ll see Tyler back there again. We just thought we’d give him a break. We don’t want that to get in his head.”
As a receiver, Becker caught five passes for 127 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown.
Hoover was 18-for-24 for 273 yards and two touchdowns while directing an offense that totaled 513 yards.
Still, he expects more from himself.
“There were a couple of throws I’d love to have back. It’s a process of continuing to try to be accurate. I know I’m an accurate guy and I know I’m going to make those adjustments.”
Receiver Nick Marsh caught seven passes for 81 yards. Running back Turbo Richard surpassed 100 yards for the second straight game, finishing with 149 yards and a touchdown. Lee Beebe Jr. added 50 yards and two TDs.
Kicker Nico Radicic missed his second straight game with an injury. Paddy McAteer again replaced him and made all five of his extra point attempts, plus a 21-yard field goal, but missed a 54-yard field goal attempt.
“There’s a standard we’re trying to play to,” Hoover said, “and that standard is perfection and playing to the best of our abilities. That’s a continuous process that we’re chasing. We’ve got to keep coming to work every day. That’s what I love about this group. They’re eager to work.”
A scoreless first quarter included McAteer’s missed 54-yard field goal attempt and the Hoosiers pressuring Western Kentucky into a fourth-down incompletion at the IU 2-yard line. By that point, the Hilltoppers had totaled 77 yards on 21 plays to IU's 54 yards on 10 plays.
Then Hoover went to work on a 12-play, 98-yard drive that took just over six minutes. He threaded a tight window for a 13-yard sideline completion to Becker, then hit Marsh for 25 yards before his 26-yard touchdown pass to receiver Davion Chandler for a 7-0 lead with 9:51 left in the second quarter.
Jones’ interception and 22-yard return set up Beebe Jr.’s 1-yard touchdown run for a 14-0 halftime lead.
IU opened the second half with an 18-yard pass to Becker and Richard’s 31-yard run before settling for McAteer’s 21-yard field goal and a 17-0 lead. A couple of minutes later, Hoover hit Becker for a 79-yard touchdown pass. His 16-yard pass to receiver Shazz Preston set up another Beebe Jr. 1-yard run to make it 31-0 after three quarters.
Backup quarterback Grant Wilson replaced Hoover for most of a fourth quarter that included Richard’s 25-yard touchdown run for the final 38-0 score.
Next up -- Northwestern.
“We’re building a lot of confidence,” Becker said. “There’s still a ton of work that needs to be done. We’re nowhere near where we want to be going into conference play.
“Big Ten teams are going to see the mistakes we make and try to dig into those. We’re going to work on that. Fix that. So that when conference play comes, we’ll be good.”