IOWA CITY, Iowa — Fernando Mendoza threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt with 1 minute, 28 seconds to play Saturday to give No. 11 Indiana a 20-15 win over Iowa.
The closest win of the season for the Hoosiers was one coach Curt Cignetti called a “gut check,” and his players agreed.
“We’ve never been tested like that,” offensive lineman Pat Coogan said. “We have so much room to get better. And that’s the best feeling.”
Mendoza connected with Sarratt, who had six catches for 132 yards, on a slant route down the left side and Sarratt broke the tackle attempt of Iowa’s Deshaun Lee on his way to the touchdown.
Mendoza knew on the play Iowa would blitz and that his outside receivers would have room.
“It was kind of ‘dealer’s choice,’” he said. “When the game’s on the line and I can throw a pass like that to my guy Elijah … that’s college football. That’s what it’s all about.”
Indiana (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten), which came into the game ranked second nationally in total offense and scoring offense, was held to 337 yards and its lowest scoring output of the season. But the Hoosiers got two touchdown passes from Mendoza, who threw for 233 yards, and two field goals from Nico Radicic.
“It was the good, the bad, and the ugly, and there was a lot of the bad and the ugly,” Cignetti said.
Iowa (3-2, 1-1) had a chance to break a 13-13 tie with 2:01 to play, but Drew Stevens missed a 42-yard field-goal attempt.
After Indiana stopped Iowa on its final possession, Mendoza ran off the last seconds of the game by sprinting into the end zone, where he was tackled for a safety. Cignetti called for the play, knowing Iowa had a timeout left.
“Coach said, ‘Hey, take a safety, run out of the end zone,’” Mendoza said. “When I got to the 2, I saw all zeros on the clock, but I kept going.
“I know I really cooked people’s (point) spreads. My apologies out to them.”
Mendoza completed 13 of 23 passes. He was sacked twice and was hurried five times.
“At the end of the day, he passed the test, because he made the key play,” Cignetti said.
Said Coogan: “He’s a tough SOB. He shows up and plays. The kid is uber-talented, and we have to let him shine.”
Indiana took an early 7-0 lead. An interception by Amare Ferrell on the third offensive play of the game gave the Hoosiers the ball at Iowa’s 24-yard line, and they quickly converted with Mendoza’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr.
“The start of the game was not what we wanted,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “But we responded.”
Stevens kicked a 40-yard field goal later in the first quarter and the Hawkeyes took a 10-7 lead in the final minute of the first half on Mark Gronowski’s 3-yard touchdown run. The Hoosiers tied the game at 10 on Radicic’s 46-yard field goal with three seconds left in the half.
It was Iowa’s 11th consecutive loss against a ranked opponent.
The takeaway
Indiana: The toughest test of the season will give the Hoosiers something to work on in the bye week, Cignetti said. “We left a lot of plays out there, especially in the passing game,” he said.
Iowa: The second loss of the season will loom over the Hawkeyes heading into an off week and then into a stretch that includes home games against Penn State and Oregon. “I told everyone that there is still a lot of football to be played,” Ferentz said.
Gronowski injured
Gronowski left the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent lower leg injury.
Gronowski, who transferred to Iowa after winning two FCS national championships at South Dakota State, suffered the injury on a fourth-quarter run after completing 19 of 25 passes for 144 yards. He wanted to come back on Iowa’s next series but was replaced by Hank Brown, who finished 5 of 13 for 48 yards.
“He just didn’t feel like he could decelerate if he ran,” said Ferentz, who added Gronowski would undergo further tests Sunday.
Up next
- Indiana: At Oregon on Oct. 11.
- Iowa: At Wisconsin on Oct. 11.