Jack Plummer threw for 238 yards and a touchdown Saturday while the Louisville defense came up with a goal-line stand late as the Cardinals held off Indiana for a 21-14 nonconference win in Indianapolis.
Louisville (3-0) nearly blew a 21-point halftime lead but fended the Hoosiers off with a dramatic stop. Indiana went for it on fourth-and-goal from inside the 1-yard line but Josh Henderson was stuffed for no gain with 4:38 left in the game by Stanquan Clark and T.J. Quinn.
The Cardinals then melted the remaining clock with four first downs, two on Plummer runs. He was 13 of 23 in the air with an interception, while Jawhar Jordan finished with 113 on 18 carries, including the game-sealing first down run in the final minute.
Tayven Jackson completed 24 of 34 passes for 299 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Hoosiers (1-2). Jaylin Lucas caught 10 passes for 98 yards.
The first half was all Louisville, all the time. Plummer produced big plays in the passing game while the defense throttled Indiana at every turn, holding it to 107 yards and seven first downs.
The first of Plummer’s big throws came to initiate scoring with 2:34 left in the first quarter. He sent James Thrash down the right hashmarks and the Hoosiers neglected to cover him. Thrash caught the ball at midfield and covered the rest of the field for an 85-yard touchdown.
The Cardinals made it 14-0 with 7:44 left before halftime when Maurice Turner finished a 13-play, 78-yard drive with a 2-yard run. Jordan upped the margin to 21-0 with a 25-yard touchdown jaunt on a well-executed counter play with 1:52 remaining.
Indiana dominated the third quarter, beginning with a successful onside kick. Jackson cashed it in three plays later, finding Lucas for a 30-yard scoring strike just 1:14 into the period. The Hoosiers drew within seven when Henderson polished off a 97-yard march with a 2-yard touchdown plunge 55 seconds before the period’s end.
–Field Level Media
