Fernando Mendoza, Elijah Sarratt deliver late as Indiana wins ugly in Iowa City

When Elijah Sarratt crossed the goal line with 88 seconds left, Fernando Mendoza didn’t celebrate with a fist pump or a sprint toward his receiver. Instead, the Indiana quarterback clasped his hands, looked skyward and exhaled as if a prayer had been answered.

For nearly four quarters Saturday, Iowa’s defense had battered him, hurried him and finally cracked him with his first interception of the season. But with the game tied and the Hoosiers needing a spark, Mendoza launched a pass into the teeth of a house blitz. Sarratt slipped one tackle, turned upfield and sprinted 49 yards for the go-ahead score that sealed No. 11 Indiana’s 20-15 win — its first in Iowa City since 2007.

The moment belonged to Sarratt, who turned a five-yard catch into a highlight that silenced Kinnick Stadium. But it was Mendoza’s release from a collapsing pocket — one final gamble after an uneven day — that transformed a grinding performance into a defining one.

“It was a great moment for sure,” Sarratt said postgame.

Until then, Indiana hadn’t faced a test like this in more than a year. Its rise under head coach Curt Cignetti had been defined by dominance, blowout wins and few moments of doubt.

But Kinnick was hostile from the start, and Iowa’s defense made Mendoza look human. He completed just 13 passes — as many incompletions as he had over the previous three weeks combined — and afterward called his performance “very sub-par.”

“It was a tough game and I did not play my best,” Mendoza said. “I need to get my receivers the ball more accurately. I kind of retracted to some old habits. However, I will do anything to help the team win.”

SEE ALSO: Inspired Hoosiers battle back in win over Iowa: ‘We’re all in this together’

Indiana trailed in the fourth quarter for the first time this season after Iowa’s Drew Stevens drilled a 54-yard field goal to give Iowa a 13-10 lead. Indiana kicker Nico Radicic tied it moments later, but Mendoza’s interception set the Hawkeyes up deep in Hoosier territory with just over two minutes left. That should have ended it.

Instead, backup quarterback Hank Brown overthrew a third-down screen, and Stevens hooked a 41-yard field goal. Indiana had life.

Pat Coogan, the veteran center who transferred from Notre Dame, felt the weight of the moment in the huddle.

“We haven’t been tested like that,” Coogan said. “It’s Week 5, and we truly got tested. We truly ran into adversity. We truly had to rally together … It was a gut check moment, and we stepped up to the plate.”

A few plays later, Indiana dialed up its answer.

“They had house blitzed the play before, meaning they’re bringing one more than you can block,” Cignetti said. “So we went to our seven-man protection.”

Sarratt saw the opening.

“I saw the safety come up to blitz and I just knew I had to speed up my route and flatten it out a little bit,” he said.

Mendoza delivered, and the rest was Sarratt’s strength, speed and a stadium gone silent.

“When we needed the play to be made, Mendoza made the throw and Sarratt made the catch,” Cignetti said. “It was a great road win. I’m very proud of the team and players.”

MORE: Coach Q&A: Curt Cignetti reacts to Indiana’s Week 5 win over Iowa

The Hoosiers still needed to finish it though. Iowa crossed midfield, but four straight incompletions ended the threat. On the game’s final play, Mendoza retreated into his own end zone and conceded a safety to drain the last seconds. It was awkward, almost anticlimactic, but effective — the final reminder that this win was about survival, not style.

“I think we did a great job bouncing back, being relentless, being resilient through a lot of ups and downs in this game,” linebacker Aiden Fisher said. “A lot of things didn’t go our way, some things did. I just think everybody did a great job keeping their composure, keeping their head down, just working and ultimately, making the plays that matter at the end.”

Indiana finished with 337 total yards, well below its season average, and failed on all three fourth-down attempts. But those shortcomings only made the victory sweeter. Last fall, the Hoosiers faltered in similar spots against Ohio State and Notre Dame. This time, they endured.

“For us to be able to be in that, to be trailing and to be able to fight back and win is very important,” Sarratt said. “Because we know it’s going to be times like that in the future. So I’m glad we were able to pull through.”

When Sarratt scored, Mendoza lifted his eyes to the sky. For one play, at least, the prayers of a battered quarterback and a program searching for another defining moment in a new era were answered.

Not yet a member of TheHoosier?  Join our community for Just $1 for your first week and get a complimentary year of The Athletic included with your membership. Join here!

Use the code “IND20” on Rhoback.com for a generous 20% off for all new customers through the end of this week. Rhoback — Best Fit, Best Feel.