Indiana football’s historic season was full of memorable moments.
The Hoosiers captured their first-ever national championship and became the first team since the 1890s to finish 16-0. The Daily Hoosier has compiled our list of the top 10 plays and moments from IU’s march to the title. If you missed any previous posts in this series, check them out at the links below.
No. 10: D’Angelo Ponds punt block vs. Illinois
After starting 3-0 in non-conference play, Indiana’s first test of the season came in prime time.
Then-No. 9 Illinois came to Memorial Stadium for a ranked matchup with then-No. 19 IU. It was one of the biggest home games in Indiana football history.
The Hoosiers put on a dazzling display of dominance that night, one that gave the country a glimpse of things to come the rest of the season.
IU set the tone for this contest pretty quickly. Less than six minutes in, Illinois lined up to punt, with punter Keelan Crimmins catching the snap around the 20-yard line. But D’Angelo Ponds made sure he wouldn’t get it off. He stormed in untouched from Crimmins’ right side and blocked the punt, scooped up the ball and took it back for a touchdown.
“We had been talking about it all week. Big games, I like to just make plays for the team. And I feel like that was a big play,” Ponds said after that game. “I just did my job. Just came off the edge, and it was a good play call by the coaches.”
That play was the first big moment of Indiana’s season. This game turned into a rout, but making a play like that at the beginning of a highly-anticipated contest made a statement: the Hoosiers were ready.
The sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium erupted when Ponds blocked the punt, and again seconds later when he crossed the goal line. That electricity stuck with the cornerback, though he knew he had to regroup and play defense again shortly afterward.
“It was great, just to hear the crowd roar,” Ponds said. “It was surreal. But I had to catch my breath and get right back on the field.”
Indiana’s special teams shined all season long. Jonathan Brady’s punt return touchdown against Old Dominion was the first example, but this was the first time Grant Cain’s unit made a big play in a big game. It wouldn’t be the last.
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