Indiana football moved to 7-0 on the season with its 38-13 win over Michigan State on Saturday afternoon in Bloomington.
This wasn’t necessarily a pretty one, for a few reasons. The Hoosier defense struggled
to respond to a Spartans offense that was keyed in on working Indiana’s trademark aggression on early downs into its own advantage, the weather got pretty nasty and Indiana may have at least one question mark where its strongest in the defense after Kellan Wyatt left the game.
But, in the end, it’s another blowout win for head coach Curt Cignetti as Indiana eyes another chance to soar to previously unseen heights in the polls.
Here’s three observations:
#Heismendoza?
It was yet another great performance from Indiana’s quarterback. Mendoza, who’s solidified himself in the Heisman race here at midseason, completed 24 of his 28 pass attempts against Michigan State, good for 86%, passing for four touchdowns that could’ve been five if E.J. Williams was an inch or too further from the sideline in the fourth quarter.
Mendoza is very much walking the walk in Bloomington, getting the attention of NFL scouts as well as the college football media landscape. Omar Cooper and Elijah Sarratt were pretty excellent, but Williams stepped up with five catches and 59 yards of his own, pulling in one of Mendoza’s four touchdowns (again, almost two of five).
He even managed 18 yards on the ground on five carries, including a reach for the first down late in the fourth quarter as the Hoosiers led by 25 points.
Pass protection
Mendoza’s big day wouldn’t have been possible without Indiana’s firm protection up front. Michigan State’s defense wasn’t able to provide any sort of meaningful pass rush, neither getting to Mendoza or generating pressure on a consistent basis.
When a rusher was able to leak through, Mendoza was able to escape and make a play through the air or on the ground. The Spartans’ defensive front had nothing on the Hoosier offensive line throughout the matchup.
Second half defense
Again, Indiana had some real issues containing Michigan State early. Defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’ scheme is pretty aggressive on early downs to force opposing offenses into difficult situations on third and, if they get there, fourth down.
Michigan State used that aggression to its advantage, dialing up several quick passes for quarterback Aidan Chiles, including a fair amount of screens that got behind Indiana’s defensive front and kept the Spartans moving down the field. It looked like they’d continue finding success throughout the day, even if those drives weren’t ending with touchdowns.
Not so.
The Hoosier defense stepped up in the second half, holding the Spartan offense to just 3 points for the remainder of the game.
As stated above, it’ll be worth keeping an eye on Wyatt, who exited the game after suffering an injury in the second half and walking off, less than comfortably, under his own power.
