By Graham Nash
BLOOMINGTON – Many wondered if the No. 3 Indiana Hoosiers (7-0) would show signs of a
hangover game against the Michigan State Spartans on homecoming weekend. The Hoosiers
were, after all, coming off of a historic road win against then No. 3 Oregon and received their
highest ever AP ranking because of it.
Was it a hangover game for IU? The short answer is no, Indiana beat Michigan State 38-13.
The long answer leans more to a yes.
“We all are aware of the potential issues you're dealing with [after the win at Oregon],” Indiana
head coach Curt Cignetti said. “I thought the team and the staff did a good job really focusing in
on this next opponent.”
Indiana’s offense showed no signs of complacency. Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers
bulldozed their way down the field on their first drive, going 55 yards on 13 plays to take an
early 7-3 lead. Mendoza threw only one incompletion, and he targeted six different Hoosiers.
IU’s next two drives were equally successful but much more explosive. Mendoza connected with
four different receivers for 19 plus yards each, including a 39-yard pass to tight end Riley
Nowakowski.
Mendoza completed 11 straight passes in the first half.
“I would say this is the sharpest we've seen him up to this point in a game,” Cignetti said. “He
continues to prepare like nobody I've ever been around, and he's getting better and better.”
While the offense was rolling, IU’s defense struggled against a sub-par MSU offense. The
Spartans, who were coming to Bloomington on a three-game losing streak, pieced together two
beautiful drives in the first half. The Spartans combined for 25 plays and 130 yards that wiped
over 15 minutes of game time off the clock
Through those first two drives, MSU quarterback Aiden Chiles was 12 for 14 through the air for
121 yards and a passing touchdown. Perhaps more important to note, the Spartans were three for
six on 3rd down, and a two for two on 4th.
“We kind of lost our discipline with our eyes,” Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher said. “[It]
definitely could have been a lot better… They did a great job screening us [in] the first half.”
However, IU’s defensive woes didn’t last forever. On MSU’s second-to-last drive of the first
half, D’Angelo Ponds and Isaiah Jones made a huge tackle on 3rd and 7 to push MSU back 2
yards and set up a MSU punt. After the stop, the Spartans could only piece together 13 yards on
their last drive of the half, and both teams ran into the locker room followed by dark rain clouds
that forced a 30-minute weather delay.
“I thought near the end of the second quarter we really tightened up,” Cignetti said. “And then in
the second half, except for that last drive, [we] started putting pressure on the quarterback.”
The weather delay took the wind out of many fans’ sails, but it couldn’t do the same to IU’s
offense. Indiana got right back to work out of the break, taking four plays to cover 75 yards and
eight plays to cover 68 yards on its first two drives. The drives were capped off by a 48-yard pass
from Mendoza to Omar Cooper Jr. and a 24-yard pass from Mendoza to Sarratt respectively.
Before anyone could take their ponchos off, Indiana led 35-10.
“We have such a special core on our offense with… Sarratt, Cooper, Williams, [and] all of our
tight ends,” Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza said. “Coupled with the gameplanning of
[the coaching staff]... it really has a perfect marriage, and we’re seeing the results on the field
right now.”
The delay did slow the Indiana defense, but Aiden Fisher was there to speed things back up.
Fisher was involved in two big tackles on MSU’s first drive of the 3rd quarter, stuffing a run play
on 3rd and 1 and thwarting a screen play on 1st and 10 at the Indiana 34 yard line. Michigan
State ended up missing a 50-yard field goal attempt on that drive, and Indiana planted itself
firmly in the driver’s seat.
“[The defense is] well-coached and they attack people,” Cignetti said. “We've got a lot of veteran
players, and we've got great leadership, and we've got good players.”
The fourth quarter was much of the same for both sides. Michigan State had a few explosive
plays – including a Chiles 64-yard QB keeper – but the Spartans couldn’t get into the endzone.
The Spartans finished with 367 total yards of offense, 293 of which came through the air. IU’s
defense tallied nine tackles for loss for a second straight week despite the early struggles.
On the other side, Indiana’s offense put up a dominant performance. Mendoza finished the game
going 24 for 28 through the air for 332 yards and 4 touchdowns. Add 132 rushing yards, and
you’ll get IU’s 464 total yards of offense.
“[Mendoza’s] just so smart. He can read a defense like the back of his hand,” Fisher said. “He’s
really good at reading defensive shells, even when it’s a disguise. He’s just really good, and his
preparation sets him apart from everybody else in the country.”
Indiana is 7-0 for a second straight season and will host the red-hot UCLA Bruins next Saturday
in their quest to return to the CFP. Kickoff time has not been announced.
