Indiana left no doubt over the weekend that it is a legitimate playoff contender. Following that statement victory on the road over then-No. 3 Oregon, the Hoosiers now seemingly get a schedule break.
They will oppose reeling Michigan State on Saturday afternoon in Bloomington, Ind.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza bounced back from a game-tying pick-six early in the fourth quarter at Oregon to throw a go-ahead, 8-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt.
Nico Radicic’s 22-yard field goal sealed the 30-20 win over the Ducks. Indiana (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) vaulted to No. 3 in the rankings this week.
Now, the challenge for the Hoosiers is to not get overconfident.
“Rip off the rearview mirror, so to speak. Total focus on Michigan State,” coach Curt Cignetti said. “I think the key now is our response coming off of this game.”
Mendoza, a transfer in his first season at Indiana, already has surpassed his passing touchdown total from last season at Cal. He threw for 16 scores in 386 attempts in 2024. He has racked up 17 in 153 attempts this season while completing 71.2% of his passes.
“The quarterback is the key figure. He gets too much credit and too much blame,” Cignetti said. “You know, he overcame adversity. That (pick-six) play wasn’t all on him, but at the end of the day, the ball came off his hand.
“… You don’t go on the road and win a game like this without being able to overcome adversity and never let doubt or frustration creep in. And that was a prime example of that.”
Mendoza has been complemented by a rushing attack averaging 5.6 yards per carry with 13 touchdowns. The defense has allowed just 11.3 points per game. Oregon was limited to 267 total yards, and Ducks quarterback Dante Moore was picked off twice and sacked six times.
“This team has met every challenge up to this point, because they’ve been hungry and humble, prepared properly and put it on the field,” Cignetti said.
It was uncertain who would start at quarterback for the Spartans, as Aidan Chiles was considered questionable early in the week due to an undisclosed injury. He left in the third quarter last Saturday after taking a hard hit during a 38-13 home loss to UCLA.
If Chiles can’t go, redshirt freshman Alessio Milivojevic would get the nod. He threw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter after Chiles was sidelined.
“(Milivojevic) showed some good signs,” coach Jonathan Smith said. “We do have confidence in his capabilities and his preparation.”
The Spartans (3-3, 0-3) have lost three straight, all in conference, while giving up 121 points. The pressure from alumni and fans on Smith, who is in his second year in the program, has increased.
“Definitely, I have a greater awareness when things are out there, whether they’re talking about me particularly or things around the program,” Smith said.
A game against the undefeated Hoosiers couldn’t have come at a worse time for Michigan State. Indiana clobbered the Spartans 47-10 in East Lansing, Mich., last season.
Smith and his staff met with his team on Sunday after the UCLA debacle.
“Let’s face it — six games in, 3-3 and coming off a loss that was not good enough, obviously. We leaned on the leadership of this team,” he said. “The discussions were of what we want this thing to look like looking forward and any potential issues we might have.”
