BLOOMINGTON, IN (WTKR)- Colton Joseph broke off long rushing touchdowns to bookend the scoring, but it was Indiana with all the points in between, which proved to be enough.
Joseph broke off scoring runs of 75 and 78 yards to account for Old Dominion's points, but it was the Hoosiers grabbing the season-opening win, 27-14, Saturday afternoon.
The redshirt sophomore quarterback uncorked his first score on the first play from scrimmage, keeping the ball and outrunning the defense the the endzone to start ODU's season off with a bang. The defense followed up the touchdown with a fourth down stand from the one-yard line and a fumble recovery to halt two Indiana drives and held the 7-0 advantage for most of the opening frame.
However, the Hoosiers would rattle off 27 unanswered points. Jonathan Brady got things going for the home team, fielding a punt on a bounce and taking it back 91 yards for the touchdown to tie the score at 7-7 after the first quarter. Joseph would throw for two interceptions in the second quarter, leading to 10 Indiana points to push the Monarch deficit to 17-7 by halftime.
The Hoosiers received the ball to open the second half and put together a scoring drive, putting the Monarchs in a 24-7 hole.
Trailing 27-7 in the fourth, Joseph got free for his second long touchdown rush, cutting it the 27-14 with 6:53 remaining, but Indiana was effective at holding onto the ball and killing the clock as Old Dominion did not get another possession.
Joseph rushed for 179 yards with his touchdown runs serving as the fourth and fifth-longest touchdown rushes in program history. He finished 11-for-22 for 96 yards and three interceptions through the air.
Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding pulled in four catches for 35 yards, while Mario Easterly paced the defense with 13 tackles. Jason Henderson picked up five tackles in his return to action, including a tackle for loss.
The Hoosiers out-gained the Monarchs, 502-314, in total offense and picked up 30 first downs to Old Dominion's 10. They also held the ball for 41:28 of the game's 60 minutes, though Joseph's two long touchdowns helped contribute to that timing.
The Monarchs return to action next Saturday when they host North Carolina Central in their home opener at S.B. Ballard Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.
