Indiana took on Iona in an intriguing crossover meeting between the CRAA DIA Big Ten leader and the top team in the NCR Liberty.

Indiana was coming off a tight, tough game against Michigan State in the mud, found the drier turf in New Rochelle, NY more to their liking and opened up their offense. With nine tries from eight different players, Indiana ran out 55-14 winners over the Gaels.

“Crisp ball movement and heads-up play really allowed us to take advantage of our speed on the outside,” said IU Head Coach Eddie Abel. “The forwards also did great work in contact. The real key was our defense, again. We watched a lot of film and put in a plan to stop their big runners.”

They didn’t completely stop Iona, as the Gaels burst through for two, overall Indiana’s commitment to the tackle and their discipline held Iona in check.

Flanker Dan Hughes continues his superb run of form and inside center Noah Brown’s commitment to making life difficult for Iona flyhalf Vili Hopoi was key.

“Iona is very skill and well coached, but our guys did a great job of sticking to the game plan,” added Abel.

Conor Byrne was exceptional for Iona, playing strong defense and cutting through for both his team’s tries. Indiana, on the other hand, had more pace out wide and that told the tale.