Indiana @ Virginia preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 10, 2011 ) Virginia 34, Indiana 31

Bronco Mendenhall’s second season at Virginia began much better than his first. Just how far the Cavaliers have progressed will be determined Saturday when a feisty Indiana team visits after battling No. 2 Ohio State to a standoff well into the second half of its opener.

After going 102-53 in 11 years at BYU, Mendenhall’s Cavaliers were blitzed 37-20 in its opener last season by FCS Richmond on their way to a 2-10 campaign. Virginia did not dominate FCS foe William & Mary in the 2017 opener last week, but quarterback Kurt Benkert threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns in the 28-10 victory. Indiana, behind Richard Lagow’s 410 yards passing on a school-record 65 attempts, led the Buckeyes 14-13 at the half before succumbing 49-21 on Aug. 31. “The bottom line is that for 2 1/2 quarters, we went toe-to-toe with them," Indiana coach Tom Allen told reporters after the nationally televised contest at a sold-out Memorial Stadium. "We were leading and weren't able to finish, so that's on me. We can talk about breaking through and I'm not going to quit talking about it because breaking through is not one game."

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network. LINE: Indiana -3

ABOUT INDIANA (0-1): Simmie Cobbs Jr. had a breakout game for the Hoosiers, hauling in a career-high 11 receptions for 149 yards and one touchdown against the Buckeyes, while Luke Timian had 10 receptions for 72 yards. Those two will have to step up because last season’s top receiver, Nick Westbrook (995 yards), tore his ACL during the opening kickoff against Ohio State. Indiana will need to improve its seldom-used ground attack from a week ago, as the Hoosiers gained just 17 yards on 27 carries.

ABOUT VIRGINIA (1-0): Jordan Lewis ran for 80 yards and a touchdown and scored another through the air while Doni Dowling had six catches for 76 yards against the Tribe. The Cavaliers, who held William & Mary to 72 yards passing, will be tested by Lagow and the Hoosiers' high-octane pass offense. Virginia converted just 5-of-11 field goals last season, and after freshman A.J. Meija missed badly on a 42-yard attempt last week, Mendenhall and his staff four times went for it on fourth down.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Virginia leads the all-time series 2-0 and is riding a four-game winning streak against the Big Ten.

2. Saturday will be the second time the Hoosiers have ever played in the state of Virginia. The first was a 47-7 loss to Virginia.

3. Benkert has started 11 career games for the Cavaliers and in five of those starts he has thrown at least three touchdowns.

PREDICTION: Indiana 27, Virginia 21