clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Three Things: Indiana 52, Georgia Southern 17

As they should have, the Hoosiers thrashed Georgia Southern on Saturday in their most dominant performance of the season

NCAA Football: Georgia Southern at Indiana Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

In one of the most complete performances of the season, Indiana, despite having 14 days off between games, came out from the onset on Saturday and manhandled Georgia Southern for Tom Allen’s most convincing win in his early tenure.

The visitors did not pick up their second first of the game until the 10-minute mark of the second quarter. The Hoosier offense looked the most well-rounded it has all season and the special teams contributed once again.

The run game is alive

The biggest criticism of Indiana through two games was the abysmal play of the offensive line and, subsequently, the putrid run game. The line played better, albeit it against a weaker foe, and as a result, Morgan Ellison looked great, running for 186 yard and two touchdowns. As a team, the Hoosiers ran for 282 yards and averaged 6.0 yards per carry.

It all comes with the caveat of playing against Georgia Southern, but the defensive line was the Eagles’ biggest strength defensive and the Hoosiers negated them.

The defense finally gets takeaways

While some were concerned about the Hoosier defenses’ lack of turnovers created, Tom Allen never seem worried and Saturday proved why. The Hoosiers forced a pair of first-half fumbles and generally dominated the Eagles early on before shifting into cruise control.

Turnovers often involve some luck and the Hoosiers finally got some of that luck today. Even late, the Hoosiers got a big fumble return for a score. Despite allowing 375 total yards on the day, Georgia Southern was never in the game and that was because of Indiana’s suffocating defense.

J-Shun Harris’ redemption story continues to be awesome

Much was made last week about Harris’ punt return and what an awesome moment it was, but dammit it’s still awesome.

Harris’ punt return for a touchdown blew the game open in the first quarter and was a big part in the Hoosiers’ early onslaught.

The big takeaway is that Indiana is four wins away from bowl eligibility with two more non-conference games against Charlotte Southern and Rutger.