No. 2 Indiana football scored 35 points in the first half to power the Hoosiers to a dominant 56-6 victory over UCLA on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
Turnovers plagued both teams early. Indiana senior linebacker Aiden Fisher secured a one-handed interception on the game’s opening drive, which he carried 25 yards to the endzone to grant the Hoosiers a 7-0 lead.
On Indiana’s first drive, redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza broke multiple tackles on a third and 9 run to give the Hoosiers a first down in UCLA territory. However, two plays later, Mendoza’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and fell into the hands of UCLA junior defensive back Scooter Jackson for an interception.
The Indiana defense continued to stall the UCLA offense in the first quarter, as the Bruins failed to convert any of their three third-down attempts in the opening frame.
Meanwhile, the Hoosiers drove down the field on their second possession. Mendoza connected with sixth-year redshirt senior wide receiver E.J. Williams Jr. for a 30-yard completion, before redshirt senior running back Roman Hemby scored from 1 yard out to extend Indiana’s lead to 14-0.
The trend continued into the second quarter, as Indiana marched down the field with an 11-play, 75-yard drive. The series ended with a 1-yard touchdown reception secured by senior wide receiver Elijah Sarratt. On Indiana’s next possession, Hemby scored a 13-yard rushing touchdown to push the Hoosiers’ advantage to 28-0.
The Bruins scored their first points of the game on a 44-yard field goal with under two minutes remaining in the first half, but the Hoosiers responded immediately. A multitude of UCLA penalties vaulted Indiana into scoring position, before Mendoza found Williams Jr. in the back of the endzone for a 2-yard touchdown. The Hoosiers owned a 35-3 lead headed into halftime.
The Hoosiers never took their foot off the gas pedal out of the locker room. Indiana scored touchdowns on three straight possessions in the second half, while the Bruins scored just three points in the second half.
Mendoza completed 15-22 passing attempts for 168 yards and three touchdowns, before backup redshirt freshman Alberto Mendoza entered the contest. Two of Fernando Mendoza’s scores went to Williams Jr., who added 109 receiving yards. The running back duo of Hemby and redshirt senior Kaelon Black combined for 151 rushing yards on 27 attempts.
Following their victory over the Bruins, the Hoosiers head back on the road to take on Maryland at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 1 in College Park, Maryland.
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.
