Below we took a look at Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades, notes and snap counts from Indiana’s week five contest vs. Iowa.
The Hoosiers are tied with Texas Tech at No. 1 overall at PFF through five games. They have the No. 1 offense in the nation, and they are tied for the No. 5 defense.
Next up for No. 8/9 Indiana (5-0) is a bye week, followed by a trip to Oregon to face the No. 2 and 5-0 Ducks at Autzen Stadium on Oct. 11.
OFFENSIVE STANDOUTS
The top overall offensive grade went to wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, who caught the game-winning pass. He was targeted seven times and caught six passes. Sarratt had 75 yards after catch, including roughly 44 on the clincher. And he’s rising up the PFF charts for the year. Among all FBS receivers with at least 20 targets, Sarratt has the 16th-best receiving grade on the season.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza was under the most pressure he’s faced this season, with 13 pressures and two sacks on 30 drop backs. He had just a 56.5% completion percentage, threw his first interception of the season, and his receivers didn’t have any drops. Mendoza had a better overall passing grade than his week one performance against ODU, which stands as his low mark.
The top running back grade went to Kaelon Black, although Roman Hemby seemed to have the better day save for a fumble that negatively impacted his PFF mark. Black forced three missed tackles and Hemby forced six. 61 of Hemby’s 86 yards came after contact.
Left tackle Carter Smith had the best pass blocking grade after not allowing any of the Iowa pressures. Center Pat Coogan was right behind him and didn’t allow pressures either. Right guard Drew Evans had the best run blocking grade among offensive linemen, and wideout Omar Cooper, Jr. had the best overall run blocking mark.
Several players struggled with pass blocking, headlined by right tackle Khalil Benson, who gave up five pressures, and the running backs, who gave up four.
OFFENSIVE SNAP COUNTS (64 total)
- Drew Evans (G) – 64
- Carter Smith (T) – 64
- Pat Coogan (C) – 64
- Bray Lynch (G) – 64
- Khalil Benson (T) – 64
- Fernando Mendoza (QB) – 64
- Elijah Sarratt (WR) – 57
- Omar Cooper, Jr. (WR) – 55
- Riley Nowakowski (TE) – 52
- E.J. Williams (WR) – 51
- Roman Hemby (RB) – 43
- Kaelon Black (RB) – 25
- Holden Staes (TE) – 16
- Jonathan Brady (WR) – 7
- Charlie Becker (WR) – 5
- Khobie Martin (RB) – 4
- Lebron Bond (WR) – 3
- Zen Michalski (T) – 2
DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS
The top overall defensive grade went to safety Amare Ferrell, who was solid across the board in coverage, run defense and tackling. He had the best coverage grade on the team. Ferrell picked up his seventh interception as a Hoosier.
The best pass rushing grade went to linebacker Aiden Fisher, who had three pressures on nine pass rush snaps. He also had a season high tackle total with seven. In total IU had 13 quarterback pressures.
The top run defense grade went to Stephen Daley, with Tyrique Tucker right behind him. Tucker was the second-highest graded overall defender. In total eight Hoosiers had grades of 70 or better against the run, including five defensive linemen. Indiana held a good Iowa running game to 3.0 yards per carry. As a team IU posted an 84.7 run defense grade, while Iowa posted just a 48 run blocking grade.
It’s worth highlighting cornerback Ryland Gandy, who played on short notice, filling in for All-American D’Angelo Ponds. Gandy played every snap and posted a strong tackling grade and decent coverage grade. He struggled a bit in run defense
In total, IU’s defense played its most snaps of the season.
DEFENSIVE SNAPS COUNTS (69 total)
- Amare Ferrell (S) – 69
- Jamari Sharpe (CB) – 69
- Aiden Fisher (LB) – 69
- Ryland Gandy (CB) – 69
- Louis Moore (S) – 62
- Rolijah Hardy (LB) – 60
- Isaiah Jones (LB) – 55
- Mikail Kamara (DE) – 54
- Kellan Wyatt (DE) – 46
- Tyrique Tucker (DT) – 44
- Stephen Daley (DE) – 43
- Devan Boykin (CB) – 38
- Hosea Wheeler (DT) – 37
- Mario Landino (DT) – 36
- Dominique Ratcliff (DT) – 8
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
– Join our Premium Discord Chat by GOING HERE.
- You can follow us on X: @daily_hoosier and find us on Facebook and Instagram
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
