Tevin Coleman Leads IU to 28-10 Victory

Aug 30, 2014; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers running back Tevin Coleman (6) scores a touchdown during the first quarter against the Indiana State Sycamores at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

Bloomington, IN – The Indiana Hoosiers opened their season with a bang today against the Indiana State Sycamores, running all over them to a final score of 28-10. It wasn’t as dominant of a final score as many were expecting, but the Hoosiers did it in impressive fashion. Indiana made it obvious that they are planning to utilize the rushing attack a lot this season, and gained a total of 455 yards on the ground.

Tevin Coleman led the way for the Hoosiers, racking up 247 yards and two touchdowns on just 23 carries. Those numbers add up to a high impressive 10.7 yards per carry, which will likely put him near the top of the NCAA after the first week of action. D’Angelo Roberts also had a big game on the ground, gaining 129 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Nate Sudfeld had a relatively quiet game for the Hoosiers this afternoon, throwing for just 111 yards and an interception. Simmie Cobb made the most of those passing yards, gaining 57 of them on three receptions.

Indiana State simply wasn’t able to get much of an offensive attack going, with senior quarterback Mike Perish throwing for just 140 yards and no touchdowns. Buck Logan carried the football 10 times for 47 yards and a touchdown in the loss to lead the Sycamores’ in the ground game. This was obviously not the type of performance that Indiana State was looking to put up today, and they look to be embarking on yet another long, rough season.

There is no doubt that the Hoosiers are excited about what Coleman will bring to the field this season. It will be interesting to see if they plan on utilizing the ground game as much as they did today for the majority of the season, or whether they will give Sudfeld more of a chance to make some plays through the air. Either way, the offense still has major playmaking potential just like they did last season.

It wasn’t much of a test for Indiana in the first week of the season, but they handled it well and took care of business. Having a player explode for the type of game that Coleman did is always a major plus, and it will be very intriguing to see what type of numbers he is able to put up as the season moves along. Indiana has to be happy with their performance this afternoon, and are already looking forward to two weeks from today for their second game against the Bowling Green Falcons.