It wasn’t pretty — but it was unforgettable. The Hoosiers are heading into the bye week 5-0, tied atop the Big Ten with Oregon, and leaving Iowa City with something they haven’t had in nearly two decades: a win at Kinnick Stadium. The last time Indiana pulled it off was 2007. On Saturday night, the drought ended in the most dramatic way possible.
“Somebody asked me after the game what we’ll remember from this game,” head coach Curt Cignetti said. “I’ll remember Sarratt running towards the end zone that’s what I’ll remember.”
It was a gritty matchup from start to finish, with neither offense able to break free. By the fourth quarter, it felt like the game would come down to a single mistake — or a single play. Tied 13-13, Iowa lined up for a go-ahead field goal with just about two minutes left. The Hawkeyes had the ball at the IU 24 and the home crowd waiting in anticipation, ready to watch Indiana’s unbeaten run collapse. In a crazy turn of events, kicker Drew Stevens, missed the 42-yard field goal attempt. That miss cracked the door open. And Elijah Sarratt blew it off its hinges.
With time running out, Indiana needed a spark. Omar Cooper Jr. provided the first jolt with a 24-yard grab to move the chains. Then, facing 3rd-and-10 and a full Iowa blitz, quarterback Fernando Mendoza dropped back and fired. Elijah “Waffle House” Sarratt snagged it, shrugged off a tackle, and turned upfield. Forty-nine yards later, he was in the end zone, silencing Kinnick and sealing Indiana’s 20-13 victory.
“I was hyped. I was ready to yell while I was running,” Sarratt said after the game. “I saw that it was cover zero. Fernando put it in a perfect spot and then I was just able to break a tackle and score for my guys. It was a great moment for sure.”
It was a phenomenal moment — one Indiana fans won’t forget anytime soon. On a weekend when several Top 10 teams struggled on the road, the Hoosiers found a way to survive, and quarterback Fernando Mendoza wouldn’t have scripted it any differently.
“How else would we rather have it?” Mendoza said postgame. “Obviously we want to win by a ton of points like we did [against] Illinois. But when the game is coming down to wire and I’m able to throw a game-winning touchdown to my guy Elijah, that’s what college football is all about.”
For Sarratt, moments like this are becoming routine. The star wideout torched Iowa’s defense, catching six of his eight targets for 132 yards and the game-winning touchdown. His yards after the catch were staggering — 92 of his 132 — a testament to his strength and speed in the open field. Since arriving in Bloomington in 2024, he’s been nothing short of electric.
“He’s an unbelievable person and an even better player,” linebacker Aiden Fisher said about his trusty teammate. “He just does everything right and does it the right way. He’s a great teammate, a great leader. In moments like that he embraces it. There’s just not a lot that surprises me with him anymore. Just such a good football player and a great person that deserves everything that comes his way.”
Sarratt continues to lead the team in receptions with 30 and has piled up 388 yards and six touchdowns this season — tied with Omar Cooper Jr. for most receiving scores on the roster. His dominance has been a game-changer for an Indiana team rewriting its history books under Curt Cignetti.
With Saturday’s win, the Hoosiers are 5-0 for the second straight year — a first in program history. Cignetti himself is now 16-2 since taking over in Bloomington, and his squad enters the bye week with momentum, confidence, and a chance to heal. But rest will be short-lived. Waiting on the other side is a Top 10 showdown in one of college football’s most hostile venues: Autzen Stadium. After silencing Kinnick, the Hoosiers will try to do the same in Eugene when they battle the undefeated Oregon Ducks.