Hoosiers Dominant in Record-Setting Win Over Indiana State

Friday, September 12

Bloomington, Ind.

6:30 p.m.

Indiana University

3-0 , 0-0

Indiana State

2-1 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Indiana St.

Indiana

Hoosiers Dominant in Record-Setting Win Over Indiana State

9/12/2025 9:45:00 PM | Football

Box Score

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Fernando Mendoza wasn't perfect against Indiana State, but at least according to the Friday night numbers at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium, the veteran quarterback was close.

Omar Cooper Jr. wasn't superman, but if you look at his production, the veteran receiver wasn't far off.

They were the catalysts, along with a suffocating defense, in a 73-0 victory over the Sycamores (1-2) that wrapped up No. 22/19 Indiana's 3-0 non-conference run and set up a Saturday night Big Ten-opening showdown with No. 9/9 Illinois (2-0), also at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium.

The Hoosiers outscored Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State, 156-23.

"We're taking the steps we need to take," head coach Curt Cignetti said. "We have a lot of guys who have played a lot of football.

"We've been able to build on success and create positive intangibles. We did what we wanted to do. I was pleased to see that. I didn't see anyone relaxing, coaches or players."

Mendoza completed his first 14 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. He finished 19-for-20 for 270 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, all in the first half. He also ran for a touchdown.

And yet, he wanted more. Cignetti wanted more.

"There's a lot of stuff I have to improve on," Mendoza said. "Although the score might not look like it and the stat line might not look like it, there are a lot of things I have to clean up. I need to have better footwork. I need to be smarter in my decision making."

One area is on the run-pass option. Rather than letting the running backs run, Mendoza kept the ball and ran himself a few too many times, causing Cignetti to call a timeout.

"He had made a couple of poor decisions consecutively," Cignetti said. "He should have handed the ball off. He was getting out of rhythm. I was trying to get him back on track."

Added Mendoza: "There were some plays I pulled when I should have given it to the running backs. Let them have their shine and eat. That's on me. I have to get better at that."

Still, it was dominating quarterback play. Alberto Mendoza and Grant Wilson were the second-half quarterbacks. Alberto Mendoza was 6-for-9 for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson was 1-for-1 for five yards. Overall, the Hoosiers were a combined 26-for-30 for 379 yards, seven touchdowns, and no interceptions.

"All those guys put in so much work behind the scenes," Fernado Mendoza said. "It was great to see them get in there and lead successful drives."

Cooper Jr. was targeted six times in the first quarter and caught all six for 69 yards and two TDs. By halftime, it was nine targets, nine catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with 10 catches for 207 yards and a career-best four touchdowns.

"You look at his production, that's a pretty good day's work," Cignetti said. "They had a hard time with him. We got him the ball in open space and he took advantage."

Cooper said the last time he had a four-touchdown game was in high school. That he had 136 yards after the catch reflected practice preparation.

"We work on making a man miss after catching the ball in practice, fall camp, throughout the year," he said. "It's taking what we do in practice into the game."

The defense was just as dominant, holding the Sycamores to 77 total yards, including just 10 yards with one first down in the first half. The Hoosiers had five sacks and 16 tackles for loss.

"It was domination," defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker said. "We were attacking the line of scrimmage. We have to keep attacking it, attack it like we do everything else.

"Be disciplined, stay poised, never get too high or too low and keep working."

Cignetti said if the coaches hadn't pulled the starters early in the second half, Indiana State might have only gotten 30 yards. IU has had 30 tackles for loss in its last two games.

"We pride ourselves on making those explosive plays," linebacker Kellan Wyatt said. "It's the way we run our defense and the players we have. It's a mixture of both.

"When you have personnel like we do, you can do a lot of different things. Teams don't know how to game plan us. It's about outsmarting the opponent. I think we do a good job with that."

Running back Khobie Martin entered the game in the second half and finished with 109 yards and two touchdowns as the Hoosiers topped 300 rushing yards for the third-straight game, finishing with 301.

After Roman Hemby took the opening kickoff 34 yards, Mendoza connected on passes of 14 yards to Cooper Jr., 18 to Elijah Sarratt, and 15 to E.J. Williams to get into the red zone. Mendoza ended the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead. Center Pat Coogan kept the drive alive by recovering a fumble.

Mendoza ended the first quarter with a pair of 13-yard touchdown passes to Cooper Jr. for a 21-0 score. IU added a Nico Radicic field goal, Mendoza's 18-yard TD pass to tight end Holden Staes, a 4-yard TD pass to receiver Jonathan Brady, and a 31-yard scoring throw to Cooper Jr. for a 45-0 halftime lead.

Alberto Mendoza hit Cooper Jr. with a 58-yard touchdown pass for a 52-0 lead three minutes into the second half. IU added Mendoza's 12-yard TD pass to Brady, and Martin's 20- and 1-yard touchdown runs for the final 73-0 score.

Now, the Hoosiers can focus on Illinois -- with an extra day of preparation.

"We want to keep this momentum going that we've been building," Tucker said. "Week by week, if we keep taking that step forward, we should be good."