BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Fernando Mendoza threw for four touchdowns to lead No. 23 Indiana to a 56-9 rout of Kennesaw State on Saturday.
Mendoza, a transfer from University of California, completed 18 of 25 passes for 245 yards. He threw scoring passes of 3, 9 and 20 yards to Elijah Sarratt and an 8-yard strike to E.J. Williams early in the fourth quarter.
“I was glad to see (Sarratt) bust out and those guys hook up and some success together," Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti said.
Cignetti said the Hoosiers (2-0) took a step forward.
“I liked the way our guys kept playing one play at a time,” he said. “I was a little bit of tyrant in the fourth quarter, but my job is to make the team better, so that’s the way it is.”
The Hoosiers held the Owls (0-2) to two field goals in the first half and led 21-6 at the break. Kennesaw State's Daniel Kinney finished with field goals of 28, 29 and 50 yards.
Indiana scored on a 1-yard run by Riley Nowakowski and an 11-yard run by Lee Beebe Jr. in the first half to go with the first of Sarratt's TD catches. Beebe finished with a team-best 90 rushing yards on 11 carries.
The takeaway
Kennesaw State: The Owls lost to their second consecutive Power 4 opponent after falling 10-9 at Wake Forest in the opener. This loss was more lopsided as the Owls managed just three field goals. Amari Odom completed 10 of 16 passes for 176 yards.
“It was not a good day for us. We saw a lot of different areas we have to improve on,” Owls coach Jerry Mack said. “Teams like this hold you accountable for your mistakes. They have great football team and great players. We saw some things we can learn from.”
Indiana: The Hoosiers, who saw their ranking drop three spots to No. 23 following a closer-than-expected 27-14 victory over Old Dominion, should maintain their ranking with a convincing victory. Indiana didn’t commit a turnover and was penalized just three times. Indiana held a 593-271 edge in total yards.
Late relief
Cignetti was asked if he was relieved during the fourth quarter.
“I'm never relieved. I’m going to be relieved when I go up my office and crack open a beer,” he said. “You have to keep the pedal to the metal.”
Cignetti said the staff is trying to teach successful habits.
“I think we have enough guys here that know what we want and understand we weren't happy with the way they played last week and they responded well in the fourth quarter,” he said.
Brotherly sub
Fernando Mendoza, a redshirt junior, was relieved by his younger brother, Alberto Mendoza, during a fourth quarter drive. Alberto, a redshirt freshman, tossed his first career TD pass, a 6-yarder to Charlie Becker. Alberto completed all three of his passes for 35 yards.
A little trickery
Following a fumble recovery, Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. scored on a 75-yard run on an end-around on the next play. Cooper had a key 40-yard catch on the Hoosiers’ first TD drive.
“Cooper’s reverse was a really big play in the game, a really good run and a lot of downfield blocking,” Cignetti said.
Up next
Kennesaw State: Hosts Merrimack next Saturday.
Indiana; Hosts Indiana State on Friday night.
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