INDIANAPOLIS —
In a battle of unlikely AFC playoff contenders Sunday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium — and with Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano in attendance for the first time since he was diagnosed with leukemia on Sept. 21 — it was the play of rookie quarterback Andrew Luck that proved to be all the difference in a 23-20 National Football League win over the Miami Dolphins.
Luck, the No. 1 overall pick in last spring’s NFL draft, completed 30 of 48 passes for a single-game rookie record 433 yards and added a pair of touchdown throws as the Colts posted their third straight win.
It was also their third straight home victory since dropping a last-second 22-17 decision to Jacksonville, this week’s opponent, on Sept. 23. Indianapolis, now 5-3 for the year, improved its chances to be a viable wild-card playoff team with the win. Now its on to a nationally televised game (NFL Network) with the AFC South rival Jaguars on Thursday night.
“Just go to work [today]. Don’t worry about December, January, those are long-range goals. All we can do is control [what happens this week],” interim coach/offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said after Sunday’s game.
“We’ve got a very short week. We’ve got a practice [today] and Tuesday. We get on a plane Wednesday and play on Thursday night. We’re beat up. That was a physical football game. We’re going to play a division game on the road Thursday night. So we’ve got to respect the process each day, one play at a time, one day at a time, and then let the games come.”
While Adam Vinatieri’s 43-yard field goal with 5:58 remaining in the game provided the winning margin for Indianapolis, it was Luck who continually made plays in pressure situations that put the Colts in a position to secure the victory.
How good was the former Stanford signal caller? Very. He ended the day with his second-highest game-day passer rating (105.6) of the season, which was impressive enough. But what he accomplished on third down, against one of the league’s best third-down defenses, was downright remarkable.
Luck completed 13 of 17 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown on third down. He kept the chains moving all afternoon as he continually scrambled out of potential trouble and found open receivers downfield.
The Dolphins’ third-down defensive percentage was an NFL-best 26.4 percent (28 of 106). But against Indianapolis and Luck, their average was 68 percent (13 of 19). And when the Colts threw the ball on third down, that percentage became an eye-popping 77 percent.
“[Luck’s] play today was superb. It was Pro Bowl-caliber play. I know he broke the rookie single-game record … [but it was] a team effort,” Arians voiced. “I can’t say enough about our [offensive] tackles. They played their tails off against some really good pass rushers. They took the challenge and went with it.”
Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake had recorded 7.5 sacks over his last four games. As a defensive unit, Miami had registered 22 sacks this season, which was good enough for second in the AFC. Wake, though, had the Dolphins’ only sack of the day against Indianapolis and that didn’t come until early in the third quarter.
Arians credited starting tackles Anthony Castonzo and Winston Justice, as well as backup Bradley Sowell, for the Colts’ pass protection. Justice left the game in the fourth quarter with a knee injury and was replaced by Sowell.
Luck’s ability to get himself out of tough situations also helped. He scrambled away from the pass rush on several occasions and kept plays alive — often on third down.
“He’s just a gifted athlete. [Miami rookie quarterback] Ryan [Tannehill is] the same way. They can move around. They have a great feel in the pocket. [Luck is] so big and strong,” Arians said. “He can throw guys off like [Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback] Ben [Roethlisberger] used to. I don’t like to compare them because [Luck is] kind of a unique cat. But I’m just glad he’s our quarterback.”
In addition to Luck’s heroics Sunday, rookie running back Vick Ballard added 60 yards on 16 carries. Veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne hauled in a team-high seven passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. Rookie receiver T.Y. Hilton, meanwhile, had six catches for 102 yards and a TD.
Miami had taken a 17-13 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Dolphins had scored on a 37-yard field goal by Dan Carpenter, a 31-yard pass from Tannehill to tight end Charles Clay and an 18-yard run by Reggie Bush.
The Colts stayed within striking distance on a 9-yard TD pass to Wayne and a pair of field goals by Vinatieri (23 and 47 yards). Vinatieri had missed two earlier kicks from 48 yards (wide right) and 54 yards (partially blocked).
Luck’s 36-yard throw into the end zone to Hilton, in which he caught the ball while sandwiched by two Miami defenders, gave Indianapolis its first lead of the game with 1:49 remaining in the third quarter.
Carpenter’s second field goal on the day, a 31-yard effort early in the fourth quarter, had tied the score at 20-20. After Vinatieri’s kick had given the Colts the lead, the Indianapolis defense — which struggled to stop Tannehill for most of the afternoon — stepped up to close things out.
