Kevin Wilson said he saw the same version of Richard Lagow playing against Florida International as he saw on the practice field leading into the Hoosiers’ 34-13 victory.

And that’s exactly what he wanted.

“You just didn’t know how he’d handle it,” Wilson said Monday. “He’s always been kind of calm, doesn’t get rattled, but he’s been that way since he’s been here. You get in games, you don’t know, but he just had a nice look in his eye. He didn’t seem different than he seemed the other days he’s been in practice.

“He didn’t make the game bigger than it was.”

Lagow, a redshirt junior transfer from Cisco Community College, had plenty of opportunities to do just that.

He entered the fourth quarter of his first Division I game with a new team trailing 13-12 only to lead back-to-back touchdown drives. He never allowed himself to get overwhelmed, completing 18-of-27 passes for 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns, the first through the air and the second on the ground.

“We thought that he managed the game really well,” IU offensive coordinator Kevin Johns said. “Not everything was perfect, but he took care of the football and didn’t turn it over. He kept us in good situations, kept us on schedule. You know there’s a lot he can improve.”

Though it isn’t often safe to make quick judgements after only one week—particularly with a new quarterback—Johns and Wilson agreed Lagow needs to be more efficient in scoring territory.

The Hoosiers crossed into FIU territory 12 times only to score touchdowns twice. Lagow needs to be better leading those drives to the end zone, Wilson said.

But he was also quick to point out that Lagow played better against FIU than current Washington Redskin Nate Sudfeld did a year ago. The former Hoosier completed less passing yards (234 to Lagow’s 240) and a lower percentage of passes (57.6 percent to Lagow’s 66.7 percent) against the Golden Panthers last season.

Sudfeld added an extra touchdown in his win but also threw an interception. The comparison isn’t cut and dry, but Wilson said it’s worth making.

“I thought he was pretty good,” Wilson said. “Those are better numbers than Sudfeld had against that team last year. You guys have got Google. Hit ’15 season stats, says recap, pulls it up.”

The latter portion of Wilson’s comment was tongue-in-cheek, but his point was serious: Indiana’s new No. 1 quarterback did his job as well or better than the man he replaced.

Lagow’s next test comes at 4 p.m. Saturday against Ball State at Memorial Stadium. The Cardinals allowed 292.5 passing yards per game a year ago, the worst in the MAC, but held Georgia State to 195 passing yards in a 31-21 win last Friday.

Wilson and Johns both characterized Lagow's debut as being a starting point with work left to do as he matures into the offense.

This weekend, they expect more.

“He can be more accurate,” Johns said. “He can always make better reads. He can always make better decisions, but for the most part he played (against FIU) very well, managed the game well, and we can build on it from there.”