Early in the first quarter of Indiana football’s matchup with UCLA on Saturday afternoon, the Memorial Stadium big screen recognized an athlete from a different sport — four-time IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou.
Palou stood in the north end zone next to Hoosier the Bison while he received a hearty welcome from the racing fans in attendance. During which, he swung a white towel that featured the words “Beat UCLA” in crimson lettering. That’s exactly what happened.
While the No. 2 Hoosiers aren’t yet kissing the bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway or drinking ice-cold milk in victory lane, they may just be rounding corner number three in a great position to take the top step on the podium. Indiana’s race toward the College Football Playoff continued Saturday with a 56-6 win over the Bruins.
Here’s how each position group fared in the dominant win.
Quarterbacks
Grade: B+
Explanation: Despite a season-low passing yards total, redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza still accounted for four total touchdowns against UCLA. He started slow, completing just four of his first 10 passes, failing to record a touchdown and throwing an early interception off a batted pass. Regardless, Mendoza bounced back and completed 10 of his final 11 throws for three touchdowns. In addition to his arm talent, he also showcased his mobility with a season-high 45 rushing yards on five carries that included a 20-yard scramble to the end zone early in the third quarter.
Running Backs
Grade: A+
Explanation: Redshirt senior running back Roman Hemby summed up this group’s performance best.
“Today was one of those days where the run helped us get a lot of the success,” he said postgame. “It feels good to have the offense rely on us.”
Indiana’s rushing attack was lethal. Hemby and redshirt senior Kaelon Black worked in tandem to produce 151 rushing yards on 27 touches, good for 5.6 yards per carry. UCLA entered the matchup with the worst rushing defense in the Big Ten and the Hoosiers knew it. As a whole, Indiana produced 262 rushing yards and a season-best four rushing touchdowns.
Receivers
Grade: B+
Explanation: Mendoza struggled to connect with star wideouts senior Elijah Sarratt and redshirt junior Omar Cooper Jr, who combined for just eight yards on four catches, due in part to the Bruins’ decision to double-team them. Instead, the Hoosiers’ signal caller relied on redshirt sixth-year senior E.J. Williams Jr. who hauled in a season-high 109 yards on five receptions. I mentioned Williams' impact against Michigan State last week and he continued to grow as a dangerous third receiving option in Indiana’s high powered passing attack against UCLA.
Offensive Line
Grade: A+
Explanation: Two weeks ago, in our midseason roundtable, I said this unit was one of the biggest question marks left for the Hoosiers. By no means has Indiana’s offensive line been bad this season, but it also hasn’t been consistent. The Hoosiers front struggled in its 20-15 win over Iowa and the offense played its worst game of the season as a direct result. Against UCLA however, Indiana showcased what it means to dominate the trenches. The Hoosiers created mass run gaps and gave Mendoza an abundance of time in the pocket. When that happens, there isn’t a defense in the country that can stop Indiana’s offense.
Defensive Line
Grade: A-
Explanation: It’s impossible to talk about the defensive line’s play without first highlighting redshirt junior defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker’s performance. Tucker led the Hoosiers' defense with 1.5 sacks and 2.5 total tackles for loss. Indiana’s defensive front played well once again, clogging up run gaps and finding ways to get pressure without needing to blitz. The biggest concern for this unit is the health of redshirt senior defensive end Mikail Kamara. For the last few weeks, Kamara has been in and out with injuries and once again returned to the medical tent with an apparent shoulder injury against the Bruins.
Linebackers
Grade: A+
Explanation: In a strange turn of events, senior linebacker Aiden Fisher returned an interception for a touchdown on the second play of the game, then left midway through the first quarter and sat out the remainder of Indiana’s win. The decision that head coach Curt Cignetti later referred to as “precautionary” left the Hoosiers without arguably their most valuable defender. It also opened the door for someone else to step up. That someone was redshirt junior Isaiah Jones. He led Indiana with eight tackles, was credited with half a sack and forced the game's only fumble. The Hoosiers’ linebackers earn the defense’s best grade as they continue to display their importance each week.
Secondary
Grade: A
Explanation: Indiana’s secondary solved some coverage weaknesses shown last week against Michigan State with a lockdown performance against the Bruins. Outside of a pair of 15-yard penalties — one of which happened after the whistle — the Hoosiers’ defensive backs were flawless. They limited UCLA’s redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava to just 113 yards on 13 of 27 passing. That’s the fewest yards Indiana’s allowed in Big Ten play. To top things off, redshirt sixth-year senior cornerback Devan Boykin picked up his first interception as a Hoosier early in the fourth quarter.
Special Teams
Grade: A
Explanation: Outside of a 50-yard boot from senior punter Mitch McCarthy and a pair of punt returns from senior returner Jonathan Brady, the only special teams action was on kickoffs. Still, it was a much more interesting set of kickoffs after the Hoosiers’ touchback machine kickoff specialist, redshirt sixth-year senior Brendan Franke, was injured on the opening kickoff. Instead, backup punter sophomore Quinn Warren handled the duties for the remainder of the game. Despite rarely being needed, the Hoosiers’ kickoff coverage was fantastic, holding UCLA to an average of 17 yards per return on five attempts.
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.
