Indiana cruises past UMass, 45-6
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tre Roberson scored on runs of 50 and 39 yards before leaving with an apparent left leg injury, and Indiana spoiled Massachusetts’ first home game as a Football Bowl Subdivision member with a 45-6 win on Saturday.
Playing at the stadium of the three-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, the Minutemen were no match for one of the Big Ten’s weaker teams. The Hoosiers led 21-6 midway through the first quarter and already had totaled 223 yards.
One of the few dark moments for Indiana (2-0) came when Roberson was hurt about two minutes into the second quarter as he was tackled at the 2-yard line of Massachusetts (0-2). Mitch Ewald kicked a 19-yard field goal on the next play for a 24-6 lead.
At least the Minutemen did better than in their opener, a 37-0 loss at Connecticut, when they gained 59 yards with just three first downs.
Massachusetts moved to the Mid-American Conference after posting a 5-6 record last year, its fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association.
In the first meeting ever between the teams, both used a no-huddle offense throughout the game with only about 25 percent of the 68,756 seats occupied in Gillette Stadium. The announced attendance was 16,304.
Indiana, which had broken a nine-game losing streak with a 24-17 win over Indiana State a week earlier, finished with 606 yards. The school record of 650 yards was set at Kentucky on Sept. 17, 1994.
After each team punted on its first series, Roberson started Indiana’s next possession with a 50-yard burst up the middle for a touchdown on which he cut to the left at the 15-yard line to evade the final defender.
Massachusetts scored on its second series on a 16-yard run by Mike Wegzyn, two plays after his 56-yard completion to Marken Michel.
Indiana needed just four plays on its next possession to score as Roberson ran untouched — up the middle again — for a 39-yard touchdown. Then he threw a 5-yard scoring pass to Shane Wynn as the Hoosiers opened their 21-6 lead.
They kept rolling in the second quarter, scoring on their first three series on the 19-yard field goal by Ewald, a 2-yard run by Stephen Houston and a 2-yard run by Isaiah Roundtree.
Cameron Coffman, who replaced Roberson, completed a 31-yard pass to Houston before the running back scored four plays later. Then Roundtree rushed four times for 23 yards on the drive ending with his touchdown as the Hoosiers took a 38-6 lead with 2:15 left in the half.
After a scoreless third quarter, Indiana increased its lead with 13:09 left in the game when Coffman connected with Charles Love III for a 12-yard touchdown.
Wegzyn, a redshirt freshman, completed 18 of 26 passes for 151 yards after a weak opening performance in which he went 9 of 22 for 56 yards.