No. 7 Indiana football notched its first top-five victory on the road in school history Saturday against No. 3 Oregon at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
The Hoosiers picked up a 4th down stop on the Ducks’ opening drive, setting up their offense at the Oregon 46-yard line. After Indiana redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza completed a pass to senior wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, the Ducks held the Hoosiers to a 42-yard field goal conversion.
On the ensuing drive, Indiana forced Oregon into a three-and-out. But the Hoosiers failed to capitalize, as Indiana quickly called out senior punter Mitch McCarthy for a 39-yard punt.
After the punt, the Indiana secondary miscommunicated, as Oregon redshirt sophomore quarterback Dante Moore completed a 44-yard touchdown pass to give the Ducks a 7-3 advantage.
However, the explosive play garnered an efficient response from the Indiana offense. Mendoza and the Indiana rushing attack guided the Hoosiers to a nine-play, 75-yard drive, capped off with a three-yard rushing touchdown by redshirt senior running back Roman Hemby –– his first of the season.
With Indiana owning a three-point lead after the first quarter, the two teams traded field goals in the second frame, including a 58-yard field goal by Indiana kicker Brendan Franke. The sixth-year redshirt senior’s 58-yard conversion tied the furthest field goal in program history, as the Hoosiers headed into the locker room with a 13-10 advantage at halftime.
Both teams stalled on offense coming out of the halftime locker rooms, with each failing to score on its opening drives. The Ducks struck first in the third quarter, making a 33-yard field goal to knot the game at 13 points.
However, the tie did not last long. The Ducks got called for two pass interference calls on the Hoosiers' next drive, before Hemby received a handoff for his second touchdown of the game, boosting Indiana’s lead to 20-13.
After forcing an Oregon punt, the Hoosiers earned a chance at extending their lead to two scores in the fourth quarter. However, Mendoza tossed a pick-six on 3rd and 2, as the Ducks tied the game at 20 points with 12:42 left in the game.
But Mendoza bounced back, orchestrating a 75-yard scoring drive. The Miami native connected with Sarratt for an 8-yard touchdown to retake a one-score lead.
With Oregon seeking a response, Moore dropped back to pass. But Indiana senior defensive lineman Stephen Daley tipped the ball at the line of scrimmage, as sixth-year senior defensive back Louis Moore secured an interception and set the Hoosiers back up in Oregon territory.
After the big play from the Indiana defense, redshirt sophomore kicker Nico Radicic made a 22-yard field goal to extend the Hoosiers’ lead.
Indiana redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Jones earned an interception on the Ducks’ next drive, securing the Hoosiers’ 30-20 victory, and their first victory over a top-five on the road in school history.
Following the upset victory, the Hoosiers set their sights on their Homecoming game when they host Michigan State on Oct. 18. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed on Peacock.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
