Indiana rebounds with 49-24 rout over North Texas
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana's Nate Sudfeld threw three touchdown passes and D'Angelo Roberts ran for two scores Saturday as the Hoosiers ran away from North Texas 49-24.
Sudfeld was 23 of 29 for 230 yards. Tevin Coleman ran 17 times for 150 yards and one TD, producing his seventh straight 100-yard game and scoring in his 14th consecutive game - the longest active streaks in the Football Bowl Subdivision - to help Indiana (3-2, 0-1 Big Ten) rebound from last week's conference-opening loss to Maryland.
North Texas (2-3, 0-1 Conference USA) struggled most of the day. It trailed 21-0 after one quarter and got back into the game in the second quarter. But the Mean Green never got close after allowing two quick third-quarter touchdowns, which made it 35-7.
Dajon Williams was 18 of 24 for 205 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions for North Texas.
Indiana made a dramatic turnaround Saturday.
The offense that sputtered a week earlier, started fast. The defense that struggled against Maryland was almost impenetrable early. Indiana even recovered a first-quarter onside kick. It was a devastating combination, and Indiana wasted no time taking control.
Tegray Scales picked off Williams' second pass of the game. Seven plays later, Coleman plunged in from 1 yard out to make it 7-0. The Hoosiers then recovered an onside kick, converted two fourth downs on the ensuing drive - the second coming on a 12-yard TD pass from Sudfeld to Jordan Fuchs to make it 14-0.
Indiana didn't stop there.
After forcing North Texas into its second punt of the quarter, Sudfeld hooked up with the speedy and wide open Shane Wynn for a 45-yard TD pass and a 21-0 lead.
The Mean Green's highly-touted defense finally settled down in the second quarter as the North Texas offense closed out the first-half scoring with Carlos Harris' leaping 20-yard TD catch to make it 21-7. Harris finished with 11 catches for 120 yards.
But Indiana's quick-hitting offense started fast again in the third quarter.
Roberts scored on a 47-yard TD run, Coleman set up Roberts' second score with a 74-yard run, and Sudfeld and Wynn connected on a 74-yard TD pass to make it 42-10. Wynn finished with five catches for 127 yards, moving into fourth on the Hoosiers' career receptions list (159), 10th in yards receiving (1,852) and fourth in TD catches (19).
Sudfeld now has 33 TD passes and moved past former Hoosiers star Harry Gonso for No. 5 in school history.
North Texas scored two late touchdowns.