How it Happened: No. 2 Indiana slaughters UCLA 56-6

Indiana got the better of UCLA as part of Big Noon Kickoff, with the Hoosiers defeating the Bruins 56-6 behind an impressive showing from all three phases of IU’s game.

From the very first play from scrimmage, the defensive front swarmed Nico Iamaleava and applied extreme pressure with its front seven. On offense, Indiana was phenomenal once again, with the Hoosiers totaling 475 yards to the Bruins’ 201.

Fernando Mendoza passed for 168 yards on 15-for-22 passing, while the rushing attack contributed 262 total yards, with Roman Hemby’s 80 finishing as the highest individual total.

Both Hemby and E.J. Williams scored two touchdowns in the ballgame, with Mendoza contributing four total scores — three in the air and one on the ground.

When you put it all together, Indiana improved to 8-0 on the season, while UCLA fell to 3-5. The Hoosiers’ path to the Big Ten Championship Game got a little bit shorter with the win, but before we get ahead of ourselves, here’s how it happened on a cloudy day at Memorial Stadium.

Defense dominates early and often

From the opening play from scrimmage, Indiana’s defense was simply too much for the UCLA offense to handle.

On the Bruins’ first drive of the ballgame, the first play resulted in a sack, while the second play was a pick-six thrown by Iamaleava to Aiden Fisher. The Indiana linebacker took it 25 yards to the house, giving the Hoosiers a 7-0 lead — but also all the momentum in the world.

Memorial Stadium was buzzing, and the Indiana defense rode that momentum for the rest of the afternoon. The defensive line was particularly active, as the Hoosiers were dominant at the line of scrimmage throughout the first half.

IU totaled three sacks and six tackles for loss while allowing just 41 yards on the ground in the first two quarters. Defensive linemen Tyrique Tucker and Stephen Daley, alongside linebackers Isaiah Jones and Rolijah Hardy, were key, as the defensive front embodied their fast, physical and relentless mantra.

In the second half, it was more of the same, with the front seven putting pressure on Iamaleava while the rush defense continued to be excellent, allowing just 47 yards on the ground in the final 30 minutes.

When it was all said and done, Indiana’s defense put on an absolute clinic. You could argue that this was the most dominant Bryant Haines’ crew has been all season long, with the six points it allowed coupled with the constant pressure it applied all game long.

Defense wins championships, but here, it allowed for an emphatic IU victory over UCLA.

Offense has another impressive showing behind rushing attack

On the offensive side of the ball, the Hoosiers were impressive once again. After the defense put Indiana on the board just two plays in, the offense didn’t hesitate to fill the scoreboard with touchdown after touchdown throughout the game.

Mendoza wasn’t as prolific a passer as he was a week ago, but he put together a first half with two passing touchdowns, with two more coming via Hemby on the ground.

The running game set the tone for the offense against UCLA, which was in contrast to the past few games with how well Mendoza has been throwing the ball. Indiana combined for 129 rushing yards, with Hemby and Kaelon Black leading the way.

Mendoza also got involved in the run game, even rushing for a 20-yard touchdown in the second half. He totaled 45 yards on the ground to complement the fantastic play by the running backs.

Fernando’s day was done after three quarters, as Alberto Mendoza took over at QB for the final 15 minutes, with the backup contributing a rushing touchdown of his own in the fourth quarter. After that, Indiana coasted to the 56-6 win, with Mendoza watching on the sideline with a smile on his face as his brother was in at QB.

Indiana sees a few players exit throughout game

Throughout Indiana’s dominant victory, there appeared to be a few injury situations, with a couple of Hoosiers missing time after being sidelined.

On the opening kickoff, Brendan Franke appeared to slip, resulting in a low, squib-like kick. Franke didn’t appear for the rest of the contest, with Quinn Warren taking over kickoff duties for the remainder of the game.

The defensive side of the ball saw two key players exit during the ballgame. In the second quarter, Mikail Kamara briefly went to the sideline for what appeared to be the same upper-body issue that he’s been nursing for a few weeks now.

Fisher also exited the game in the first half with what was reported as a knee injury. The Indiana linebacker never returned to action on Saturday, but he was seen walking the sidelines sporting a brace on his left leg. In Curt Cignetti’s halftime interview on FOX, Cignetti told Jenny Taft that Fisher was being held out for precautionary reasons.

In addition to those who were sidelined during the game, defensive lineman Kellan Wyatt was listed as out due to an injury he suffered last week. He wasn’t among those in the “out for season” category, opening the door for a possible return in 2025.

When more information becomes available on the status of those who appeared to be dealing with injuries, we’ll have you covered at TheHoosier.com.

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