Rejuvenated Doesn’t Mean Ready as #2 Excel H Sports Ranked Hoosiers Defense Dominates the Bruins 

Written by; Nick Jenkinson, Senior Writer/Excel H Sports

Photos by: Eric Thieszen, Thieszen Photo Creations/Excel H Sports

    The #2 Excel H Sports Ranked Indiana Hoosiers continue to show their dominance early and often handling the UCLA Bruins 56-6 Saturday afternoon before a sold-out crowd on Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium. Indiana is 8-0 on the season and 5-0 in the Big Ten. Curt Cignetti is now 19-2 at IU 13-1 in the Big Ten and 14-0 at Home and has won 19 of his 21 games by double digits.

     Indiana will travel to Maryland Next Saturday and will play three of its final four games on the road traveling to Penn State and Purdue and hosting Wisconsin at home as the Hoosiers continue their path toward the Big Ten Championship Game December 6, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and potential showdown with #1 Excel H Sports Ranked Ohio State if both teams remain unbeaten and a top four seed in the College Football Playoff still in play.

   UCLA is 3-5 on the season and 3-2 in the Big Ten and have a week off before they host the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Rose Bowl on November 8. The Bruins have been a rejuvenated team under Interim Head Coach Tim Skipper winning three games in a row, but the Bruins were not ready for what Indiana was going to unleash on Quarterback Nico Iamaleva at the start of the game.

   UCLA got the ball first and on the first play from scrimmage Indiana brought the Blitz and Iamaleva was brought down for a loss of two yards by Rolijah Hardy and Tyrique Tucker. The next play Iamaleva was picked off by Aiden Fisher who ran it back 25 yards to give the Hoosiers its first pick six of the season to give the Hoosiers a 7-0 lead 57 seconds into the game.

   Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza threw his third interception of the season when Scooter Jackson got in the passing lane and took it the other way that was one of the few bright spots on the day for the Bruins. Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti was concerned that the Bruins who love to run the fake punt and have been successful the last couple weeks would give it a try, and the Hoosiers must be ready for it. On a fourth down and seven at the Indiana 41-yard line UCLA ran the reverse as Mikey Matthews was pressured by the Hoosier defense and threw an incomplete pass to Hudson Habermhel, and the Hoosiers took over on downs.

   The Hoosiers scored on the next three drives as Roman Hemby scored two rushing touchdowns and Fernando Mendoza found Elijah Sarratt on a 1-yard touchdown pass as the Hoosiers led 28-0 with 8:55 left in the second quarter. Sarratt extended his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 46 and has scored a touchdown in the Hoosiers’ last five games. Indiana caused a Bruins fumble when Jalen Berger was stuffed for no gain and Isaiah Jones forced the fumble and Hosea Wheeler recovered the ball.

   The Bruins got on the board with 1:55 left in the second quarter when Matteen Bhaghani kicked a 44-yard field goal to trail 28-3. Indiana scored with 17 seconds left before halftime when Fernando Mendoza found E.J Williams Jr. on a 2-yard throw for his second touchdown pass of the first half as the Hoosiers led 35-3 at halftime. Indiana scored four of its six drives in the first half and only punted once.

   The Hoosiers continued to dominate in the second half as they scored on three straight possessions. Fernando Mendoza ran it from 20 yards out followed by E.J. Williams Jr’s second touchdown reception of the game when Mendoza found him wide open from 62 yards out. Alberto Mendoza replaced his older brother at quarterback towards the end of the third quarter and decided that if big brother can score a touchdown, then little brother can score a touchdown as well and 11:11 left in the fourth quarter the younger Mendoza scored on a 4-yard touchdown play. Matten Bhaghani added a second field goal with 30 seconds to go in the third quarter.

    Devan Boykin picked off Nico Iamaleva for the second time today. Alberto Mendoza was picked off by Key Lawrence in the fourth quarter. Indiana scored 7 of its 10 drives and the Hoosier Defense had 2 interceptions, a fumble, 3 sacks and 6 tackles for loss. The Hoosiers offensive line did not allow a sack and only allowed 1 tackle for loss. Indiana leads the all-time series with UCLA 2-0 and has outscored the Bruins 98-13.

 

    Fernando Mendoza completed 15 of his 22 passes for 163 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception along 5 carries for 45 yards and a rushing touchdown. Alberto Mendoza finished 4 of 7 for 45 yards passing an interception along with 4 carries for 39 yards and a rushing touchdown.

    Roman Hemby finished with 81 yards rushing on 17 carries with 2 touchdowns. Kaleon Black had 10 carries for 70 yards as Indiana had 263 yards rushing on 46 carries and 4 touchdowns. E.J. Williams Jr caught 5 passes for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Mendoza brothers finished the day with a combined 19-29 for 213 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, finding 10 different receivers.

 

    Nico Iamaleva finished the game 13-27 for 113 yards passing and 2 interceptions and was sacked three times. Anthony Frias II had 6 carries for 31 yards, and the Bruins were held to 88 yards rushing on six carries. Rico Flores Jr. caught 4 passes for 50 yards, and seven different Bruins caught a pass. Indiana dominated the game with 475 yards of total offense and held the Burins to 201. The Hoosiers controlled the clock controlling the ball for 35 minutes and 34 seconds. UCLA had the ball for 24 minutes and 26 seconds.

   The Hoosiers continue to dominate on both sides the ball in eight games Indiana has outscored their opponents 307-87 and have not allowed more than 20 points in a game this season and have held their opponents to ten points or less four times. The Hoosiers are on a mission as this is the second straight year they have started a season 8-0 and their overall along with 1967.

   As for UCLA what began as very rough start firing Head Coach Deshaun Foster after three games and then lost at Northwestern with Tim Skipper taking over turned into an great three week run knocking off Penn State, Michigan State and Maryland brought some juice back into the program but on this Saturday Afternoon in Bloomington the Bruins ran into a machine that is the Indiana Hoosiers Football Team and the Machine that is Indiana Hoosiers led by Head Coach Curt Cignetti keeps on rolling down the tracks headed toward the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff and has no plans of a derailing off the tracks.