Indiana racked up six touchdowns and a field goal in its first seven possessions and pulled away late in the second quarter to crush visiting Charlotte 52-14 in a nonconference victory Saturday afternoon at Bloomington, Ind.
Kevin Rourke went 16 of 20 passing for 258 yards and a touchdown, while also running for another score for the Hoosiers (4-0).
Rourke’s 12-yard TD run extended Indiana’s lead to 23-14 with 3:05 left in the second quarter, and his 19-yard scoring toss to Ke’Shawn Williams with 26 seconds left in the half padded the cushion.
Ty Son Lawton rushed for two scores for Indiana, which was coming off an easy 42-13 win over UCLA in its Big Ten opener last weekend at Pasadena, Calif. Lawton’s second touchdown Saturday, from 5 yards, came on the first possession of the second half as the Hoosiers built a 38-14 lead.
Charlotte quarterback Trexler Ivey completed 14 of 23 passes for 119 yards and one touchdown. C.J. Stokes ran for a 13-yard score for the 49ers (1-3), whose only win this season came against FCS member Gardner-Webb last week.
The Hoosiers, who outscored their first three opponents 150-13, forced a three-and-out from Charlotte to open the game, then then covered 49 yards on six plays to take a 7-0 lead on Lawton’s 8-yard rush.
Indiana was on the doorstep of the end zone on its next possession but settled for Nicolas Radicic’s 27-yard field goal for a 10-0 advantage.
Despite being outgained in total yards 510-256 in the game, Charlotte was within 17-14 late in the second quarter.
Henry Rutledge’s 33-yard end-around put the 49ers at the Indiana 7-yard line at the end of the first quarter, and Stokes’ run pulled them within 10-7.
Justice Ellison’s 2-yard touchdown pushed Indiana’s lead to 17-7, but Ivey’s 25-yard strike to Isaiah Myers closed the gap to three points before the Hoosiers scored two TDs in the final 3:05 of the first half.
–Field Level Media