Instant recap: Indiana 27, Old Dominion 14
- Alex Bozich
- 4h ago
Quick thoughts on IU football’s 27-14 win against Old Dominion at Memorial Stadium in front of 47,109 fans:
Three key plays in IU’s win
A momentum-changing punt return – After a shaky start that saw the Hoosiers fall behind 7-0 on the first play of the game, a special teams play late in the first quarter flipped the momentum in Bloomington.
Following an IU defensive stop at the Old Dominion 35-yard line, Jonathan Brady took a 56-yard punt from the Monarchs 91 yards for a touchdown with under 10 seconds left in the opening quarter. It was the first IU punt return touchdown since 2021. Nicolas Radicic’s extra point was good, knotting the score at seven.
Moore’s second-quarter interception – Defensive back Louis Moore, whose temporary restraining order to grant him eligibility for the 2025 season was recently extended for two weeks, came up with one of the game’s key defensive plays in the second quarter. Moore intercepted Colton Joseph’s hurried pass with just over four minutes to play in the first half and returned it 17 yards to the 10-yard line.
An illegal block below the waist penalty on Old Dominion on the interception tacked on five yards to the end of the play. On third down, Fernando Mendoza took the ball to the end zone himself to make it a two-score lead for IU with 3:40 remaining in the first half.
Ponds adds to strong secondary play with fourth-quarter interception – Standout defensive back D’Angelo Ponds, a second-team All-American last season, set the Hoosiers up with possession in Old Dominion territory with his fourth-quarter interception.
Ponds intercepted a deflected Joseph pass that was intended for Ja’Cory Thomas and the Hoosiers took over at the Old Dominion 44-yard line with 10:32 to play. Unfortunately, the Hoosiers couldn’t capitalize on the turnover and went three-and-out on their ensuing series.
Offensive standouts
Indiana controlled the time of possession with its strong running game and the primary catalyst was senior running back Roman Hemby. The Maryland transfer carried the ball 23 times for 110 yards.
Senior Kaelon Black carried the ball 17 times for 92 yards and Lee Beebe Jr. bounced back from a fumble on his first carry to finish with 73 yards on 11 carries.
In total, IU gained 309 yards on the ground with an average of 5.4 yards per carry.
Defensive standout
Not only did Moore have the momentum-changing interception in the second quarter, he also led the Hoosiers with seven tackles.
With his strong showing in the opener, Moore’s eligibility is a significant storyline moving forward.
A strong second-half start
The Hoosiers came out strong in the third quarter with a seven-play, 80-yard drive over 3:51 that resulted in a Black touchdown to make it a three-score lead at 24-7.
And IU followed that up by limiting the Monarchs to just 19 yards over 69 seconds and a punt to quickly get the offense back on the field at the 10-minute mark.
The strong start on both sides of the ball to begin the second half effectively put the game out of reach.
Early red zone struggles
Indiana’s opening drive and its third drive featured trips to the red zone, but the Hoosiers didn’t score a touchdown.
On the first drive, the Hoosiers couldn’t punch the ball in on three straight runs – two by Roman Hemby and one from Kaelon Black – and an incomplete Mendoza pass to Riley Nowakowski gave the Monarchs possession on their own one-yard line with 9:44 left in the first frame.
IU had to settle for a field goal on its third drive after three straight rush attempts from Hemby came up short of the goal line. An inability to convert on its early trips to the red zone made things much closer than expected in the opening half of the season opener.
What’s next for the Hoosiers
Indiana will be back in action next Saturday, September 6, at Memorial Stadium against Kennesaw State. The Owls narrowly lost their season opener 10-9 at Wake Forest on Friday night.
Kickoff is set for noon ET on FS1.
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