Road Opener -- Hoosiers Prepare for Noise and Iowa
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Noise rocks Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium, echoes reaching beyond the stadium bowl. Get in the middle of it and it’s hard to talk, hard to think, hard to focus.
It is, in fact, exactly what the No. 11/12 Indiana Hoosiers (4-0 overall, 1-0 in the Big Ten) need as they prepare for Saturday’s trip to Iowa (3-1, 1-0) and 70,000-seat Kinnick Stadium. It’s their first road game of the season,
“It’s loud, obnoxious,” center Pat Coogan says about the practice noise. “It rings your ears. We had it for the whole two hours. No breaks because you won’t get any breaks on Saturday. It’s good preparation for us.”
The Hoosiers know that it’s coming, the deafening noise and disruptive cheers from Hawkeye faithful seeking to make Kinnick Stadium a place of misery. The Hawkeyes have won four straight in the series and eight of the last nine meetings. The last time IU played at Kinnick Stadium, in 2021, it lost 34-6. It hasn’t won there since 2007.
“It’s a challenge to prepare for,” Coogan says. “You have to prepare for it every day. Can’t just turn it on for Friday and expect to be good. You have to make sure everyone is tuned into the cadences. Make sure everyone is on the same page.”
Head coach Curt Cignetti has a plan to do just that, to minimize or even negate the challenge from the expected loud crowd, lessons learned from last season’s road losses to Ohio State and Notre Dame.
“We went to something different last year in the College Football Playoff,” Cignetti says. “We didn't use a silent (count). We didn't have a problem hearing.
“In the offseason, you spend time on it. Obviously, it will be a big point of emphasis in practice.”
What’s the plan? Cignetti smiles.
“I'm not going to tell you what we're going to do.”
Indiana’s offensive dominance -- it’s 54.8-points-per-game average ranks second in the Big Ten to Washington’s 55.7 -- comes from elite balance. It runs for a Big Ten-leading 308.8 yards a game with 11 rushing touchdowns. It throws for 279.8 yards a game and a conference-best 17 TD passes.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz looks at Indiana and says, “It's hard to find a weakness.”
“I'm not saying it's like playing Ohio State, but there's some similarities in my mind if you look at their offense.”
He says Fernando Mendoza “might be the best quarterback in the country” and that, if he had a Heisman Trophy vote, he’d vote for Mendoza.
“He gets the ball out extremely quick,” Ferentz says through his weekly media availability. “It's going to be tough to even get a hand on him. He'll run it, but when he runs, they have designed runs for him and then they also have where he'll flush it out, but he's looking downfield. He'll look to maybe throw on the run, which is tough to defend.”
Mendoza completes 76.8 percent of his passes for 975 yards, 14 touchdowns, and no interceptions. He’s also rushed for 76 yards and two TDs.
In his last two games, he’s completed 40-of-43 passes with 10 touchdowns.
What makes Mendoza stand out?
“His arm talent is unbelievably special,” Coogan says. “I think we see that. He’s got a rocket for sure. You see the ball fly out of his hand on a rope. It’s fun to watch.”
Beyond the arm talent, Coogan adds, is the work and preparation that goes with it.
“Like any super talented athlete, reps are huge. Getting reps throughout the spring and summer – Fernando and his brother (Alberto) were out there throwing every day. It was like, ‘This is crazy.’ Before them, it’s game on. They were super dedicated.”
In a backup quarterback role, Alberto Mendoza has thrown for 139 yards and three TDs.
“They’re seeing the fruits of their labor,” Coogan says. “I know they’re not satisfied. They are hard workers.
“Fernando has been a great leader. I know he’ll lead the charge for us every Saturday.”
Then there’s a running game that has produced a program-record four straight 300-yard rushing performances behind Kaelon Black (307 rushing yards), Roman Hemby (265), Khobie Martin (222), and Lee Beebe Jr. (209). Beebe Jr. is out for the season with an injury.
How do you explain that success?
“The credit goes to the backs,” Coogan says. “They’ve been running their tails off. The tight ends have really taken charge and stepped up to the (blocking) plate. Fernando has been amazing making all the right reads.
“From an offensive line standpoint, it’s everyone being on the same page. Declarations from the center and making sure we’re all targeted and everyone in the defensive box is accounted for. However the play is designed, we’ve done a good job of targeting. That’s why you’ve seen the success.”
IU has only allowed three sacks all season, two last Saturday against Illinois. That’s two too many for Coogan. He blamed himself.
“I didn't do a good job of declaring the box on that first one (against Illinois). That's 100 percent on me. That was a cheap one. It should have never happened.
“Then, the second one should have never happened, as well. Three is still too many. We have to take better pride in protecting the quarterback and finishing those protections and making sure we're all on the same page before we even start to play, like declaring the box. We all have to be better at finishing those protections.”