How it Happened: Indiana defeats ODU 27-14 despite ugly performance

Week 1 is in the books and Indiana is 1-0 after a 27-14 win over Old Dominion.

The Hoosiers didn’t look their best, they simply didn’t, and that started on the very first play. After going down 7-0 following the opening play from scrimmage, IU responded but never looked completely in sync.

A 91-yard punt return touchdown by Jonathan Brady got Indiana on the board, while Fernando Mendoza looked solid at times in leading the offense. Red zone trips doomed the Hoosiers, however, as six trips inside ODU’s 10-yard line resulted in just two touchdowns.

The running game was great, totaling 309 yards and carrying the offense when the passing game was out of sorts. Both Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black rushed for more than 90 yards, with Hemby leading the squad with 110.

Aside from the offensive line and running backs, not much went completely right for Indiana, but it got the win despite the frustrating performance.

Here’s how it happened:

Old Dominion gives Indiana a wake-up call early on

Indiana didn’t trail during the first eight games of the 2024 season, but in 2025 it took just one play from scrimmage for the Hoosiers to find themselves down.

On a read-option play, Colton Joseph rushed it up the middle and every Indiana defender vacated the scene. Before anyone knew it, Old Dominion was in the end zone and took a 7-0 lead less than 10 seconds into the game.

The Indiana offense responded and moved the ball well, but couldn’t get on the board and was met with an impressive goal-line stand by the ODU defense. Rush after rush was stopped short, and on fourth down Mendoza couldn’t convert his pass to Riley Nowakowski.

Indiana’s defense got back on track and forced an ODU punt on the ensuing drive, but the woes weren’t done just yet for the Hoosiers. On the next offensive series, Lee Beebe Jr. fumbled inside Monarch territory to give momentum right back to Indiana’s opponent.

ODU didn’t end up scoring for the rest of the first half and a 91-yard punt return touchdown gave fans something to get excited about, but the Hoosiers couldn’t seem to get out of their funk in the opening half.

Indiana even got back into another goal-line situation, but failed to score a touchdown a second time. The Hoosiers didn’t look like they were on the same page either time they were in the red zone, as poor execution was apparent in both scenarios.

It wasn’t just in goal-line situations where Indiana disappointed, though, as receivers dropped a few passes early on, including one by Omar Cooper Jr. that was destined to be a big-play touchdown. Even special teams was out of sorts, as Nico Radicic wasn’t selected for a 52-yard field goal right before halftime, and Brendan Franke missed off the crossbar.

Indiana was ahead at the break 17-7 thanks to two key takeaways we’ll get into later, but even though the Hoosiers were ahead, they didn’t look great. A solid second half allowed IU to pull away, but the Monarchs certainly gave the Hoosiers a wake-up call they won’t forget.

Quick Hitters: Indiana wins opener against Old Dominion

Interceptions by Ferrell, Moore get Indiana back on track before the half

While most facets of Indiana’s game were less than impressive, two interceptions by the defense made up for a slow start from the majority of the Hoosiers.

After IU got on the board from Brady’s punt return touchdown, the Indiana defense was able to come up with an interception by Amare Ferrell. Just a couple of minutes into the second quarter, Joseph overthrew his receiver and Ferrell was at the right place at the right time to make the possession-changing play.

The Hoosiers capitalized on the takeaway with a field goal, and even though they couldn’t punch it in for a touchdown, those points gave IU the lead for the first time all game.

Following punts by both sides, Old Dominion was pinned inside its own 10-yard line and made another costly mistake, again resulting in an interception. This time Joseph missed his target slightly, resulting in the ball being tipped up right into the hands of safety Louis Moore. Amid his court case, Moore was able to make an impact play, and this one gave the offense the ball at the ODU 5-yard line.

This time, Indiana’s offense was able to fully take advantage, doing so with a Mendoza 5-yard run off a read-option. The score here widened the Hoosier lead to 17-7, totaling 10 points scored off interceptions in the second quarter alone.

With the momentum firmly in Indiana’s hands due to the two takeaways, the Hoosiers were able to shake off a lackluster showing in other areas and take a double-digit lead into the half.

Live Blog: FINAL Indiana Football 27 vs Old Dominion 14

Indiana starts out the second half hot, but finishes cold

After a poor start to the first half, the Hoosiers got off on the right foot to begin the second. Indiana went down and scored a touchdown to start the third quarter, with both Mendoza and the rushing attack looking solid en route to a Kaelon Black 2-yard touchdown run.

After a punt from Old Dominion, Indiana led a scoring drive once more, this time resulting in a field goal. The red zone woes continued, but points are points and Nico Radicic made the 25-yarder to extend the Hoosier lead to 27-7.

With a 20-point lead in its pocket, it looked like Indiana was finally pulling away, but the three points Radicic put on the board with 3:04 left in the third would be the last time the Hoosiers would score.

IU’s defense kept up its impressive play throughout the entirety of the third and most of the fourth, but it couldn’t pitch a shutout in the second half. Another Joseph run to the house gave Old Dominion its second touchdown of the game and made it 27-14 with 7:08 left in the ballgame.

Luckily for Indiana, ODU couldn’t come back any further and the Hoosiers escaped with the victory, but the fourth quarter was anything but kind for Cignetti’s team. IU looked as poor in the fourth quarter as it did to begin the game, resulting in fans leaving in droves throughout the second half.

A win is a win, but there’s much work to be done ahead of Week 2 next Saturday against Kennesaw State.

Use the code “IND20” on Rhoback.com for a generous 20% off for all new customers through the end of this week. Rhoback — Best Fit, Best Feel.