#24 Excel H Sports Ranked Hoosiers take the Sycamores to the Woodshed 

By Nick Jenkinson/Excel H Sports

      The #24 Excel H Sports Ranked Indiana Hoosiers tied a program record, scoring 45 first half points as the Hoosiers demolished the Indiana State Sycamores 73-0 Friday Night on Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium. The seventy-three (73) points, tie the most points Indiana has scored on Indiana State in their eight all-time meetings as the Hoosiers beat the Sycamores 73-35 on August 29, 2013.

      Indiana shuts out Indiana State for the second time and the first since a 31-0 win on August 29, 1925, as all eight meetings have been in Bloomington. The Hoosiers are 3-0, closing out the non-conference portion of the schedule and will open Big Ten Conference Play next Saturday night at home as Excel H Sports #9 Illinois comes to town, in a game that will be televised by NBC.

     The Hoosiers scored on their first seven drives in the first half and on the eighth drive they ran two plays and went into the locker room with a 45-0 halftime lead.  Indiana had 383 first half yards and held Indiana State to 10 total yards. Fernando Mendoza went 19-20 for 270 yards and threw five touchdown passes and ran for a touchdown.

     Mendoza completed his first 14 passes and found Omar Cooper Jr. three times in the end zone. Cooper Jr. had 9 receptions for 149 yards. The Hoosiers had 113 yards on the ground and held the Sycamores to zero rushing yards. Indiana had 19 first downs to one for Indiana State.

 

   Indiana State punted five times and turned the ball over on downs twice in the first half. Quarterback Keegan Patterson was sacked three times all on third downs with Tyrique Tucker, Stephen Jones and Isaiah Jones all getting their hands on Patterson. Indiana State went for it on a fourth down after a five-yard offsides penalty gave the Sycamores the ball at the 32-yard line.

      Punter Harry Traum took it himself and Stephen Daley stopped him for a one-yard loss. Indiana State faced fourth and one at the Indiana State 45-yard line as Kellen Wyatt put the pressure on Keegan Patterson and threw an incomplete pass turning the ball over on down for the second time.

     Alberto Mendoza started the second half at quarterback for the Hoosiers, and he found Omar Cooper Jr on a 58-yard touchdown pass with 11:51 left in the third quarter as Cooper Jr scored his fourth touchdown of the night. Mario Landino sacked Keegan Patterson and Indiana State had punt for the second time in the third quarter.

     Indiana scored when Alberto Mendoza found Jonathan Brady on a 12-yard touchdown pass which was Brady’s second touchdown of the game after Fernando Mendoza found him on a 4-yard touchdown with 5:03 left in the second quarter. Brady and Cooper Jr. are the only two players in College Football History to catch a pass from a pair of brothers and they do it in the same game.

     Copper Jr tied James Hardy’s record of four touchdown receptions in a game Hardy did in 2006 against Michigan State. Copper Jr finished with 10 catches for 207 yards which is the 7th most receiving yards in program history. Holden Staes and Khobie Martin scored their first touchdowns and Hoosiers and Nico Radicic added a 25-yard field goal.

       Brock Riddle replaced Patterson at quarterback for Indiana State, and he went 3-4 passing for 25 yards and was sacked by William Depapae for the Hoosiers fifth sack of the game. Khobie Martin scored his second touchdown of the game with 2:18 left in the fourth quarter.

       Alberto Mendoza completed six of his nine passes for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns. Grant Wilson who transferred from Old Dominion threw one pass for 5 yards. The three Hoosier Quarterbacks combine for 379 yards passing with 7 touchdown passes completing 26 of 30 passes with no interceptions and finding nine different receivers.

       Khobie Martin led the rushing attack with 11 carries for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Hoosiers ran the ball 37 times for 301 yards and three touchdowns using 7 different ball carriers. Indiana scored 11 of 13 drives and punted one time in the fourth quarter.

       Indiana State is 2-1 on the season and finished with 77 total yards. Keegan Patterson was 8-16 with 13 yards. Angelo St. Louis was the leading rusher with 5 carries for 22 yards as the Sycamores ran the ball 31 times for 39 yards. Keshon Singelton caught 1 pass for 17 yards and Zack Dwady Jr caught 3 passes for 12 yards. Indiana State had five first downs, 2-14 on third down conversions and 0-2 in fourth down conversion. Indiana State ran 51 plays and had the ball for 26 minutes and 24 seconds.

      The Sycamores punted on 10 of their 13 drives. Indiana State Head Coach Curt Mallory returned to Bloomington as the Hoosiers honored three bowl teams his father Bill Mallory coached. The 1990 Peach Bowl, 1991 Cooper Bowl and the 1993 Independence Bowl were all honored. For the Sycamores they travel to FCS Power Montana next week.

      For Indiana even though the scored showed it was a good performance it was not a “Clean Game” that Hoosier Head Coach Curt Cignetti was hoping for the Hoosiers had 6 penalties for 45 yards and Center Pat Coogan recovered a fumble that Kaelon Black coughed up. The Hoosiers still did what they were supposed to do, which was dominate the game and get ready for a big one next week when Illinois comes to town.