INDIANAPOLIS -- Matt Ripp rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns as an unlikely hero to carry No. 18 Indianapolis to a 31-17 win over No. 8 Midwestern State in the opening round of the NCAA Division II playoffs Saturday afternoon at Key Stadium.
 
The Mustangs sputtered to a season-low 280 yards as the program fell to 1-5 in five NCAA Division II postseason appearances.
 
"You'd like to think once you get here, you'd play a little better," MSU coach Bill Maskill said. "They played better than us. It wasn't our best game, but you have to give credit to them. They had a lot to do with that. They are a good football team."
 
The Greyhounds (10-2) move on to face top-ranked Colorado State-Pueblo Saturday at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl in Pueblo. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (Central Time).
 
The Indianapolis attack features a trio of All-GLVC first teamers in quarterback Chris Mills, running back Klay Feichter and wide receiver MarQuone Edmonds, but it was Ripp who carried the Greyhounds to their 10th-straight win and first postseason victory in program history.
 
Mills scored the only points of the first half on a 9-yard keeper with 7:19 to go in the second quarter to take UIndy to a 7-0 halftime lead.
 
The Mustangs gained momentum with a pair of Keidrick Jackson touchdowns from 51 and 5 yards out as the Mustangs claimed a 14-7 edge five minutes into the second half.
 
"We jump started the third quarter," Maskill said. "But they just started pounding us and it wore us out. They were bigger and stronger than us."
 
Indianapolis answered with a pair or Ripp scoring runs from 4 and 15 yards to reclaim the lead at 21-14 with 10:23 to play.
 
The Greyhounds converted a fumble into a 19-yard Scott Miller field goal before Fiechter ran the ball in for a 7-yard touchdown after the Mustangs failed to convert on a 4th-and-10 from their own 12-yard line with 4:30 to play.
 
Jackson paced the Mustangs attack with 91 yards on 16 carries to close the season with 1,354 yards and school record 21 rushing touchdowns.
 
Sophomore quarterback Jake Glover completed 7-of-18 passes for 56 yards while filling in for starter Brandon Kelsey, who sat out the second half with an ankle injury.
 
Senior wide receiver Keivin Swanson had five receptions for 39 yards to lead the receiving corps.
 
Senior safety Pat Gardner logged a career-high 12 tackles to highlight the defense.
 
Midwestern State ends the season with a 9-2 record.