How it Happened: No. 7 Indiana secures signature win at No. 3 Oregon

For the first time in the Curt Cignetti era, the Hoosiers have a signature win against a top-five opponent.

No. 7 Indiana defeated No. 3 Oregon 30-20 inside Autzen Stadium, as all three phases of the game came together to pull off the upset in the Pacific Northwest. The defense set the tone early and closed the game out late, while the offense was key in responding each and every time it faced adversity.

Indiana outgained Oregon 326-267, with Fernando Mendoza throwing for 215 yards and the rushing attack contributing 111 more. Roman Hemby was the leading rusher on the day with 70 yards, adding two touchdowns as well.

The final Indiana touchdown was scored by Elijah Sarratt, who totaled 121 to lead the Hoosiers in receiving.

This win not only moves Indiana to 6-0 and 3-0 in Big Ten play, but it cements the Hoosiers as one of college football’s elite. It was a special moment for these coaches, players and fans who made the trip out to Eugene, and with that, here’s how it happened.

Defense sets the tone in first half

At the conclusion of the first half, Indiana found itself ahead, and that was largely due to the success the Hoosiers’ defensive front had in the first 30 minutes.

IU had three sacks and four tackles for loss entering the half — astonishing numbers considering Oregon had allowed just one sack in its first five games. The linebacking trio of Isaiah Jones, Aiden Fisher and Rolijah Hardy was making plays left and right, but they weren’t the only defensive group that had a great start.

The defensive line was impressive throughout the first 30 minutes as well. Mario Landino, Tyrique Tucker and Kellan Wyatt were all heavily involved, while Mikail Kamara maintained an always-effective presence.

The Hoosiers weren’t exceptionally dominant, as the Ducks were still able to generate a few solid drives, but when you factor in what Oregon’s offense has done to other teams, it was a great start that set the tone for an early Indiana lead.

IU’s defense did experience one hiccup in the first quarter — a blown coverage that allowed for an easy 44-yard touchdown connection from Moore to Malik Benson. Other than that, the defense surrendered just three points in the first half, a performance that Indiana was surely delighted with.

Hoosiers keep responding on offense

In a back-and-forth game, responding is key, and Indiana did a sensational job of that all afternoon long. On each of Indiana’s scoring drives, it either responded to an Oregon score or took advantage of a situation that called for a response.

Following a turnover on downs on the first series of the ballgame, Indiana responded with a Nico Radicic field goal. After the 44-yard score that got the crowd going, the Hoosiers went down the field and scored a touchdown of their own. After Atticus Sappington missed a 36-yarder right before the half, Indiana used the last 40 seconds to go down and get into field goal range. Brendan Franke was able to hit the 58-yarder, giving IU a 13-10 game headed into the half.

This continued into the second half as well. When Oregon tied the game at 13 with a Sappington field goal, Mendoza led the offense 75 yards down the field to take a seven-point lead. The Hoosiers were multifaceted, with both the pass and run game working all the way to the end zone, where Hemby punched in the score from two yards out.

After taking the lead, though, Mendoza and the offense made a game-changing mistake. Indiana’s quarterback severely underthrew E.J. Williams, resulting in an Oregon pick-six. The game was evened up at 20, but Indiana just kept responding.

On the ensuing drive, Mendoza brushed off the interception and led Indiana down the field unfazed. On a critical third-and-goal situation from the 8-yard line, he placed a ball perfectly in Sarratt’s hands for the score.

That secured a 27-20 lead for IU, and it never looked back. The Hoosiers played a great football game, but there might not have been a better quality about them than their ability to respond against the Ducks.

Indiana finishes with two key takeaways

When Indiana took a 27-20 lead with 6:23 to go, it was hardly over. Oregon had all the time in the world to tie or win the game, but the Hoosiers’ defensive execution was just too much for the Ducks to handle.

On the second play of Oregon’s drive following the Sarratt score, Louis Moore intercepted Dante Moore’s pass after it was tipped by Stephen Daley, giving Indiana the ball deep in the Ducks’ territory.

It was an impressive play all around — with the combination of the tip at the line of scrimmage and the catch by safety Moore, you couldn’t have asked for a better response from the Hoosiers’ defense after the offense took the lead.

IU converted a field goal to take a two-score lead, but the defense wasn’t done making big plays in the closing minutes. That’s because Jones picked off a Moore pass on the first play of the ensuing Oregon drive.

Indiana’s defense was sound from start to finish, but when it mattered most, it came up with two game-sealing plays that allowed the Hoosiers to pull off the 30-20 upset of Oregon at Autzen Stadium.

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