Opponent: Iowa Hawkeyes
Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA
Why They Played:
The Hoosiers and Hawkeyes met for the first time since 2021.
What The Game Meant:
The Hoosiers won a game in a hostile environment and it was an important win as they now are 5-0 and have won the first two legs of this three-game stretch of really tough opponents. IU won, but Iowa dictated the game and Cignetti and his staff had some hiccups that could have cost the Hoosiers the contest.
Heartwork Brewing Players of the Game
Offense
Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana- The Hoosiers hit up Waffle House for a late afternoon snack as Sarratt broke free for a 49-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Sarratt was clutch with three fourth quarter catches totalling 103 yards. He finished the day with six catches for 132 yards.
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana– Mendoza was not his sharpest and he kind of reverted back to being uncomfortable in the pocket (more on this later), but he made the big plays when needed and his toughness rallied the team behind him. He finished the day just 13-of-23 for 233 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He ran for 26 yards (the -40 run on the safety went as a “team” rush).
Kamari Moulton, RB, Iowa- Moulton returned from injury and put up 96 total yards. He ran hard and kept the chains moving for Iowa.
Defense
Isaiah Jones, LB, Indiana– Bones Jones was all over the field for the Indiana defense and on special teams. Jones batted Iowa’s first pass in the air that resulted in an Amare Ferrell interception at the Iowa 24-yard line. He led IU with eight tackles and blocked a punt.
Louis Moore, Safety, Indiana– IU’s safeties played their best game and it’s not a coincidence that it comes after Moore was granted an injunction on his eligibility case. He played freer and decisions came easier. Moore picked off a pass and made seven tackles for the Hoosiers.
Max Llewellyn, DL, Iowa– Iowa’s defense had IU’s snap count timed up early. It was pretty obvious to anyone with eyes. Llewellyn had a sack, a forced fumble and two quarterback hurries. He made life tough for the Hoosiers offense.
Special Teams Performance
‘Teams’ as Curt Cignetti calls it was one of the big reasons IU came out with a win. Nico Radicic was cold blooded, booting a career-long 46-yard field goal into the wind right before half time and another 44-yarder into the wind in the fourth quarter to tie the game up at 13. We may have finally found his range (maybe?).
Kickoff specialist Brendan Franke kicked four touchbacks on five kickoffs with the only non-touchback kick being a squibber. He took electric return man Kayden Wetjen out of the game on kickoffs.
Wetjen did get one good punt return in with a 17-yard return that set up Iowa’s first field goal. After that Mitch McCarthy did a better job of punting the ball.
The punt block/return unit had one crucial mistake with Jonathan Brady fair catching a punt at his own three-yard line. It was a clear error, but there was an Iowa defender behind him. However, odds are if it bounces, it’s a touchback. The punt block team got a hand on another punt this week. That’s three this season (there could’ve been a couple more).
Key Stat(s)
3 for 103
Indiana wide receiver Elijah Sarratt hauled in three passes for 103 yards and a score in the fourth quarter.
Turning Point
There were five inflection points to this game. The field goal right before half time to tie the score at 10. The hard hit on Fernando Mendoza, which multiple players and Cignetti said galvanized the team. The injury to Gronowski didn’t help Iowa. There was the missed field goal (and the incomplete pass before it) that kept the game tied at 13 and then there was the Sarratt 49-yard touchdown. Each moment defined the game and it is really difficult to pick just one.
I Knew it Was Over When…
Fernando Mendoza ran back to the end zone for a safety to run out the clock.
What I take away From the Game
Kinnick Stadium is where title dreams go to die and Indiana’s were almost extinguished in familiar fashion. Iowa worked their game plan to perfection by limiting possessions and chewing up the clock. Indiana was “spooked” by an early sack and may have been the reason IU got off their game plan.
“The first pass we threw the right guard got beat and got smoked. Four-man rush, sack, third down and two and a half. That kind of spooked everybody, I think.” Cignetti said post game.
The concern here is that they got spooked. One early play, the same thing happened against Illinois, should not dictate how aggressive the playcalling will be the rest of the game. IU had a clear advantage in the passing game and when they gave Mendoza some time, he got the job done. The lack of aggressiveness just did not sit well with me. For IU to win at Oregon in two weeks, they can not get off their game like that.
Early on the defense played too soft in zone coverage, maybe an adjustment with All-American D’Angelo Ponds not being able to play because of an injury. Iowa used the middle of the field to go 4-of-8 on third downs in the first half and controlled the ball that way. Overall, I thought the defense played and held up very well. Ryland Gandy got the start and drew compliments from Aiden Fisher after the game.
This was a game that may have triggered some IU fans’ PTSD. There were misfires that have not been common in the Cignetti Era. A delay of game coming off a kickoff, a wasted time out with six seconds left in the third quarter (that favor was returned by Ferentz and a dumb pass call late) and a lack of creativity in short yardage situations. IU just didn’t look like the better coached team on Saturday in certain situations.
The Hoosiers now have two weeks to get ready for Oregon (as do the Ducks) and there is a long list of things IU needs to work on, including finding a new way to snap the ball when it’s loud. If you think Iowa was loud, and it was, Autzen is probably the loudest stadium in the Big Ten if not the country even if it sits under 65,000 people. IU cannot survive by using the same silent count. It doomed them at Ohio State last year and it could have doomed them on Saturday.
What’s Next
IU enters the bye week at 5-0. They will travel to Oregon who should at least be in the top five, if not higher, on October 11th.