Josh Hoover, Lee Beebe Jr. help No. 4 Hoosiers overcome slow start in 38-0 rout of Western Kentucky
Josh Hoover threw two touchdown passes, Lee Beebe Jr. added two TD runs and No. 4 Indiana overcame a sluggish first half to blow out Western Kentucky 38-0 on Saturday
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Josh Hoover threw two touchdown passes, Lee Beebe Jr. added two TD runs and No. 4 Indiana overcame a sluggish first half to blow out Western Kentucky 38-0 on Saturday.
Hoover was 18 of 24 for 273 yards with no turnovers as Indiana (3-0) extended the Football Bowl Subdivision's longest active winning streak to 19 games, and the longest active home winning streak to 18. Turbo Richard rushed 15 times for 149 yards and one score, and Charlie Becker added five catches for 127 yards and another touchdown.
The Hoosiers' defense has posted back-to-back shutouts and has not been scored upon since late in the third quarter of their season opener against North Texas.
The defending national champs sure didn't look like themselves in the first half, though. The Hilltoppers (0-3) had a nearly nine-minute advantage in possession time and limited Indiana's offense to just seven points through the first 29 1/2 minutes.
The game swung when Western Kentucky quarterback Brock Glenn was picked off on third-and-5 by Isaiah Jones, who returned it 21 yards to the Hilltoppers 3 with 1:07 left in the first half. Beebe scored two plays later to make it 14-0.
The Hoosiers took control quickly in the second half.
Indiana opened the scoring with a 21-yard field goal, followed with a 79-yard TD pass from Hoover to Becker, and Beebe's 2-yard TD run that made it 31-0 with 1:38 left in the third. Western Kentucky never recovered from the onslaught.
Glenn was 17 of 32 for 120 yards with one interception for the Hilltoppers. He also rushed 11 times for 30 years.
Nick Marsh had his biggest day as a Hoosier, catching seven passes for 81 yards.
Western Kentucky: Coach Tyson Helton came into the game with a simple goal: stay close for as long as possible. The Hilltoppers certainly accomplished that for more than a half. While they remain winless after facing No. 2 Georgia and the Hoosiers in back-to-back weeks, the good news is the schedule will get easier.
Indiana: Coach Curt Cignetti improved to 30-2 with the Hoosiers, becoming the eighth of the program's 30 all-time coaches to reach the 30-win mark. But they're going to have to execute much better when they begin their Big Ten title defense next week, and they're unlikely to move up in the Top 25 after such a lethargic first half.
Western Kentucky: Hosts Mercyhurst next Saturday in its home opener.
Indiana: Begins conference play Friday night against Northwestern.
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