The 2025 UCLA Bruins got off to one of the worst starts in the sport, dropping four straight before parting with DeShaun Foster and his two top coordinators. Since then, the Bruins have bounced back in a major way, starting with an upset win over Penn State that likely played a roll in James Franklin’s dismissal.
Riding high on a three-game win streak with offensive and defensive units that looked completely overhauled, the Bruins entered the game as many people’s big upset contender once again.
Just
two plays into the game, it was clear that the Cinderella story was coming to an end today. Aiden Fisher was the beneficiary of a bad decision from Nico Iamaleava, who was pressured into throwing it right at Fisher for a relatively easy pick six.
Things did not improve for UCLA from that point on. Here are three observations from the game:
The offensive line
Curt Cignetti’s decision to retain Bob Bostad as the lone staff member at the outset of his program overhaul continues to pay dividends, seemingly moreso every week.
While Indiana was eventually able to wear down UCLA’s secondary for some big plays through the air, the Bruins challenged Fernando Mendoza out of the gate, forcing an early interception that was his first at Memorial Stadium all season.
UCLA’s strong defensive backs weren’t exactly a secret entering the game, so establishing the run early was going to be a key to Indiana’s success today. Behind Bostad’s offensive line, the Hoosiers were able to do just that.
Not to detract from the individual performances from the running backs, but the line was moving bodies and creating space for anyone lined up behind it today. Kaelon Black, Roman Hemby, and Mendoza all had runs of at least 15 yards today, part of an impressive 262 yards on the ground today.
Once the run was established, Mendoza appeared to have all day to throw, regularly extending plays and finding guys downfield well after the coverage broke down. The most notable example of this was probably Mendoza’s second passing touchdown of the day, when he found E.J. Williams downfield for a 62-yard touchdown that gave Indiana a 49-3 lead.
The defensive line
One of the bigger question marks entering the week was how Indiana would fare without Kellan Wyatt, who could be done for the season, Cignetti announced Monday. This was a particularly tough game for him to miss, with Iamaleava’s scrambling ability being one of the major keys for UCLA’s turnaround this year.
The Hoosiers quickly put concerns to rest, sacking Iamaleava on the first play before getting to him again on the second play to force the pick six. Tyrique Tucker had 1.5 sacks on the day, complimented by strong performances on the edge from Stephen Daley and Mikail Kamara who finished with .5 TFLs each. The group had four tackles for loss on the day.
With the game out of reach and some of the starters pulled, Iamaleava started to make things happen and evaded a few sacks, but it was clear by that point that Indiana’s line had done its job. UCLA’s line has struggled all season and one of Indiana’s best position groups was able to exploit that up front for a blowout win.
Fernando Mendoza
As mentioned above, Mendoza struggled a bit early. UCLA did a good job of taking away the shorter routes he’s been able to rely on to get a rhythm, and was willing to do everything short of felony battery to keep Elijah Sarratt from getting any space down downfield.
This was more or less the formula that Old Dominion used to keep him off balance for an entire four quarters, the only game this season when he didn’t pass for a touchdown.
Today wasn’t his most impressive game statistically, but it really showcased the ways in which Mendoza has improved already in his eight games in Bloomington. While he wasn’t pressured, per se, UCLA’s solid coverage forced him to leave the pocket to extend plays, something he didn’t look comfortable doing over this season.
Against UCLA though, Mendoza kept his composure, always found time and space to get his feet set, and delivered a few darts to his receivers all over the field. Both his longer (62-yard) and shorter (two yard) touchdown passes to E.J. Williams today required him to improvise, set his feet, and hit a moving Williams for the score.
Mendoza also had one of his better running performances of the season, making a few guys in UCLA’s secondary miss to extend runs beyond the first down. This included a season-long 20-yard rushing touchdown for him.
Again, it wasn’t his strongest, but this was another game that should keep him near of any Heisman watchlist at this point.
