Rapid Reaction: Indiana beats Ball State in season opener

INDIANAPOLIS — It wasn't always pretty, but Indiana still found a way to beat Ball State Saturday in its season opener. The Hoosiers won 34-24 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Penix Jr., did well in his first career start, except for a few hiccups. He threw two first-half interceptions that hurt, but he also led the Hoosiers on seven different scoring drives and threw for more than 300 yards.

His first half started off with a bang. He was sharp on the first drive, covering 60 yards in 10 plays while running the hurry-up offense. IU settled for a field goal to take a 3-0 lead.

On the second drive, he tossed a beautiful long ball to senior wide receiver Nick Westbrook, who took it to the house for a 75-yard score.

But then he threw two interceptions on the next two drives. On the first, he made a poor decision, throwing an out-route from the far hash that was picked off. The second time, he threw behind wide receiver Ty Fryfogle and the ball was picked off.

He did a nice job in the 2-minute offense, getting a field goal out of a late drive to make it 16-10 at halftime. Penix was 14 of 24 passing for 228 yards in the half.

IU struggled to run the ball in the first half, with starter Stevie Scott getting only 13 yards on 7 carries. But the run game played a role on the first drive of the second half. Scott capped the 7-play, 63-yard drive with a 3-yard score to make it 23-10.

After Ball State scored, Penix led the Hoosiers on another long drive, going 65 yards in eight plays. Scott scored again, this time from 2 yards out, to give the Hoosiers a 31-17 lead after a great 2-point conversion play. Freshman David Ellis, a former high school quarterback, found tight end Hendershot for the score on the trick play.

Pesky Ball State wouldn't go away though, going 93 yards on a scoring drive of its to keep it close at 31-24 with 6:28 left. But Indiana iced it with a 50-yard field goal by Logan Justus.

Justus had a huge day, making all four of his field goal attempts. He make kicks from 50, 49, 48 and 30 yards. He also made all three extra points.

It was the third straight win over Ball State for Indiana after losing three in a row 2008, 2011 and 2012. The 2011 loss was also at Lucas Oil Stadium, the first college game in the facility. The two teams will play again next season in Bloomington.

Indiana will play its first home next Saturday (Sept. 7) against Eastern Illinois. The game is at 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: Big Ten Network).

Indian wide receiver Nick Westbrook (15) catches a pass for a touchdown against Ball State in the first quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

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