Hoosiers Hammer Wisconsin 31-7, 11-0 For First Time Ever

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.–The #2 Indiana Hoosier football team is now 11-0 for the first time in program history. They beat the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday 31-7 on Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.

Heisman Trophy candidate Fernando Mendoza completed 22 of 24 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns despite being sacked five times. He threw touchdown passes to four different players (Riley Nowakowski, Charlie Becker, Holden Staes, and Omar Cooper). Becker led Indiana in receiving with 108 yards on five catches. Roman Hemby led the Hoosiers in rushing with 58 yards on 14 carries.

Mendoza has thrown the most touchdown passes in a single season of any Hoosier quarterback with 30. He passed Kurtis Rourke on Saturday. Rourke threw 29 touchdown passes when helping Indiana to an 11-2 record and an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Wisconsin kept it close in the first half only trailing 10-7 at halftime, but the Hoosier defense held the Badgers to one first down in the second half and they didn’t let Wisconsin convert a third down in the final two quarters. Indiana scored 24 unanswered points after the Badgers tied the game at 7-7.

The Badgers also turned it over twice.

This is the second year in a row that the Hoosiers have won all of their home games under Head Coach Curt Cignetti.

“I love our fans. They have been terrific for us. We feed off their energy. It feels like a 14-point advantage for us every time we play at home,” said Cignetti after the win.

Indiana has a bye week next week before facing the Purdue Boilermakers in the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket on Friday November 28 at 7:30 pm in West Lafayette.