IU upsets No. 24 Oregon Ducks 30-24

Christmas came early for the IU football team Saturday after Oregon surrendered seven turnovers in the Hoosiers' 30-24 upset victory over the Ducks in Eugene, Ore. IU came into the game as a 20-point underdog.\nThroughout the game the Hoosier defense showed impressive play by forcing four fumbles in the first half and caused Oregon quarterback junior Kellen Clemens to throw three interceptions, two of them occurring in the fourth quarter. \nWith the win, IU snapped a 13-game road losing streak, 12 of them under IU coach Gerry DiNardo, and in the process ended Oregon's non-conference dominance at Autzen Stadium, where the Ducks had won 21 straight games dating back to September 1994.\nGetting a win on the road at one of the toughest places in the country shows the strides the program has made since DiNardo's arrival in 2002, he said.\n"This is a great feeling. The win was terrific," DiNardo said. "To beat a team like this is a culmination of effort from everyone the last three years. It just so happened that today showed the kind of progress we're making as a football program."\nThe first half went as well as the Hoosiers could have hoped as they grabbed an early 23-0 lead. The second half proved to be more of a challenge as the Oregon offense woke up, and a sellout crowd of 57,550 at Autzen Stadium became a factor.\nWith the score at 30-24, the Ducks had three opportunities to take the lead in the final seven minutes, but the Hoosier defense turned back Oregon each time.\nThe first was after IU turned the ball over on downs and Oregon began driving at the Hoosier 44-yard line. But the defense would bend but not break, keeping the Ducks out of the end zone and forcing senior kicker Jared Siegel to attempt a 37-yard field goal. It sailed left and gave the Hoosier offense another opportunity to run more time off the clock and hold onto the upset bid.\nWith the ball, the Hoosiers attempted to run out the clock, but turned the ball over when junior running back Yamar Washington fumbled the ball for IU's second turnover of the day while giving Oregon the ball on the IU 27-yard line.\nThe Hoosier defense once again knocked back the Ducks, as senior safety Herana-Daze Jones picked off a Clemens pass with 3:12 remaining in the game.\nAfter going three and out, Oregon would get one last chance to try and pull out the victory but IU's defense wouldn't allow it as junior Kyle Killion intercepted the ball for the Hoosiers' seventh forced turnover of the game.\nKillion collected nine tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery and the fourth quarter interception.\nTrying to come back from being down 23-0 at the end of the half proved too much for the Ducks, Clemens said.\n"The last interception was forced. I tried to throw in between two linebackers and (Killion) made a great play," Clemens said. "It was very difficult to get momentum in the first half with the turnovers and it kind of snowballed."\nIn the past two seasons, allowing opponents to put big quarters together has been a problem, but the Hoosiers reversed that by putting up a 17-point first quarter on the Ducks to start the game.\nIt got started for IU after junior linebacker Paul Szczesny recovered a fumble, putting IU on the Oregon 25-yard line. Szczesny collected nine tackles in addition to his fumble recovery.\nSenior Bryan Robertson put IU up 3-0 after his 39-yard field goal split the uprights.\nTwo more turnovers provided two more scoring opportunities for IU in the first quarter. After an Oregon fumble on a punt return, IU recovered and sophomore running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored on a 19-yard scamper into the end zone. Green-Ellis finished the game with 91 yards on 29 carries.\nThe next fumble recovery by the Hoosier defense set up a senior connection between quarterback Matt LoVecchio and wide receiver Courtney Roby for an eight-yard, one-handed grab in the back of the end zone, giving IU a 17-0 lead at the conclusion of the first quarter.\nRobertson added two more field goals in the second quarter, both from 31 yards, pushing the IU lead to 23-0 heading into halftime.\nIn the first half, IU collected four fumbles, all resulting in scores for the Hoosiers.\nOnce the second half started, the Ducks woke up putting 17 points on the board in the third quarter led by a 59-yard pass from Clemens to junior wide receiver Demetrius Williams to cut the Hoosier lead to six.\nThe big play of the quarter was provided by the IU special teams, as sophomore Lance Bennett returned a 98-yard kickoff -- taking the air out of Autzen Stadium. Bennett's return is the second longest kickoff return in school history.\nDefense and special teams were a big reason for IU's first victory on the road against a ranked opponent since beating Michigan State 37-28 November 2001, LoVecchio said.\n"Autzen's crowd was very loud ... but we came away with some fortunate field plays. Our defense played unbelievably well," LoVecchio said. "Lance did great. That was a huge play in this game."\nFor the Hoosiers, this marks the first time since 1996 IU has started the season 2-0, and last time the Hoosiers went on the road and won a non-conference game was in 1998, beating the University of Cincinnati 48-14.\nThe hard practice and preparation during the week was a big part in the upset against No. 24 Oregon, senior defensive lineman Victor Adeyanju said, who also sustained a dislocated shoulder.\n"The environment here was very hostile," Adeyanju said. "Coach DiNardo did a tremendous job preparing us for the crowd. We owe our compliments to the coach. After this win, I feel confident to keep rolling and playing hard."\nIU will put its 2-0 record on the line at 6 p.m. Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Ky., against the Kentucky Wildcats.\n-- Contact staff writer Dan Click at daaclick@indiana.edu.