BLOOMINGTON, IND.: Indiana's fleet-footed quarterback Kellen Lewis didn't have to throw the ball much against the University of Akron. He did his working running, gaining a game- and career-high 199 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown as the Hoosiers defeated the Zips 41-24, in front of 31,196 fans Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

‘‘We knew what he could do,’’ UA coach J.D. Brookhart said. ‘‘They use him in the right way. He can throw the ball, and you saw that, but when you do a good job in coverage ...when they send those receivers deep, the next thing you know he's running 53 yards in open field. He's special even against your best athletes.’’

Lewis also was 19-of-24 passing for 137 yards and three touchdowns.

Brookhart was asked how his team could play Ohio State tough in a 20-2 loss last week then give up 41 points to Indiana (3-0)./p>

‘‘This was a different challenge,’’ Brookhart said. ‘‘Indiana spreads the field, and Ohio State doesn't. Ohio State hands the ball off, and we put extra guys in the box. I knew this would be tough on our defense.’’

Said Zips senior linebacker Brion Stokes: ‘‘Anytime you have a quarterback that can run and throw, any type of defense you run, he's going to give you fits. So you try your best to contain him. This was the first team that runs a totally different type of offense than Army and Ohio State. They spread you out.’’

UA (1-2) was still in the game with 9:36 remaining when sophomore quarterback Carlton Jackson threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jabari Arthur (seven catches, 118 yards) to cut Indiana's lead to 27-23. But the Hoosiers (3-0) scored two touchdowns to put the game away.

Jackson had a productive day. He was 15-of-21 for 200 yards with two touchdown passes and an interception, and he rushed 20 times for a team-high 71 yards and a touchdown. Jackson replaced sophomore Chris Jacquemain midway through the second quarter.

It was hard for Jackson to watch UA's offense from the sideline through the first two games of the season. He was named the backup to Jacquemain at the start of the season.

‘‘Granted, every athlete wants to be on the field, but I had to just wait for my turn,’’ Jackson said. ‘‘It was just a matter of being patient and supporting my teammates. (Brookhart) told me my time would come, it did and I was fortunate enough to make the best of it.''

After watching Jackson's impressive overall performance, one must assume that Brookhart has some deep thinking to do.

Does Jackson's strong performance warrant him getting the start at home at the Rubber Bowl next week against rival Kent State or does Jacquemain get the start?

‘‘We'll deal with that (today),’’ Brookhart said.

Aside from an early fumble that helped put Indiana ahead 3-0 in the early moments of the first quarter, Jacquemain was decent. He was 4-of-6 for 50 yards before Jackson took over, with 10:54 left in the second quarter and the Hoosiers leading 10-3.

On Jackson's first play of the game, he hit Arthur on a 16-yard pass. He finished off the 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, which tied the score 10-10 with 7:18 left in the second quarter.

Jackson then led the Zips' on a seven-play, 78-yard scoring drive, ending with a 21-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kris Kasparek for a 17-10 Akron lead with 2:21 left before halftime.

In the first half, Jackson was 7-of-10 passing for 102 yards, and his play seemed to jump-start the entire Zips' offensive unit, which outgained Indiana in total yards (220-206) in the first two quarters. UA also ran 42 plays in the first half compared to 30 for the Hoosiers, as the score was tied at 17-17 at halftime.