Tannehill completed 22 of 38 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked twice (Mathis and a team sack). Wide receiver Brian Hartline caught a game-high eight passes for 107 yards. Bush added 41 yards rushing in 10 carries and a TD.
“Obviously, it was a very joyous locker room [after the game]. We’ve got a resilient bunch of guys. We lost players during the game, guys stepped in. So many, I can’t name them all. It was a definite team effort again,” Arians said.
“I’ll let you guys write about records and all those things but the only record we care about is our wins and losses. That was a big win for us. We’ve got a very short week to get ready for Jacksonville.”
We’ll see who is healthy enough to go down there and play.”
Indiana State University
Related Photos
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Double-defended: Indianapolis wide receiver T.Y. Hilton catches a pass in the end zone out of the reach of two Miami defenders Sunday during the Colts' 23-20 win in Indianapolis.
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Altered flight plan: Indianapolis linebacker Dwight Freeney gets a hand on the throwing arm of Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill during the Colts' 23-20 win Sunday in Indianapolis.
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Leaping for every yard: Indianapolis tight end Dwayne Allen leaps for more yardage as he is tackled by Miami's Karlos Dansby and Chris Clemons during the Colts' 23-20 win Sunday in Indianapolis.
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Ahead by three: Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinatieri kicks the game-winning field goal during the Colts' 23-20 win Sunday over Miami in Indianapolis.
Discussion
Luck sets rookie mark as Colts produce third straight win
- Indiana State University
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Sycamores ready for more NCAA track success
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Indiana State football coach Mike Sanford provided insight into that question as he hired former Southeast Louisiana head coach Mike Lucas to his staff Tuesday. Lucas will be the Sycamores’ defensive line coach.
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Sycamores bow out of MVC Tournament
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Four Indiana State athletes advance to NCAA outdoor track and field championships
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ISU's athletic treasure trove
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Bradley ends 16-game MVC losing streak against ISU
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Indiana State to host 2014 MVC baseball tourney
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Behind 16 hits and Manaea's pitching, ISU beats Bradley
Indiana State’s baseball team rode a wild ride of emotion on Thursday.
First came the public announcement that Bob Warn Field would host the 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Later, Sean Manaea’s availability to pitch ISU’s series opener against Bradley was in doubt. -
TODD GOLDEN: Don't give up on ISU baseball just yet
If you had to pick one word that would describe the 2013 Indiana State baseball season, it would have to be frustration.
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ISU baseball team builds on success with 14-2 rout
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Mission accomplished.
The Sycamores were aggressive from the opening inning at the plate and starting pitcher Devin Moore gave them eight valuable and effective innings on the mound as ISU defeated Alcorn State 14-2 at Bob Warn Field.
“It was a really good experience for everybody. It felt great to finally come out here and put some things together. It’s also really nice when your offense puts a lot of runs on the board,” Moore said.
Moore’s eight innings of work were as valuable as gold to an ISU team that is short on quality arms due to injury and ineffectiveness. He didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning and one of the two runs he conceded was unearned. -
ISU earns badly-needed win
Alcorn State’s baseball team might be ranked in the bottom 10 in RPI and Indiana State might have never lost to a Southwestern Athletic Conference team. So it wouldn’t appear that a quality win was in the offing when Alcorn State visited Bob Warn Field on Friday.
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ISU pole vault tradition continues with help from its author
Pole vault is track and field for the adrenaline junkie, Indiana State senior Nicole Hope proclaimed during a recent practice at Marks Field.
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Lansing looking for more home games for next fall
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The Sycamores have filled in most of the blanks in their nonconference schedule, but as ever, ISU coach Greg Lansing would like to visit the friendly confines of Hulman Center a bit more often. -
ISU baseball gets back into rhythm with victory
Baseball is a rhythm game. With contests every day or five times a week in the case of many college programs, you have the chance to build on success or wallow in a slump.
Mother Nature took that rhythm away from Indiana State’s team last week. After a 7-1 loss to Indiana on April 24, ISU was supposed to play a three-game series at Tennessee-Martin, but it was wiped out by rain.
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“It was a disappointing weekend. We went all the way down to Tennessee and didn’t get to play. We sat around in the hotel room. We came here and it was still raining. It was nice to get out and see some live pitching,” ISU center fielder Landon Curry said. - More Indiana State University Headlines
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