Remembering Indiana Football's Upset Victory At No. 24 Oregon

Indiana and coach Gerry DiNardo beat No. 24 Oregon 30-24 in 2004 in Autzen Stadium, the second-to-last win of DiNardo's coaching career. With the Ducks joining the Big Ten in 2024, here's a look back at that cherished win.

Prepare yourself, for I'm about to utter words that are harrowing for Indiana football fans – let's talk about the Gerry DiNardo era.

The reason for such talk relates to the Big Ten's latest acquisitions, as news dropped on Friday that both Oregon and Washington – in addition to last summer's news about USC and UCLA – are leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, beginning with the 2024 football season. The move all but ends the Pac-12 as we know it, while also retrofitting the Big Ten into a super conference of sorts. 

Indiana does not have a rich history against Oregon, compared to the rest of the new-look Big Ten, but one game in particular stands out. The Ducks and Hoosiers have met on the football field three separate times in their history, with Oregon leading the all-time series 2-1. Indiana lost to the Pacific Northwest foe in back-to-back years in 1963 and 1964, but managed to upset a No. 24-ranked Oregon team in 2004.

Picture courtesy of the Winsipedia "Compare Teams" Function

The 30-24 win over the Ducks in Eugene would be the second-to-last victory of DiNardo's career at Indiana, an 8-27 stretch across three seasons. Indiana raced out to a 23-0 lead in the first half behind a 19-yard rushing touchdown from BenJarvus Green-Ellis and a touchdown pass from Matt LoVecchio to Courtney Roby. IU kicker Bryan Robertson also knocked in three field goals during the first two quarters of play. 

It was a truly shocking turn of events for an Oregon team that had finished the 2003 season with an 8-5 record, and entered the 2004 season ranked inside the AP Top 25. Indiana had already defeated Central Michigan 41-10 in its first game of the 2004 season, and the win over Oregon that day gave them the Hoosiers their first 2-0 start to a football season since 1996. 

The victory wouldn't come easy despite a 23-point halftime lead, though, as Indiana's offense all but collapsed in the second half. DiNardo's team only gained 53 total yards in the third and fourth quarters combined, and it failed to record a single offensive score.

Fortunately for Indiana, special teams came through in a big way, as Lance Bennett returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown right as Oregon chipped the Hoosiers' lead down to a 23-10 margin. Bennett put IU back up by 20, and the team held on from there to escape Eugene with a 30-24 win. 

Thinking about that time Lance Bennett took a kickoff back 98 yards to the house in Autzen Stadium #iufb pic.twitter.com/JQqWHbuPgu

— Dan Olinger (@dan_olinger) August 7, 2023

It's really remarkable Indiana won this game at all. The Hoosiers were out-gained 495 to 198 by the Ducks, and starting quarterback LoVecchio finished with a truly horrific stat line. He completed 6-of-18 pass attempts for 71 yards, one touchdown and one interception. 

Oregon was far more productive on a yards-per-play basis, but turnovers absolutely killed the home team. The Ducks' starting quarterback Kellen Clemens threw three interceptions to three separate Indiana defenders, Herana-Daze Jones, Kyle Killion and Buster Larkins. 

It was even worse in the fumble department, as Oregon coughed the ball up a whopping four times to make it seven total takeaways for the Indiana defense on the day. IU didn't so much as win the game as it just let Oregon throw up on itself for 60 minutes until the clock hit zero. 

It's possible Oregon was looking ahead to its second game of the season, a road trip to No. 2 Oklahoma. Oregon would drop that game, too, and trudge to a 5-6 record, the worst of head coach Mike Belotti's 14-year tenure. But regardless, nothing excuses how terrible Oregon played that day to lose to an Indiana team that ultimately ended the year with a 3-8 record. 

DiNardo's final win of his Indiana tenure would also come against a top-25 team later that season, when the Hoosiers beat No. 24 Minnesota 30-21 in Bloomington. 

The Big Ten hasn't yet announced how it will handle conference football schedules moving forward, and it's possible it's still a few years until Oregon and Indiana face each other again. The SEC has experienced this firsthand since expanding to 14 teams, as East and West teams in that conference have gone years without meeting each other on the gridiron.

But for now, Indiana football holds the last laugh over the Oregon Ducks. And it's all thanks to Gerry DiNardo. 

Who would have thought? 

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