Chappell's 4 TDs leads IU past Akron, 35-20

Akron quarterback Patrick Nicely stared down a fourth-and-one with just over nine minutes left in the fourth quarter Saturday and made a bold throw in hopes of putting his winless Zips within a single possession on the scoreboard.

His receiver, Jeremy LeFrance, cut left on a deep route to the end zone, looked for the pass and watched it sail by to drop as incompletion.

It was Akron's last, best hope to make it a close game late in the going at Memorial Stadium, and the Hoosiers used the break to remain undefeated and cruise relatively easily to their fourth 3-0 start in the last six years and 15th in school history.

IU (3-0) toppled Akron (0-4), 35-20, at Memorial Stadium as senior quarterback Ben Chappell tallied his second-straight 300-yard game through the air -- including four touchdowns in the first half.

"I like our rhythm, I like the way we're continuing to mix it up formation-wise," Chappell said.

Chappell now holds the school record for 300-yard games with five.

Precise early, Chappell helped the Hoosiers finish off the Zips with his 342-yard performance while completing 23 of 33 passes. His first three touchdown passes didn't direct towards his wide receiving group, but instead targeted tight ends Ted Bolser and Max Dedmond.

Bolser, a redshirt freshman, became the first IU tight end since 1979 to make four touchdown receptions in a single season when he grabbed his second scoring pass of the game with less than five minutes remaining in the first.

By the end of the third quarter, Chappell had hit Dedmond, a junior, for another score, completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to senior Terrance Turner and handed off to wide out Tandon Doss for a nine-yard run to establish a 35-13 lead.

Turner's touchdown catch -- his first of the year -- accompanied a career game in yards for the wide out after he caught six passes for 121 yards.

"Today just clicked well and we moved the ball down the field," Turner said. "The defense gave us chances to get the ball and make plays."

Clamping down on the Zips' offense, though, proved to be more of a struggle for the IU defense.

Akron nearly doubled IU's rushing output after running backs Alex Allen and Nate Burney totaled 142 yards on the ground, part of a four-back, 160-yard Zip effort. The ground effort came against a Hoosier defense down one of its leaders as senior linebacker Tyler Replogle missed the game with a concussion.

Nicely, the Akron quarterback, put together a nine-play, 72-yard drive to open the fourth quarter. The culmination was an 18-yard touchdown pass to LeFrance, giving Akron life with 12:58 left.

On their next possession, Chappell led the Hoosiers to one first down before a clipping penalty on IU junior offensive tackle Aaron McDonald marched the Hoosiers back 15 yards. Chappell's pass on third and 12 fell incomplete to junior wide out Damarlo Belcher and junior punter Chris Hagerup then managed just a 31-yard punt -- leading to Akron's fateful fourth down play.

IU wouldn't fumble the opportunity to put the Zips away again. On the back of a highlight reel, one-handed 23-yard catch by redshirt freshman DuWyce Wilson that survived a review, Chappell kneeled twice in the Akron red zone. With another win sealed, the Hoosiers were pointed towards their next goal -- to start a season 4-0 for the first time since 1990.