Hoosiers rush their way to victory over Ball State, winning 38-10
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Stevie Scott ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns while Peyton Ramsey and Ronnie Walker Jr. each added another score to help Indiana blow out Ball State 38-10 on Saturday.
The Hoosiers are 3-0 for only the second time in a decade and now own a six-game regular-season winning streak against non-conference foes.
The Cardinals (1-2) have lost five straight to Big Ten opponents and fell to an in-state foe for the second consecutive week.
Scott needed only 18 carries to become the fastest true freshman in school history to produce back-to-back 100-yard games.
"We just got to keep it up," Scott said. "Just consistency, just dominate every opponent we have and continue to play hard."
Ramsey was 20 of 27 with 173 yards and ran six times for 43 yards including a 5-yard scoring run with 22 seconds left in the first half. He did not play much in the second half.
J-Shun Harris also returned a punt 86 yards for a TD, the third time he's scored on a punt return in his Hoosiers career.
After Ball State took a 3-0 lead on the game's opening possession, it was all Hoosiers.
They tied the score on a 21-yard field goal, took the lead on Scott's 1-yard TD plunge and started pulling away when Harris returned the game's first punt 86 yards for a score to make it 17-3 early in the second quarter. Ramsey's scoring run made it 24-3 at halftime, and it didn't take long for the Hoosiers to seal the win in the second half.
Walker scored on the first carry of his career, an 18-yard run that made it 31-3.
James Gilbert got Ball State within 31-10 with a 27-yard TD run following a replay review that could not conclusively determine whether he dropped the ball before crossing the goal line.
"That's not Ball State football," Cardinals coach Mike Neu said. "Lack of execution, sloppy at times, not executing the way we have in all three phases. There was not just one area where I couldn't say 'We weren't good enough.'"
Scott closed out the scoring with an 11-yard run.
Riley Neal was 12 of 24 for 115 yards, while Gilbert ran 16 times for 89 yards.
THE TAKEAWAY
Ball State: One week after seriously challenging Notre Dame in South Bend, the Cardinals struggled to keep drives alive or get off the field on defense in Bloomington. Ball State has the potential to contend in the Mid-American Conference — if they can play more consistent football than they did Saturday.
Indiana: The Hoosiers continued building momentum with their most complete effort of the season. And the timing couldn't be better with the Big Ten season ready to kick off next weekend.
UP NEXT
Ball State: Returns home next weekend to face Western Kentucky.
Indiana: Can celebrate its second 4-0 start since 1991 — if it beats No. 25 Michigan State at home next Saturday.
