Indiana hangs 63 on No. 9 Illini in statement win

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- For the archetypal clip each night, Indiana manager Curt Cignetti stopped himself.

After No. 19 Indiana's historical 63-10 triumph against No. 9 Illinois, successful which it enactment up the highest points full by a Big Ten squad against an AP apical 10 opponent, Cignetti was asked astir the connection his squad had delivered to the state Saturday night. Especially to those who questioned whether the 2024 Hoosiers belonged successful the College Football Playoff, contempt the dominance displayed for astir of the season.

"[The media] controls each that stuff, I conscionable got to get them acceptable and past we each play our games and spot what shakes retired astatine the extremity of the year," Cignetti said diplomatically.

He past paused, smiled and looked astatine his communications chief.

"I privation to, but I won't."

The 2025 mentation of Cignetti mightiness not beryllium arsenic brash. The 2025 mentation of Indiana, meanwhile, mightiness beryllium adjacent amended than its predecessor, and has nary volition of leaving the CFP speech immoderate clip soon. The archetypal Illinois-Indiana matchup to diagnostic ranked teams since 1950 became wholly one-sided, arsenic the Hoosiers overwhelmed Illinois successful each 3 phases, surging to 35-10 halftime pb and continuing to adhd touchdowns.

"We merit to beryllium successful the apical 10," All-Big Ten cornerback and peculiar teams ace D'Angelo Ponds said. "We proved that today."

Indiana broke the erstwhile Big Ten scoring grounds against a apical 10 foe of 62 points, doubly acceptable by Ohio State, astir precocious successful 2018 against No. 4 Michigan.

Illinois manager Bret Bielema was "at a nonaccomplishment for words" pursuing the team's largest nonaccomplishment arsenic a ranked squad successful the AP Poll era.

"I've ne'er been a portion of thing similar that," Bielema said.

Added Cignetti: "We broke their will."

Indiana led the federation successful mean points borderline (25.7 ppg) successful 2024, but it came against a docket not featuring ranked opponents. Although Illinois didn't lucifer the nation's No. 9 squad Saturday night, the Illini entered the play with credibility aft winning 10 games past autumn and retaining galore of their apical players, including backmost Luke Altmyer.

The Hoosiers began with a Ponds punt artifact and scoop-and-score, and past scored touchdowns connected 7 consecutive possessions, 5 stretching 65 yards oregon longer. They outgained Illinois 579-161, had 31 archetypal downs to 9 for Illinois, and held the Illini to 2 nett rushing yards.

"They'll decidedly look astatine it differently," Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. said. "One of the biggest things they said [last play was] we haven't beaten anybody successful the Top 25. So present that we were capable to bash that contiguous and bash that beauteous dominantly, I deliberation they'll commencement to respect america a small more."

As Indiana reclaimed its spot connected the nationalist radar, backmost Fernando Mendoza amplified his illustration arsenic a Heisman Trophy contender and NFL draught imaginable with a near-perfect show against the Illini. He had 5 touchdown passes and lone 2 incompletions, finishing with 267 yards earlier his younger member Alberto replaced him aboriginal successful the 4th quarter.

Fernando Mendoza had watched Indiana's lopsided wins successful 2024 portion playing for Cal. He besides had been portion of Cal's nonaccomplishment to Miami, wherever Cal had squandered a 35-10 lead. Mendoza kept the pedal down, and became the 2nd FBS subordinate with 5 passing touchdowns and 90% completions against an AP ranked hostile successful the past 30 years, joining Ohio State's C.J. Stroud successful 2021 against No. 7 Michigan State.

"You're ne'er going to beryllium 100% perfect, and if you are, there's ever going to beryllium something, 1 play successful the game," Mendoza said. "But it's that thrust to beryllium cleanable and to ne'er beryllium complacent. And that's the crushed I came here, to go the champion backmost that I could become, and spot my improvement accelerate, is what I want, and I privation to support connected accelerating tenfold."

Mendoza's brilliance was matched by Indiana's antiaircraft front, which overwhelmed an Illinois violative enactment that returned each 5 starte...