Indiana Wins Season Opener with Central Michigan

31-point victory ties largest for DiNardo at Indiana

Matt LoVecchio and the Hoosiers won their season opener.

Matt LoVecchio and the Hoosiers won their season opener.

Sept. 4, 2004

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Tracy Porter picked off two passes, returning one 96 yards for a touchdown, and BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for 97 yards and another score to give Indiana a 41-10 victory over Central Michigan on Saturday night.

It was the Hoosiers (1-0) largest victory margin in coach Gerry DiNardo's three seasons and the largest since a 31-point victory at Wisconsin on Oct. 6, 2001.

Central Michigan lost its first game under new coach Brian Kelly in a contest that did not use the Big Ten's experimental instant replay because it was not televised.

While the Hoosiers kept their starting tailback a secret all week, the unknown weapon proved to be Porter, a freshman who wasn't even listed on the team's two-deep chart.

He made a quick impression. Porter intercepted Grant Arnoldink's first pass of the season at the Chippewas' 16 setting up Green-Ellis' 5-yard touchdown run. Adam Braucher missed the extra point to make it 6-0.

Then in the third quarter, Porter struck again. After batting down a pass on the Chippewas second play of the half, Porter made up for it later in the drive with a perfect read of Arnoldink.

He stepped in front of a Central Michigan receiver, picked off the pass at the Indiana 4 and sprinted straight down the field to make it 27-3. The return was the second-longest in school history behind only Alfonzo Thurman's 97-yard return against Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 10, 1994.

In between, the Hoosiers did enough to make it look easy at the end.

Green-Ellis carried 28 times and wore down the Chippewas defense. Chris Taylor pounded in from a yard out to give Indiana a 13-3 lead early in the second quarter, and Matt LoVecchio threw a 46-yard TD pass to Travis Haney just before halftime. The Hoosiers scored late on 1-yard runs from LoVecchio and Yamar Washington to seal the outcome.

Central Michigan got a 29-yard field goal from Mike Gruzwalski in the first quarter, a drive that was tainted by a left knee injury to starting receiver Jemmy Jasmin. He was helped off the field and did not return.


 

 

The Chippewas also scored on a 9-yard pass from Kent Smith to Troy Peyerk late.

Jerry Seymour had 111 yards rushing on 21 carries - his sixth straight 100-yard game - and six receptions for 62 yards for Central Michigan.