Hughes’ touchdown ignites Hoosiers

Leading by 11 with 14 minutes and 10 seconds remaining in Saturday’s game against Penn State, IU was about to break the game open.

After sophomore running back Tevin Coleman was tackled for a loss on first down, the Hoosiers looked to pass on second down.

IU Coach Kevin Wilson said the Hoosiers were trying to take some shots downfield and make high percentage throws.

“It was supposed to be a quick pass to the left, but the linebacker got in the way of the throw,” sophomore quarterback Nate Sudfeld said.

Sensing the pressure from Penn State’s defensive line, Sudfeld scrambled to his right.
“The O-line had a great pocket,” he said. “I had all day to throw.”

Senior wide receiver Kofi Hughes said he ran a slant route on the play, but after the play fell apart, he had to improvise.

Hughes looked in the backfield and waved at the scrambling Sudfeld, then sprinted downfield.

“If he’s looking at me, he’s booking it,” Sudfeld said. “That’s what we say. ‘If he’s looking, he’s booking.’ He just took off to the end zone.”

Penn State’s single coverage allowed Hughes to run a step ahead of Penn State safety Trevor Williams, and he made a sliding catch under Williams’ arm in the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown.

“In my head, everything was kind of slow motion,” Hughes said. “Just because I was thinking I ‘got to have light hands, light hands,’ so I just waited until the last minute so the DB wouldn’t turn around.”

He said his sliding catch is something he had never practiced.

“I’ve never done that before. It’s just instinct, man,” Hughes said. “It’s like you kind of just black out. You don’t know what you’re doing. You just see the ball in the air and just do whatever.”

Sudfeld said he and Hughes have a good feel for each other.

“Kofi and I just have a thing,” Sudfeld said. “He just took off to the back of the end zone, and I just gave it up to him. He went out and made a great play.”

Junior wide receiver Cody Latimer said any catch Hughes makes is great.

“He’s a great player, and he goes and attacks the ball,” he said.

After IU senior kicker Mitch Ewald added the extra point, the Hoosiers had a 35-17 lead. They would go on to win 44-24.

On Ewald’s ensuing kickoff, Penn State fumbled, and IU recovered. The Hoosiers would add another touchdown on their next play to make it 42-24.

“To get to that point took a lot of stress off,” Wilson said of IU’s large fourth quarter lead.

Coleman said it was Hughes’ 36-yard touchdown reception that was the big play.
“It gave us a little boost and a lot of tempo to just go out there and play hard and play physical, and we knew that we could beat them,” he said.

Follow reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittryIDS.