Richards’ Report Card: Indiana’s narrow win over Iowa yields season-low grades

The other day I watched “Rocky IV.” If you haven’t seen it, then avert your eyes because I’m going to spoil the movie. It’s been 40 years — that’s on you. 

In “Rocky IV,” the titular protagonist Rocky Balboa travels to the Soviet Union to face Ivan Drago in front of a hostile Russian crowd. Despite taking a substantial beating for the first 11 rounds, the American Balboa ultimately lands the knockout punch in the 12th and final round, sending Drago to the ground for good. 

That’s sort of how it felt watching Indiana football’s 20-15 win over Iowa on Saturday afternoon at Kinnick Stadium. There weren’t any Soviets in attendance nor punches thrown, but the Hoosiers persevered through an ugly back-and-forth Big Ten road test to stay undefeated. 

Even though Balboa won, he certainly wasn’t perfect. The same can be said about Indiana in my Week 4 edition of Richards’ Report Card. 

Quarterbacks 

Grade: C- 

Explanation: Redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s first interception of the year couldn’t come at a worse time. The turnover set up Iowa in field goal range with less than three minutes remaining in a tie game. It looked like Mendoza had put the final nail in Indiana’s coffin. Instead, one possession later, the Hoosiers’ signal caller delivered under duress, yielding a game-winning 49-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Elijah Sarratt. Yes, Mendoza came through, but he undoubtedly played his worst game since arriving in Bloomington this offseason. The Hawkeyes’ blitz-heavy defensive scheme made him uncomfortable and showed noticeable flaws in the Heisman contender’s game. 

Running Backs 

Grade: C+ 

Explanation: It’s not entirely fair to pin Indiana’s underwhelming 104 total rushing yards on the running back room. After accumulating over 300 yards in each of their first four games, a mediocre day was always going to feel drastically worse. It also didn’t help that Mendoza’s clock-chewing safety lost 40 yards on the last play of the game. Even so, redshirt senior Roman Hemby’s 15 carries for 86 yards were overshadowed by redshirt senior Kaelon Black’s mediocre day. Black was stuffed on fourth-and-1 on two different occasions, highlighting a harsh truth — running backs are only as good as their offensive line. 

Receivers 

Grade: B+ 

Explanation: Mendoza only completed 13 passes, but Indiana’s wide receivers made the most out of them. Five of the 13 completions gained 20 or more yards.  Sarratt led the way with six catches for 132 yards — most of which came in the second half. The most impressive statistic in my opinion was the Hoosiers’ 133 yards after catch. Sarratt and redshirt junior Omar Cooper Jr. dazzled in the open field and turned good gains into great ones. Sarratt’s aforementioned touchdown was a prime example, as he broke a diving tackle attempt on his game-deciding dash to the end zone. 

Offensive Line 

Grade: D+ 

Explanation: For the first time this season, Indiana’s offensive trenches receive a poor grade. Mendoza was only sacked twice, but the Hoosiers gave up a season-high six tackles for loss, two of which were on key fourth downs. The right side of Indiana’s offensive line — redshirt junior guard Bray Lynch and redshirt sixth-year senior tackle Kahlil Benson — routinely struggled to block their assignments. 

Defensive Line 

Grade: B 

Explanation: Indiana’s defensive line had a hard time putting pressure on Iowa’s graduate quarterback Mark Gronowski. Granted, Gronowski’s running ability allowed him to evade potential danger on multiple occasions. Still, the Hoosiers’ defensive line limited the Hawkeyes' run game, holding them to just three yards per carry. The Cream and Crimson defensive front was the first unit to hold Iowa to under 100 rushing yards this season. 

Linebackers 

Grade: C+ 

Explanation: I’m going to sound like a broken record because the linebackers showed similarities to the defensive line. Although redshirt junior Isaiah Jones and senior Kellan Wyatt combined for the team’s only sack, the unit struggled to cover routes across the middle of the field. Gronowski threw to redshirt freshman tight end DJ Vonnahme there three times in the first quarter alone — twice resulting in third down conversions. Still, the linebackers worked well with the defensive line in front of them to blanket Iowa’s rushing attack. Jones, Wyatt and sophomore Rolijah Hardy all tallied tackles for loss. 

Secondary 

Grade: C- 

Explanation: Both junior safety Amare Ferrell and redshirt sixth-year senior Louis Moore recorded interceptions, which kept the grade from being terrible. Redshirt junior cornerback Jamari Sharpe’s inability to play man-coverage kept this grade from being good. Iowa routinely looked his way, finding redshirt senior wide receiver Sam Phillips five times for 64 yards. As a whole, the Hoosiers’ secondary gave far too much cushion in man assignments and were undisciplined in zone coverages. It’s important to note that All-American junior cornerback D’Angelo Ponds didn’t play against the Hawkeyes for an undisclosed reason. His absence was noticeable. 

Special Teams 

Grade: A- 

Explanation: The gameplan was simple — don’t let graduate returner Kaden Wetjen touch the football. Aside from the Hoosiers’ first punt of the game, that strategy was followed to a tee. Senior punter Mitch McCarthy — who returned from a three-game injury-induced absence — averaged just 38.8 yards per punt, but that was a better alternative than giving the speedy Wetjen a chance at an explosive play. Aside from the punt game, Jones partially blocked a punt and redshirt sophomore kicker Nico Radicic drilled both of his field goal attempts from over 40 yards out. The only mistake the Hoosiers’ special teams made was senior punt returner Jonathan Brady’s fair catch on their own 3-yard line. Overall, special teams coordinator Grant Cain’s unit produced yet another great performance.