How a 73-0 blowout unfolded in Bloomington
On a crisp Friday night in Bloomington, the scoreboard kept climbing until it felt surreal: 73-0. No. 19/22 Indiana throttled Indiana State in front of 46,219 fans at Memorial Stadium, closing non-conference play at 3-0 and sending a clear message before Big Ten games arrive. For Indiana football, this was a statement of pace, precision, and depth.
The tone was set by quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who delivered the kind of first half coaches dream about. He completed 19 of 20 passes for 270 yards with five touchdown throws, and he added a seven-yard rushing score. That 95% completion clip set a program record for single-game completion percentage, and the five TD passes tied for the third-most in a game in program history. He made quick decisions, threw on time, and spread the ball without forcing anything.
With the game well in hand by halftime, Mendoza handed the keys to his brother, Alberto, in the second half. The backup kept the rhythm, going 6 of 9 for 104 yards and two touchdowns. The handoff between the two didn’t change the tempo or the intent: Indiana kept stacking drives, finishing possessions, and keeping the defense fresh.
Wideout Omar Cooper Jr. was the prime beneficiary. He found soft spots in the secondary and finished with four touchdown catches, including three before the break. The route variety stood out — slants, fades, and crossers — the kind of mix that shows timing work from August is already paying off in September.
Indiana didn’t need to lean on the run, but the ground game still cashed in. Running back Khobie Martin punched in two second-half rushing touchdowns behind a line that kept pushing the pile. When the night ended, the Hoosiers had piled up 680 yards of total offense and held the ball 33:37 to 26:23. The play-calling stayed balanced enough to keep Indiana State off-kilter, and the tempo never wavered.
Defensively, it was a suffocation job from start to finish. Indiana held Indiana State to just 77 total yards — 39 on the ground and 38 through the air — while forcing 10 punts. The front seven lived in the backfield with 16 tackles for loss and five sacks, rotating fresh bodies without losing edge. Linebacker Isaiah Jones led the hit parade with 2.5 TFLs, and 12 different defenders recorded at least a share of a TFL, which tells you how wide the disruption spread.
Third-down stress, early-down penetration, and sure tackling kept the Sycamores off schedule all night. Five total first downs and 1.5 yards per play will win you any defensive meeting room the next morning. Indiana State never found rhythm, and the few times a play seemed to open up, backside pursuit cleaned it up.
Head coach Curt Cignetti didn’t waste the second half. With a 45-0 cushion at the break — built on touchdowns on six of seven first-half possessions — he rolled through the depth chart. Second- and third-team players got real snaps, not just cameos, and the standard stayed high. That matters long-term in a Big Ten season that tests bodies and depth charts.
Even in a rout, the clean execution stood out. The quarterbacks protected the ball, receivers finished plays, and the defense swarmed without losing contain. Special teams fed the script with field position and clean operation, and the sideline energy never dipped.
- Score: Indiana 73, Indiana State 0
- Attendance: 46,219 at Memorial Stadium, Bloomington
- Fernando Mendoza: 19/20, 270 yards, 5 TD; 1 rushing TD; program single-game completion percentage record
- Alberto Mendoza: 6/9, 104 yards, 2 TD
- Omar Cooper Jr.: 4 receiving TDs (3 in the first half)
- Team offense: 680 total yards; time of possession 33:37
- Team defense: 77 total yards allowed (39 rush, 38 pass), 10 punts forced, 16 TFLs, 5 sacks
- Isaiah Jones: 2.5 TFLs
- Sycamores: 5 first downs; 1.5 yards per play
- Indiana: touchdowns on six of seven first-half drives; led 45-0 at halftime
This was the eighth all-time meeting between the programs, and it looked like two teams on different timelines. Indiana played like a ranked group fine-tuning for a higher weight class; Indiana State never got out of first gear.
What it means as Big Ten play begins
September is about building habits and stacking reps. Through three games, Indiana’s offense has found an identity built on efficiency at quarterback, quick separation outside, and a run game that can close drives even when it’s not the headline. Fernando Mendoza’s accuracy travels, and the protection up front gave him the platform to keep the ball hot and on time.
The receiver room, with Cooper Jr. as the headliner in this one, looks deeper than a box score might show. Multiple targets touched the ball, and the route concepts forced simple throws into windows that stayed open. That’s how you stay on schedule, especially against defenses that try to disguise late.
On defense, the front’s burst is the story. You don’t post 16 tackles for loss by accident. The rotation is healthy, the edge group closes space fast, and the linebackers fit cleanly. When 12 defenders share in TFLs, that’s a unit playing connected, not just one star freelancing.
The other plus for Cignetti: real snaps for the two-deep and beyond. That pays off in November but also as soon as next weekend. Fatigue and matchups swing games in this league; having a bench you trust keeps packages flexible and the pass rush fresh late.
Illinois comes to Memorial Stadium next Saturday, and that’s the first true measuring stick. The tempo will tighten, windows will be smaller, and mistakes will cost more. The checklists are simple: keep Mendoza upright, keep the ball out quickly, mix protections and play-action, and let the defense dictate with early-down stops. If the Hoosiers carry over even a slice of Friday’s balance and urgency, they’ll give themselves margin.
For now, the numbers tell the story. A 73-0 shutout. A record-setting night from the quarterback. Four touchdown grabs from a receiver who won his matchups. And a defense that took away hope, snap after snap. Week 3 couldn’t have gone much better for Indiana — and the timing couldn’t be better with Big Ten play opening on home turf.
