Keen-eyed Indiana Daily Student readers may have noticed there wasn’t a traditional postgame column written after Indiana football’s 55-10 rout of Maryland Saturday afternoon. While my growing tendency to leave my keys anywhere but my pockets would have you believe otherwise, no, I didn’t simply forget.
I didn’t write a column because I didn’t have anything to say. After their 30-20 win over Oregon on Oct. 11, I said the Hoosiers claimed the crown of college football. Having only posted dominant wins since, that esteemed item remains firmly in their custody.
Truth be told, it’s going to take a Louvre-level heist to remove Indiana’s prized possession. Too soon?
While I completely understand my traditional column will be greatly missed, I will attempt to fill the void with my weekly obligation of grading every Hoosier position group. Here’s another honor roll-worthy edition of Richards’ Report Card.
Quarterbacks
Grade: B
Explanation: After he threw an interception on the third play from scrimmage, redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza bounced back with a solid performance. The Heisman Trophy hopeful accounted for a pair of touchdowns — one with his arm and another with his legs — and eclipsed 200 yards through the air. While Mendoza’s performance looks mundane in comparison to some of his other stat-stuffing showings this season, he managed an offense that posted 55 points and 588 total yards — the second-most yards a Big Ten team has posted against in a conference matchup this season. I also need to do something that I forgot to do last week and talk about the other Mendoza. Redshirt freshman Alberto Mendoza completed both of his pass attempts, one of which was a touchdown, and tacked on an explosive 53-yard rush while taking over for his older brother in the fourth quarter.
Running Backs
Grade: A+
Explanation: For the second straight week, Indiana’s rushing attack was the highlight of its offense. I could probably write 780 words describing at length just how dominant the Hoosiers’ backs were against the Terrapins. Fortunately, my co-writer Conor Banks saved me some time and did just that. So, in the most selfless act of my life to date, I’ll advise you to read his story if you haven’t already to see why this group earned a perfect score this week.
Receivers
Grade: B+
Explanation: The biggest takeaway from the Hoosiers’ receiver room was how it fared without senior Elijah Sarratt, who left the game early in the first quarter with a hamstring injury and didn’t return. While the good news is that head coach Curt Cignetti’s decision to keep Sarratt out was precautionary, the even better news is how Indiana played without him. Redshirt junior Omar Cooper Jr. stepped up with a team-leading seven receptions for 86 yards and scorched a defensive back with a route-running masterclass for a touchdown. In total, eight different Hoosiers caught passes against the Terrapins. Still, Sarratt’s absence likely played a factor in offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan’s decision to rely more heavily on the run game.
Offensive Line
Grade: A
Explanation: Indiana’s starting offensive line allowed two tackles for loss in its first six plays on the field. It didn’t allow any more after that. Despite a new-look front that saw redshirt senior tackle Zen Michalski fill in for an injured redshirt junior left guard Drew Evans, the unit commanded the trenches. If the running backs have an A+, it’s pretty self-explanatory that those blocking for them will have a similarly respectable grade. My only gripes were the initial struggles, some of which can be attributed to poor play calling, and a trio of penalties. It’s nitpicky, I know, but it’ll cost the offensive line a pesky plus sign this week.
Defensive Line
Grade: A+
Explanation: The Hoosiers held the Terrapins to just 37 rushing yards — the fewest they’ve had in any game for the past two seasons. That success starts with the defensive line. In a similar fashion to the other side of the football, it was all Indiana up front, and it showed. While skill position players line the box score with eye-opening numbers, blowouts in college football start up front. That was the case against Illinois on Sep. 20 and UCLA on Oct. 25, the trend continued against Maryland. The Cream and Crimson won those three games by a combined margin of 174-26.
Linebackers
Grade: A-
Explanation: No Aiden Fisher, no problem. With the star senior leader on the sidelines, Indiana’s linebackers continued to excel. Sophomore Rolijah Hardy recorded a team-high six tackles and redshirt junior Kaiden Turner earned his first career interception. While at times the unit missed Fisher’s dynamic pass coverage in the middle of the field, the effort still warrants another quality grade. I also wanted to highlight redshirt junior Isaiah Jones, who earned the green dot, commanding the Hoosiers’ stout defense in Fisher’s absence.
Secondary
Grade: A-
Explanation: I’m genuinely unsure how to approach this grade. Indiana allowed 256 passing yards and five receptions of 20 or more yards Saturday — a performance that on paper seems mediocre at best. The Hoosiers’ defensive backs also forced four turnovers. Those takeaways will do some heavy lifting this week and serve as extra credit to help cover up some noticeable lapses in coverage. In addition to the turnovers, Indiana’s secondary posted 2.5 tackles for loss against the Terrapins.
Special Teams
Grade: A-
Explanation: Senior Mitch McCarthy’s lone punt went just 36 yards, but I’ll give him some leeway considering it was from his own end zone. Aside from that, redshirt sophomore kicker Nico Radicic nailed both of his field goal attempts and converted each of his extra points. The Hoosiers haven’t missed a kick since the first game of the season against Old Dominion University on Aug. 30.
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.
