Both Indiana and Illinois will have their hands full dealing with talented quarterbacks on Saturday.
In fact, it’s quite staggering how similar IU quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s stat line through three games is to Illinois’ Luke Altmyer.
Mendoza has completed 55 of 76 passes (72.4%) for 708 yards with nine touchdowns and no interceptions. Meanwhile, Altmyer has completed 56 of 78 throws (71.8%) for 709 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions.
And for what it’s worth, they’re both similar to how Kurtis Rourke performed last year in nonconference games for IU. He completed 46 of 61 throws (75.4%) for 706 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
When it comes to Mendoza, Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry sees a quarterback with a bright professional future. What really pops on film for Henry is the arm talent.
“I think (Fernando) Mendoza is another one of those guys who I believe is going to play on Sunday,” Henry said this week.
“He has a live arm. I’ve been watching this young man for a while back at Cal. He makes some throws you’re like, ‘Oh my goodness.’ His arm is as live as live can get. He has a nice, beautiful ball he throws. His downfield vision, his progressions that he makes when he’s in the pocket are absolutely incredible. I think this dude is an NFL quarterback for a bunch of different reasons, but his ability to throw the ball is absolutely incredible.”
Mendoza has the sixth-highest quarterback rating in the nation, and he’s tied for the most touchdown throws this season without an interception.
Of course slowing Mendoza won’t be enough for Illinois to come away victorious in Bloomington on Saturday.
While the offense is producing the 28th-most yards per game nationally through the air, it has been even more potent on the ground.
At 307.7, the Hoosiers have the nation’s third-highest rushing yards per game average through the first three weeks of the 2025 campaign.
“They pride themselves on running the football, on top of having a really, really dynamic run game and a very, very impressive o-line,” Henry said. “Any time you get into Big Ten play, I mean, this is what you’re going to face from here on out. We’ve got a tall task. I’m always trying to find creative ways for how can we change the picture, how can we get the things we believe can be advantageous for us? They do a phenomenal job at running the ball.”
What both sides have likely been grappling with all week is how similar will IU’s playing calling be against Illinois when compared to the nonconference games.
Indiana has carried the ball 133 times so far this season, while passing it 90. They’ve been more heavily weighted towards the run than 2024, but game flow and caliber of opponents have played a role to this point. IU has had big leads against teams they were able to physically dominate on the ground.
It won’t come as a major surprise if the Hoosiers pick up the pace and lean more into the passing game on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. NBC).
But whatever their approach, this IU offense has Illinois’ full attention.
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