No. 2 Indiana moved to 11-0 on the 2025 season following a 31-7 home win over Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.
This one was a bit of a mixed bag. The Hoosiers
ran into several issues on both sides of the ball in the first half as Wisconsin looked to slow the game down and keep the ball out of Fernando Mendoza’s hands. This was successful through two quarters of play, but Indiana was able to pull ahead in the second half to emerge with a dominant victory.
It’s very much worth noting that Wisconsin running back Gideon Ituka, who found some success on the ground, went down with an injury in the third quarter and was carted out of the game. It was a very, very sobering moment with both teams taking a knee as the cart was brought out and deprived Wisconsin of what was working for it throughout the game.
Here’s five things we learned:
- Fernando Mendoza was fantastic… when he was able to get a pass off. The Hoosiers’ quarterback faced constant pressure throughout the game due to a mix of holding onto the ball and Indiana’s ongoing issues at offensive line as that unit has had to reach into its depth with multiple injuries throughout the season. He got sacked five (!) times and it killed a lot of the momentum Indiana was able to build on several drives. When he was able to throw, he looked the part of the Heisman frontrunner, completing 22 of his 24 attempts for 299 passing yards and four touchdowns.
- Indiana’s rushing attack was… not as good on paper. There’s worse marks than the 4.1 and 3.7 yards per carry that Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black averaged, for sure, but Indiana’s overall average was dragged right into the mud due to Mendoza’s six sacks. Those sacks put Indiana’s backs in some not great situations, so there’s that.
- Indiana’s offensive line, as stated above, did not perform well. Not all of the pressure Mendoza faced can be attributed to the Hoosier linemen, who are working without starting guard Drew Evans, but Indiana still has to play games like this and it hasn’t gone well against either Penn State or Wisconsin. Indiana’s gotta hope it can get Evans healthy for the season finale at Purdue and whatever comes after.
- Charlie Becker proved he wasn’t just a one-hit wonder after his coming out party last week against Penn State. The Hoosier’s passing offense has mostly been the Elijah Sarrat and Omar Cooper show without other pass catchers showing reliable production on a weekly basis. Becker, starting with Cooper sidelined, pulled in five catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. Indiana doesn’t win last week without him and looks considerably more lost today.
- The bye week couldn’t be coming at a better time. Indiana needs a week off to see if it can get Cooper and Evans back into playing shape ahead of the postseason.
