After a close battle between two Big Ten foes, the Indiana University Hoosiers beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 24-21. It is the first time IU has won at home in the Big Ten since 2009, and the first time they have won two Big Ten contests in a row since 2007.
The Hoosiers stumbled early, but were led by quarterback Cameron Coffman and wide receiver Cody Latimer to victory. Coffman was pulled in the first quarter, but came back late in the first half, throwing three touchdowns before the end of the game.
"I was very proud of the way Cam came back in and put in some solid drives in the second half," IU head coach Kevin Wilson said after the game. "It was huge for Cam to do that today, just huge."
Iowa Leads In First Half
Iowa relied heavily on their passing game, which paid off early with a touchdown pass from quarterback James Vandenberg to wide receiver Kevonte Martin-Manley. On the next drive, Wilson put the ball in the hands of true freshman quarterback Nate Sudfeld.
The decision did not pay off for Indiana. Hawkeye linebacker Christian Kirksey intercepted Sudfeld's first pass of the game and returned the errant throw for a touchdown.
The second quarter played out as an up and down battle between both teams. Coffman reentered the game in the final minutes of the half and led the Hoosiers to their first touchdown with a 15-yard pass to Latimer. A sack from Bobby Richardson helped end the half with momentum leaning towards the Hoosiers, even though they were trailing 14-10.
Second Half: Hoosiers Come Back For The Win
The one-two punch of Coffman to Latimer continued into the second half. After a momentum changing interception in the Hoosier end zone by cornerback Antonio Marshall, Coffman found Latimer in the middle of the end zone to give Indiana its first lead of the game at 17-14 with eight minutes left in the third quarter.
Iowa answered within the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. Damon Bullock ran four yards into the end zone to take the lead. Then Coffman and Latimer teamed up again two minutes later with a 30 yard pass. The ball initially looked overthrown, but Latimer brought it in for the touchdown that proved to be the game winner.
IU is scheduled to play Wisconsin at home next week for a chance to take the lead in the Leaders division of the Big Ten.
