No. 2 Indiana ends UCLA's fairy tale in 56-6 rout

The FOX “Big Noon Kickoff” broadcast aired a pregame segment depicting second-ranked, undefeated Indiana in the role of Rocky Balboa. But the Hoosiers, a clear juggernaut midway through newly extended head coach Curt Cignetti’s second season, looked a lot more like Ivan Drago against UCLA and its recent Cinderella story.

Six days before Halloween — and well before the first half was finished Saturday — midnight came calling and it was back to a pumpkin.

All of the Bruins’ tricks and improvements the past month under interim head coach Tim Skipper were snuffed out and set back early and often, as the fundamentally sound Hoosiers produced five first-half touchdowns and handed them a 56-6, wire-to-wire loss at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.

UCLA (3-5, 3-2 Big Ten), which had its three-game winning streak stopped, trailed 14-0 through one quarter and struggled to protect quarterback Nico Iamaleava from the outset. The redshirt sophomore completed just one of his first six passes, was intercepted and sacked twice in the opening 15 minutes.

Iamaleava finished 13 of 27 for 113 yards and no touchdowns with two interceptions. He was sacked three times

Indiana (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) owned a 110-9 advantage in total offense after the first quarter. For the game, the Hoosiers outgained the Bruins 475-201.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza was 15-of-22 passing for 168 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. He added 45 yards rushing and an additional score before exiting at the end of the third quarter.

Hoosiers running back Roman Hemby ran for 81 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. As a team, Indiana gashed UCLA for 263 yards on the ground and four scores.

Turning point of the game

It took just 57 seconds for Iamaleava to get sacked and then throw a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown to Indiana All-American linebacker Aiden Fisher.

After the Bruins went three-and-out on the ensuing drive, the defense provided some brief hope. Defensive tackle Keanu Williams pressured Mendoza, allowing defensive back Scooter Jackson to collect the interception.

But UCLA was unable to capitalize, coming up empty on a special teams trick play that has been a signature for the team since Skipper took over the program.

Defensive back Cole Martin, who has successfully executed a pair of fake punts this season, handed off to slot receiver Mikey Matthews on a fourth-and-7. Matthews’ pass intended for tight end Hudson Habermehl fell incomplete, and Indiana took over on its own 41-yard line with 8:06 left in the first quarter.

The Hoosiers then scored touchdowns on their next three possessions to take a 28-0 lead with 8:44 left in the half.

All the Bruins could muster in the first half was a 44-yard field goal from kicker Mateen Bhaghani — on a drive marred by an unsportsmanlike penalty — before heading into the locker down 35-3.

UCLA standout on offense: QB Nico Iamaleava

Yes, the idea of a standout in such a dominating loss is a bit difficult to identify, but the Tennessee transfer continued to show he has no quit in him.

Trailing 49-3 late in the third, Iamaleava escaped the clutches of a sack on fourth-and-1, rolled back to his left, stepped up and was met by an Indiana defender while throwing, and still managed to complete an 18-yard throw to wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. Two plays later, Iamaleava refused to slide and took a strong hit at the end of a 19-yard scramble.

The drive ended in a 30-yard field goal from Bhaghani to pull within 49-6.

It was just a surprise Iamaleava remained in the game well into the fourth quarter.

UCLA standout on defense: DB Scooter Jackson

His second interception in as many games was about the only bright spot for a defense that was simply overmatched.

Safety Key Lawrence added an interception of his own, but the Bruins were trailing by 50 in the final minutes of the contest. Lawrence also finished with seven tackles.

Why UCLA lost

For starters, Indiana is the lone team in the top five in scoring and points allowed for a reason.

The Bruins’ lack of depth along the offensive line particularly showed, and it was exacerbated by the absence of starting left guard Eugene Brooks.

Yutaka Mahe started in place of Brooks, who was listed as questionable on the pregame availability report, and he lasted all of one drvie. Oluwafunto Akinshilo promptly replaced Mahe after Iamaleava was sacked and threw the pick-six on the game’s first two plays.

Left tackle Courtland Ford continued to struggle protecting Iamaleava, too.

UCLA reverted to a team that couldn’t get out of its own way. It racked up eight penalties for 83 yards, with all but one coming in the first half.

The defense was flagged six times. A week after producing 13 pass break-ups, the Bruins were called for pass interference on three occasions and disrupted just six passes.

Tackling was the other issue, with Mendoza running untouched on a 20-yard touchdown to open the second half and other instances where UCLA defenders failed to wrap up or were dragged along for extra yardage. Mendoza’s younger brother, Alberto, even ran freely on a 26-yard fourth-quarter run on a scoring drive that he finished off with a 4-yard rushing touchdown.