IU football loses to Navy, 41-35

Falling to the ground, Keenan Reynolds extended his 5-foot-11 frame parallel to the field, reaching for the first down.

Reynolds converted the critical fourth down by less than a yard. Navy ran out the clock and cemented its second consecutive win against IU.

“I tried for two years to get out of playing these guys,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said after the loss.

Navy (1-0) led wire to wire against IU (1-1) and held on for the 41-35 victory. Navy had 444 rushing yards using its triple option offense.

The Hoosier defense was unable to stop the Midshipmen attack at any point.

“Our team didn’t adjust well,” Wilson said. “I thought we were a little casual in our prep work recently in our body language and our chatter.

“We weren’t on edge, ready to play.”

IU had chances to get back in the game. Late in the fourth quarter, senior kicker Mitch Ewald’s onside kick gave the Hoosiers a good chance of recovering the kick.

IU was unable to secure the ball before going out of bounds, missing the opportunity by inches.

“It was so close,” Wilson said. “And like I said, today was so close. But we’re not playing horseshoes, it’s about W’s.”

Navy’s 444 rushing yards came on 70 carries. The Midshipmen averaged more than six yards a carry, and IU had no answer for the attack all night.

Reynolds managed the option effectively. The Antioch, Tenn., native ran the ball 32 times for 127 yards.

The passing game was used sparsely but was effective for the Midshipmen. Reynolds had just two completions but netted 71 passing yards.

“We prepared for them for the past year and a half, going back to spring ball, even,” senior safety Greg Heban said. “So it’s a little discouraging knowing we didn’t come out and play as well as we needed to.”

Navy jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead after the first two IU offensive possessions stalled.

Sophomore quarterback Tre Roberson got the start but was replaced by fellow sophomore Nate Sudfeld after Roberson didn’t achieve a first down.

After Sudfeld came into the game, IU outscored Navy 35-27. He threw for 363 yards and four touchdowns.

Senior wide receiver Kofi Hughes led his team with 102 yards on six receptions and one touchdown.

However, the usually sure-handed receiver dropped two potential touchdown passes.
“The first one I didn’t think was going to get through, and it ricocheted off my hands,” Hughes said, putting his face in his hands. “And the last one was just perfectly in the light. I tried to wrap it up, but it just caught the light.”

Although IU scored on both of the possessions anyway, it would have left more time on the clock, which the Hoosiers needed at the end of the game.

The two teams combined for almost 1,000 yards of total offense, and Wilson said he was proud of how his team fought back.

“Disappointing loss, but I’m very, very proud,” he said. “Because we could have tanked it, but we battled back.”

Follow football beat reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.