New quarterback Fernando Mendoza rushed for a touchdown, new running back Roman Hemby added 110 yards on the ground, and No. 20 Indiana shrugged off a sluggish start Saturday for a 27-14 win over Old Dominion in Bloomington, Ind.
Second-year coach Curt Cignetti saw his team win its opener for the second straight year, although it couldn’t put the Monarchs away in their opener. The Hoosiers’ 309 rushing yards were on brand with last year’s 11-2 team, and Indiana controlled the ball for 41:28 but managed only one second-half touchdown.
Old Dominion quarterback Colton Joseph accounted for most of his team’s offense with touchdown runs of 75 and 78 yards. He rushed for 179 yards on 10 carries and completed 11 of 22 passes for 96 yards but was intercepted three times.
Joseph’s legs got the Monarchs on the board to start the game as he raced 75 yards on the first play. That lead held nearly the entire first quarter until Indiana changed the momentum via the kicking game.
Jonathan Brady returned a punt 91 yards to the end zone with nine seconds left in the quarter to tie the score. The Hoosiers took the lead for good on their next possession, settling for Nico Radicic’s 22-yard field goal at the 10:03 mark of the second quarter.
Mendoza, who threw for 193 yards on 18-of-31 accuracy, made it 17-7 when he ran 5 yards for a touchdown with 3:36 remaining.
Indiana extended the lead to 27-7 in the third quarter. Kaelon Black powered in from the 2 to cap a 75-yard drive that opened the second half, and Radicic tacked on a 25-yard field goal at the 3:02 mark.
The Monarchs’ Joseph finished the scoring with a 78-yard touchdown run with 6:53 remaining in the game. That also was Old Dominion’s final snap of the day as the Hoosiers melted the remaining time with a 12-play drive that ended at the Monarchs’ 11.
