INDIANAPOLIS –– On its first play from the line of scrimmage this season, Indiana football allowed a 75-yard rushing touchdown to Old Dominion University. But the Hoosiers overcame the early setback to secure a 27-14 victory.
After dominating its first four games outscoring opponents 219-33, Indiana football traveled to Iowa City, Iowa, where the Hoosiers were tested. The Cream and Crimson trailed Iowa by three points in the fourth quarter. However, Indiana found a way to win 20-15.
The next week followed a similar pattern. The Hoosiers were tied with then-No. 3 Oregon until redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza found senior wide receiver Elijah Sarratt for an 8-yard touchdown with 6:23 remaining in the game.
It took a catch-of-the-year candidate grab from redshirt junior wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. to retake the lead against Penn State on Nov. 8 with 36 seconds remaining.
The Hoosiers have continuously responded to challenges in head coach Curt Cignetti’s second year at the helm. While the Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State followed a similar trend, the Hoosiers’ hurdles earlier in the season transformed the team into a more mature unit –– one built to handle Saturday’s pressures, Cignetti said in a pregame interview.
Ohio State entered Saturday as a four-point favorite and owned the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press’ Top 25 Poll. Last season, the Buckeyes defeated the Hoosiers 38-15 on Nov. 23, 2024. Indiana had not beaten Ohio State since 1988.
With the odds stacked against them, the Hoosiers battled through adversity, notching a 13-10 victory over Ohio State at Lucas Oil Stadium Saturday. With its win, Indiana claimed its first outright Big Ten title since 1945 and positioned itself for the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
On the game's opening possession, Cooper Jr. hobbled off the field with a lower body injury. Heading into Saturday’s matchup, he led the Hoosiers with 804 receiving yards and 58 receptions. Forced to look elsewhere for pass-catching production, Indiana found it with sophomore wide receiver Charlie Becker and Sarratt.
Facing a third-and-2 situation with just over 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter, Mendoza launched the ball down field. With a defender draped over him, Becker secured a 51-yard catch to set the Hoosiers up in the redzone. This catch led to the final touchdown of the game –– a 17-yard back-shoulder grab by Sarratt.
Heading into Saturday, Ohio State owned the top-ranked pass defense in the nation. Mendoza exited after the Hoosiers’ first play from the line of scrimmage after enduring a hard hit. But Mendoza re-entered the game after one play on the sidelines and completed 15 of 23 pass attempts for 222 yards and a touchdown Saturday.
Despite missing Cooper Jr. and facing a top-ranked defense, Mendoza performed and cemented himself as the Heisman Trophy favorite.
“Whenever we got in high adversity situations, we're always able to go out there and efficiently execute,” Mendoza said postgame. “And also, just the glue we had with our brotherhood, how much we care about the man beside us really makes us unshakeable.”
This chemistry translated to the defensive side of the ball Saturday. After allowing 10 points in the first half, the Indiana defense did not surrender a score in the final two frames.
When the Ohio State offense placed pressure on the Hoosiers, their defense responded. Late in the third quarter, the Buckeyes drove down to the Indiana 5-yard line, poised to retake the lead.
But Indiana did not break. The Hoosiers stopped Ohio State sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin short of the first down marker on a fourth-and-1 attempt to retake possession.
“And I think a lot of the guys and our teammates now have really bought into that, and that's why this team in adverse situations really rises to the occasion,” senior linebacker Aiden Fisher said postgame.
Indiana’s defense picked up another redzone stop with under three minutes left in regulation, forcing the Buckeyes into a missed field goal attempt.
“Great win; gutty game; hard-fought, physical football game,” Cignetti said postgame. “Wasn't perfect by either team. We found a way to survive it, made the plays when we had to.”
From its first play from the line of scrimmage to the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis, the Hoosiers’ season has been defined by its ability to make plays in the face of challenges.
“So whenever we're in any adversity, we're always there sticking by each other and not finger pointing,” Mendoza said. “I think that's what elevates us to our competition and exceeds expectations in those high adversity moments.”
Indiana’s ability to find a way to win close games has propelled them to a potential No. 1 seed and a Rose Bowl appearance in the College Football Playoff. With its second consecutive CFP berth coming up, Indiana looks to continue embracing the adversity and remain “unshakeable” to cap off its historic season.
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.
