IU football: Three quick reasons the Hoosiers beat UCLA, highlights, stats

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana beat UCLA by a final score of 56-6 on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

Below are three quick reasons why the Hoosiers won, along with highlights and final stats. For Curt Cignetti postgame, GO HERE.

Indiana (8-0) is back on the road next weekend. They travel to Maryland for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff in College Park.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the game from The Daily Hoosier.

——————————————————

THREE QUICK REASONS INDIANA WON

1. Defense sets the tone. Linebacker Aiden Fisher got an interception on the second play of the game and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. The Bruins only had nine yards on their first four drives, they fumbled on their fifth, and punted on their sixth. Indiana was up 28-0 by that point. Although Fisher left the game with an injury, his backup Isaiah Jones led the team with eight tackles. Indiana had three takeaways, seven tackles for loss and three sacks.

2. A balanced and dominant offensive attack. As has been the case for the entire season, Indiana was effective both on the ground and through the air. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza completed 15 of 22 passes for 168 yards and three TDs. He also rushed five times for 45 yards and another score. That was part of a rushing attack that gained 262 yards. Roman Hemby led the way with 81 rushing yards and two scores on the ground, while Kaelon Black added 70. Indiana amassed 475 yards of total offense vs. 201 for UCLA.

3. Third down discrepancy. UCLA couldn’t get Indiana’s offense off the field. The Bruins’ offense couldn’t stay on it. UCLA was just 1 of 11 on third downs and 1 of 3 on fourth, while IU was 12 of 16 and 2 of 2. That led to a 36-24 time of possession advantage for Indiana, and the Hoosiers ran 23 more plays. Indiana’s offense was able stay on schedule. They allowed just one tackle for loss and no sacks.

HIGHLIGHTS