MIAMI - Tom Allen’s defense didn’t just pass its first test Thursday night against Florida International.

It won the Hoosiers the game.

IU’s defense accounted for 14 points—two from a safety and 12 from interception returns for touchdowns by Rashard Fant and Tegray Scales—and kept Florida International from gaining momentum time after time, giving junior quarterback Richard Lagow and the Hoosiers’ new-look offense just enough room to defeat FIU 34-13 in a game that was closer than the score suggests.

"One thing coach Allen kept saying is, 'This is what we want,'" Fant said. "We want this to be on us. We embraced the challenge."

Indiana’s defense set the tone early, recording a safety a little over seven minutes into the first quarter. Nobody picked up a sack, but the Hoosiers’ pass rush forced a holding call in the end zone, at the time making the score 3-2 Panthers with 6:46 left in the first quarter.

After redshirt junior kicker Griffin Oakes made it 5-3 with a 22-yard field goal late in the first quarter, Fant, a junior, returned an interception 34 yards for a score just two minutes into the second quarter to give the Hoosiers a 12-3 lead.

“We had to rely on those guys, all of us," sophomore receiver Nick Westbrook said. He finished with six catches for 70 yards to lead IU's receivers.

"We needed them."

No matter how many times Indiana’s defense was there to keep FIU from cutting into what for most of the night was a one-score lead, IU’s offense could never get going.

One of Kevin Wilson’s favorite statistics he likes to cite is yards per touchdown. The idea is that a poor ratio of having many yards against few touchdowns shows that a team can’t convert in the clutch moments and finish on a drive.

In Thursday’s 21-point win, IU’s yards-to-touchdown ratio was 220 yards for every one touchdown. That much, Wilson would tell you, needs to be improved.

"It took us a little while to settle down," Wilson said.

Even so, Lagow and his offense delivered when Indiana needed it.

Trailing 13-12 with eight seconds left in the third quarter, Lagow orchestrated a five-play, 72-yard drive that climaxed with a 21-yard touchdown reception by redshirt junior tight end Danny Friend, the first of his career off Lagow’s first touchdown pass of his career.

Lagow was never more poised than he was in that drive, leading the Hoosiers down the field for a go-ahead score when their backs were against the wall. He finished with 18-of-27 passing for 240 yards and one passing touchdown to go along with a rushing score.

“I'm not sure what changed," Lagow said. "We just made the plays. There wasn't any kind of scheme that changed. We just made the plays that we had been leaving on the field in that first half."

The Hoosiers’ running backs deserve their share of credit for carrying the offensive load for the majority of the night. Junior Devine Redding recorded his fourth consecutive 100-yard game with 22 carries for 135 yards, a per-carry average of 6.1.

Sophomore Mike Majette, redshirt freshman Devonte Williams and freshman Cole Gest combined to add 98 yards on 24 carries combined to complement Redding's consistent night.

"It was a great performance by all the backs," Redding said. "Coach got to see what he wanted. It was overall a great sight. We had a little bit of personal, little things, but we got over those and kept the things rolling."

Between one of the better defensive performances of the Wilson-era, the steady running backs and Lagow orchestrating the offense, Indiana had enough to outdo FIU, led by junior Alex McGough's 23-for-46 passing, 263-yard outing. His three interceptions, two of which turned into points the other way, ultimately cost him.

"They’ve played really good against us (in practice)," Wilson said of his defense. "So I’m starting to wonder is our offense any good, because you’re playing against yourself. Or, can you take what you do in practice to the game field. I think it’s a credit (to the defense). We’ve been talking all week. You’ve got a lot of evidence. Believe yourself."

The victory, no matter how ugly one might consider it, ultimately goes down as a win in the record book.

Months from now, the Hoosiers could be thankful for it just like they were last season after escaping week one with a 48-47 win against Southern Illinois. Without that win, the Hoosiers (1-0) might not have gone bowling.

It’s too early to tell if Thursday’s result against FIU (0-1) will play out in a similar fashion, but at least one thing was clear by the way the Hoosiers talked postgame—they’re happy to be heading back home with a win but know they might not be as fortunate next time.

"I saw a lot of things we could do better," Wilson said. "A good start, but this game had our attention. I'm glad we finished strong."