Hoosiers Roll Over FIU Panthers 34-13

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

MIAMI (AP) — A fourth-quarter deficit, on the road, in a season-opening game with a new quarterback wasn't exactly the scenario Indiana would have chosen for itself.

The Hoosiers made overcoming that challenge look easy.

Richard Lagow passed for one score and ran for another in the fourth quarter, and Indiana returned two interceptions for touchdowns in its season-opening 34-13 win over Florida International on Thursday night.

Indiana (1-0) trailed 13-12 going into the fourth, then outscored FIU 22-0 in the final 15 minutes.

"A pretty good team win," Indiana coach Kevin Wilson said. "This game had my attention a lot. First game on the road, you've got new defensive coaches, you're going to have some glitches ... and I saw a lot of things we can do better."

Most of those things were likely before the fourth quarter.

Lagow connected with Daniel Friend on a 21-yard touchdown pass to put Indiana on top for good early in the final quarter, capped the next Hoosiers drive with a 6-yard scoring run and Tegray Scales capped the night with a 16-yard interception return for another score.

Lagow said he wasn't worried, even when trailing going into the fourth.

"The whole team had played so well all night," Lagow said. "Defense had played their tails off. We had been real close, a lot. It was just a matter of keeping our foot on the pedal."

Devine Redding rushed for 135 yards and Rashard Fant returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown in the first half for Indiana (1-0). It was Indiana's first time with two interception-return touchdowns in the same game since 1966, school officials said.

Alex McGough completed 23 of 46 passes for 263 yards and three interceptions for FIU (0-1). Alex Gardner had a 1-yard rushing touchdown for the Panthers, who were outgained 486-331.

The game had a little of everything: a safety, a missed field goal, a bad snap on another field goal try, two defensive touchdowns and even an end-around for a 2-point conversion by the Hoosiers.

"We battled, we competed, we did some good things," FIU coach Ron Turner said. "But very, very disappointed in the outcome and very disappointing in the offensive execution and offensive performance. .... Way too many missed opportunities."

Friend's touchdown was his first in four years with the Hoosiers, two of those seasons getting cut short by injury.

Indiana played without six suspended players, including three who were probable starters — wide receiver Simmie Cobbs Jr., safety Chase Dutra and defensive tackle Ralph Green III.

(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)