Fans, media in awe of Indiana’s first-half dominance of Oregon
By David Wasson
Published:
The No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers put on a first-half clinic against No. 5 Oregon in Friday’s Peach Bowl, rolling up a 35-7 lead through the first 30 minutes of the College Football Playoff semifinal.
The Hoosiers, who went to Eugene and defeated the Ducks 30-20 on Oct. 11, overwhelmed the Ducks from the very start – picking off Oregon quarterback Dante Moore on the game’s first play and returning it 25 yards for a score to the delight of a decidedly pro-Indiana crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Moore managed to tie it for Oregon midway through the first quarter via a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Johnson. But that was about it for the highlights for the Ducks – as Indiana piled on 28 unanswered points.
Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza was sharp throughout, completing 10-of-11 pass attempts for 110 yards and throwing 3 first-half touchdown passes. Mendoza hit Omar Cooper Jr. on an 8-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter, connected with Charlie Becker on a 36-yard TD pass with 3:44 to play in the second quarter and then found Elijah Sarratt on a 1-yard touchdown with 1:02 remaining in the second quarter.
In addition to Moore’s Pick-6, he also fumbled the ball away twice and was sacked three times by the Indiana defense – turnovers that led to 14 more points.
Indiana outgained Oregon 175-121 in the first half and held the Ducks to just 9 rushing yards on 17 carries.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
