Opponent: Wisconsin Badgers
Location: Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN
Why They Played:
For the second time since 2023 the Badgers come to Bloomington.
What The Game Meant:
On Indiana’s senior day the Hoosiers moved to 11-0 (8-0) as they continued their march to the College Football Playoff. On a day that has seen Texas A&M, USC and Michigan struggle, IU shrugged off a sleepy start to win comfortably.
Heartwork Brewing Players of the Game
Offense
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana- Despite being sacked five times, Mendoza was extremely sharp for the Hoosiers. He completed 22-24 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns. His fourth touchdown throw gave him 30 on the season which set the IU single season record.
Riley Nowakowski, TE, Indiana- Nowakowski has quietly had an exceptional season for the Hoosiers. He finished the day with four catches for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Charlie Becker, WR, Indiana- With Elijah Sarratt sitting out again it was Becker who had a big day. He made five catches for 108 yards and a touchdown.
Defense
Stephen Daley, DL, Indiana- Daley made three tackles for loss and forced a fumble that really put the game away for the Hoosiers. He has been really good since Kellan Wyatt was ruled out for the year.
Rolijah Hardy, LB, Indiana- Hardy pressured Wisconsin quarterback Carter Smith all day collecting six tackles, a sack and a QB hurry.
Wisconsin Linebackers- We talked about the Badger linebackers in our pregame coverage and they lived up to the hype. Mason Posa, Cooper Catalano and Darryl Peterson wore IU’s offensive line out. They combined for 4.5 sacks.
Special Teams Performance
The Indiana special teams were ok on Saturday. Quinn Warren kicked off well and the coverage unit was able to keep Wisconsin in check. Punter Mitch McCarthy struggled with the wind and averaged just 34.3 yards per punt. Return man Jonathan Brady returned two punts for 34 yards.
Key Stat(s)
145-23
Wisconsin had 145 yards in the first half, putting a scare into Memorial Stadium. After half time IU surrendered just 23 yards and allowed the fans to send this senior class off in style.
Turning Point
When the Hoosiers took the first possession of the second half 75 yards for a touchdown to take a 17-7 lead.
I Knew it Was Over When…
Indiana recovered a fumble deep in Wisconsin territory with 3:42 left in the third quarter.
What I take away From the Game
It was hairy for a half as IU took a half to get their fire going against Wisconsin, but from the start of the third quarter on IU dominated and headed into a much-needed bye week at 11-0 and a 15-game winning streak at home.
The game was not without its cost. IU defensive lineman Mikail Kamara did not play in the second half as he is dealing with a nagging injury and running back Kaelon Black did not play after one drive in the second half. He left the field with an injury late in the first half. Offensive lineman Kahlil Benson was replaced by Zen Michalski because a nagging leg injury rendered Benson ineffective.
I thought Wisconsin set the tone early with a long drive that ultimately did not result in points, but ate up 7:39 of the clock. Indiana took poor angles and missed a lot of tackles allowing the Badgers to get some chunk plays. That was eventually cleaned up and IU shut them down the rest of the way.
On offense the Hoosiers struggled with the Wisconsin linebackers and Badger front. Indiana allowed five sacks and seven tackles for a loss that lost a net of 33 total yards. Some of that was ineffectiveness on the offensive line and some of it was because Fernando Mendoza held on to the ball too long. Either way, it is a concern going forward as the hits on Mendoza are piling up.
When the Hoosiers did give Mendoza time and he got the ball out quickly, he picked Wisconsin apart. Mendoza set the Indiana program record for most touchdown passes in a single season with 30. Charlie Becker continued to emerge as a start with 108 yards and a touchdown catch.
Big picture wise, Saturday was very good for the Hoosiers, assuming that the injured players can return. Not only did the Hoosiers move to 11-0, they ended their home schedule undefeated for the second year in a row and saw Alabama go down and Texas A&M struggle with South Carolina. Indiana can recuperate during this week’s bye week before a Black Friday showdown for the Old Oaken Bucket. IU is in the driver’s seat for a berth into the Big Ten Championship as well.
So yeah, it’s a good day to be a Hoosier.
What’s Next
IU is 11-0 and heads into a much needed bye week before the Old Oaken Bucket Game.