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.”
It was an atypical game from the nation’s highest-scoring team. Indiana failed to top the 40-point mark for the first time since its season opener though it still hasn’t trailed this season.
Instead, Indiana let the defense set the tone.
Ponds picked off Will Rogers ' sixth throw of the day and returned it 65 yards for a 7-0 lead. Three series later, Ponds intercepted Rogers again. Jackson took full advantage with a 42-yard TD pass to Omar Cooper Jr.
Washington answered with Giles Jackson’s 6-yard TD run only to watch the Hoosiers close the half with a 19-yard field goal to make it 17-7.
Indiana put it away with Ellison’s 5-yard TD run in the third quarter and Jackson’s late score.
Jeanty runs for 128 yards and winning TD, Boise State beats UNLV: Ashton Jeanty, the nation’s leading rusher, didn’t play up to his standards but still rushed for 128 yards and the winning touchdown to help No. 17 Boise State beat UNLV 29-24 on Friday night in a game with College Football Playoff implications.
Jeanty’s 1-yard TD run on fourth-and-goal with 12:38 left put the Broncos (6-1, 3-0 Mountain West) in front for good.
Maddux Madsen passed for 209 yards and a touchdown as Boise State kept alive it hopes of making the College Football Playoff. The Broncos are bowl eligible for the 27th consecutive season, the nation’s second-longest active streak behind Georgia at 28. They also are 28-1 coming after off weeks since 2001.
“That UNLV team is legit,” Madsen said. “That defense played hard and fast until the end. We talked all week about how it was going to be a heavyweight fight. Their one loss was Syracuse in overtime. That game was going to be tough.”
The Rebels (6-2, 2-1) needed a victory to stay in realistic contention for a playoff spot.
“I am devastated for our team that we couldn’t find a way to win that one,” UNLV coach Barry Odom said.
Moss, Marks each account for 3 TDs to help USC beat Rutgers: Woody Marks ran for three touchdowns, Miller Moss had two scoring passes and a touchdown run, and Southern California snapped a three-game losing streak by beating Rutgers 42-20 on Friday night.
The Trojans (4-4, 2-4 Big Ten) scored on all four offensive possessions in the first half, while their injury-depleted defense — missing four starters in the secondary — came up with some timely stops.
“I don’t know if it’s relief as just much affirmation of who we are, what we believe in,” said Moss, who was 20-of-28 passing for 308 yards. “I give a ton of credit to the guys in that locker room, the staff, really the whole program on how they seem to come together and fight through adversity. And, yeah, it’s great to close one out, and hopefully we get on a run here in the back half of the season.”
Marks had 142 yards from scrimmage. Makai Lemon had 134 yards receiving on four grabs with a touchdown, plus an 80-yard kick return in the first quarter that set up Marks’ second TD run. Athan Kaliakmanis threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Christian Dremel and Antwan Raymond ran for a touchdown, but the Scarlet Knights (4-4, 1-4) dropped their fourth straight game.