Pete Lembo won the battle of the first-year coaches with his Ball State Cardinals defeating the state rival Indiana Hoosiers 27-20 on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Lembo’s no-huddle offense was too much for new Indiana coach Kevin Wilson, who served as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator for eight seasons. Lembo picked up his first FBS victory Saturday after coaching FCS standout Elon for four seasons.

The Cardinals caught fire in the second half, led by quarterback Keith Wenning, who passed for 174 yards and two touchdowns while adding 61 yards and a score on the ground. Wenning capped an impressive outing with a thrilling 20-yard run that led to a Ball State field goal late in the fourth quarter.

The win was Ball State’s second straight victory over the Hoosiers, who have won four of the last six meetings with the Cardinals. Indiana had won its previous seven season openers before Saturday and fall to 35-7-1 versus Mid-American opponents with the loss.

The Hoosiers chipped in a late field goal to trail by a touchdown with just under one minute remaining and failed at an onside kick in the dying seconds. Indiana quarterback Edward Wright-Baker passed for 271 yards and a touchdown, finding receiver Damarlo Belcher for 105 of those gains and the score.

Cardinals running back Barrington Scott had 59 yards on the ground and caught three balls for 13 yards receiving and a touchdown. Scott was a former walk-on player who earned a scholarship with Ball State. Fellow running back Jahwan Edwards finished the game with 86 yards on 17 carries.

The Hoosiers' rushing duo of Stephen Houston and Matt Perez combined for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Ball State faces South Florida in Week 2 while Indiana takes on Virginia at home in its second game.