Saturday afternoon in Bloomington brought plenty of fanfare — and a stretch of stormy skies that led to a weather delay — but no amount of rain could cool off Curt Cignetti’s high-flying Hoosiers. Through slick turf and swirling wind, Indiana’s offense once again proved one thing: this team knows how to ball. What followed was a wet but electrifying showcase of aerial dominance that lit up the scoreboard and the Old Brass Spittoon rivalry.
Indiana cruised to a 38–13 victory over Michigan State, marking the program’s first back-to-back Spittoon wins since the late 1960s. The game started sluggishly, with just three total drives in the first 20 minutes, but once the Hoosiers found their rhythm, they were nearly unstoppable — scoring on six of their seven full possessions before running out the clock.
The passing attack was the story of the day. Indiana’s receivers torched the Spartans’ secondary, flashing speed, precision, and balance that few defenses can contain. Early on, it looked like wideout E.J. Williams would steal the spotlight, showcasing the strength and depth of Indiana’s lethal receiving trio.
“It’s very dangerous,” wide receiver Omar Cooper stated postgame. “A lot of people sleep on E.J. because of (Elijah and me), but E.J. is a really good player, and he was able to show you that today. Just the fact that it’s three of us allows us to go out there and play more free, knowing that you can’t just double-team one person because we got more weapons than you can hold.”
E.J. Williams got the Hoosiers rolling, hauling in a 13-yard strike from Fernando Mendoza for Indiana’s first touchdown of the afternoon. He set the tone early and finished with five catches for 59 yards and that opening score — another strong outing from one of the most balanced receiver groups in the Big Ten.
The trio of Williams, Omar Cooper, and Elijah Sarratt has proven week after week just how dangerous they can be. Mendoza was locked in all game long, threading passes through tight coverage and showing off the growing chemistry that defines this offense. His rapport with IU’s star wideout Sarratt continues to strengthen with every rep.
“I feel like it grows every single day at practice,” Sarratt said of his connection with Mendoza. “Just the reps we continue to get, the more our chemistry continues to get better, and I’m looking forward to (continuing) to get better at it.”
That chemistry was on full display Saturday. Sarratt finished with four receptions for 70 yards and two touchdowns, while Cooper once again flashed his explosiveness — doubling Sarratt’s catch total with eight receptions for 115 yards and a score. Tight end Riley Nowakowski also made his presence felt, adding three key receptions for 54 yards and keeping Michigan State’s defense guessing on every drive.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza continues to shine as the engine behind the Hoosiers’ offensive surge. Each week, he’s delivered with poise, precision, and command — and Saturday might have been his finest performance yet. Mendoza picked apart Michigan State’s defense, completing 24 of 28 passes for 332 yards and four touchdowns — his second-highest career total behind his 385-yard outing with Cal against Wake Forest on November 8, 2024. Simply put, Mendoza has become everything Indiana needed under center — and with the arsenal surrounding him, the ceiling only keeps rising.
“I think that it really just shows the multiplicity of our offense and how we’re able to gameplan and how we’re able to attack the defense,” Mendoza said postgame. “We’re not just a one-way street. ‘Hey, we can only do RPOs, hey, we can only do drop-back passes, hey, you can only run.’ With those receivers, we can do so many different things on our offense, which allows us to be very successful.”
Head coach Curt Cignetti echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the challenge opponents face in trying to contain Indiana’s weapons. “You can focus in on one guy,” Cignetti said, “but it’s really difficult to focus in on two.” Through eight weeks, this offense has been nothing short of electric — versatile, explosive, and increasingly difficult to stop.
Still, Cignetti’s squad knows the work isn’t done. At 7–0, the Hoosiers now turn their attention to a surging UCLA team that’s found new life since overhauling its coaching staff after an 0–4 start. Avoiding complacency will be key as Indiana looks to keep its undefeated season alive. The defense still has areas to clean up, but if the Hoosiers bring the same fire they showed on Saturday, they’ll be ready for the national spotlight when Big Noon Kickoff rolls into Bloomington on October 25.