Nothing to boo about: U.Va. tops Indiana 47-7

CHARLOTTESVILLE

Turns out, U2 was a warm-up act.

On the same field where singer Bono and Co. wowed their fans nine days earlier, Virginia's football team put on a virtuoso performance of its own Saturday afternoon.

The Cavaliers ended a four-game home losing streak dating to 2008, ringing up 536 yards in total offense and breezing to a 47-7 homecoming triumph over Indiana.

Virginia (2-3) averaged 272.2 yards in its first four games and was ranked 116th out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in that category.

The Cavaliers, who now have won 11 of their last 12 games in October, were coming off a 16-3 victory at North Carolina and had gone seven quarters without giving up a touchdown before Indiana (3-3) scored against the U.Va. reserves with 8:18 remaining.

"U.Va. is a very good football team and much better than people think," said Indiana coach Bill Lynch, whose Hoosiers won their first three games. "Their win in Chapel Hill last week started it and I thought they played great tonight."

Virginia's offense did not have a turnover for the second game in a row and the Cavaliers' defense forced a pair.

Indiana elected to receive after winning the coin toss and got a break when U.Va.'s Chris Hinkebein kicked the ball out of bounds, the first of two errant kickoffs by Hinkebein, who eventually was replaced in that role.

After getting possession at their 40, the Hoosiers picked up two first quick first downs and faced a second-and-12 from the U.Va. 32 when quarterback Ben Chappell tossed a flare to Brandon Doss.

Doss had possession for only an instant before U.Va. cornerback Ras-I Dowling (Deep Creek High) stripped the ball from him. Rodney McLeod picked up the ball at the 30 and returned it 32 yards to the Hoosiers' 32.

U.Va. needed only four plays and 38 seconds to get on the scoreboard on the first of four rushing touchdowns by tailback Mikell Simpson.

Virginia had four touchdown drives in the first half, the most time-consuming of which lasted 2:29. Two were set up by Dowling, the Cavaliers' lone preseason All-ACC selection. He intercepted a pass that led to a second-quarter U.Va. touchdown and also recorded a sack on a cornerback blitz.

"This kid has really prepared diligently, literally since the last day of the season last year," U.Va. coach Al Groh said. "He probably didn't get off with as big a bang as he had hoped for or, perhaps, that his preparation would lead us to expect. He was mentally strong enough to say, 'Hey, I'm going to do better.' "

A Cavaliers defense that had ranked 31st in the country held the Hoosiers to 272 yards, but the day belonged to the offense and most notably fifth-year quarterback Jameel Sewell.

Sewell, whose 1-yard touchdown run gave U.Va. a 44-0 lead with 2:32 remaining in the third quarter, did not play in the final period but passed for 308 yards, completing 20 of his 30 pass attempts.

It was the second 300-yard passing day in three games for Sewell, whose high coming into the season was 288.

Sewell's 337 yards in total offense, including 29 on the ground, was a career high.

His leading receiver Saturday was his roommate, Vic Hall, the Cavaliers' starting quarterback in the first game of the season. Hall finished with a team-high six receptions for 85 yards and the first receiving touchdown of his college career.

Simpson finished with 15 carries for 83 yards and was on his way toward a second straight 100-yard rushing day before taking a blow to the head with 6:38 remaining in the third quarter. He was placed on a body board but raised his right thumb as he was wheeled from the stadium.