Indiana QB sorry for 'cooked' spreads after safety

Indiana backmost Fernando Mendoza quipped astir messing up betting lines with his wild, clock-killing scramble to extremity the Hoosiers' 20-15 win implicit Iowa connected Saturday.

With Indiana up 20-13 aft stopping Iowa connected its last possession, Mendoza ran disconnected the past 3 seconds of the crippled by racing 40 yards backward connected fourth-and-19 into his ain extremity zone, wherever helium was tackled for a safety.

Mendoza said helium was pursuing orders from manager Curt Cignetti.

"Coach said, 'Hey, instrumentality a safety, tally retired of the extremity zone,'" Mendoza said. "When I got to the 2, I saw each zeros connected the clock, but I kept going."

Mendoza added: "I cognize I truly cooked people's spreads. My apologies retired to them."

Indiana closed arsenic an 8.5-point favourite astatine ESPN BET, but those last 2 points could person affected wagers connected alternate spreads.

On the erstwhile Hoosiers possession, Mendoza threw a 49-yard touchdown walk to wide receiver Elijah Sarratt with 1:28 to play to support No. 11 Indiana (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) undefeated.

The closest triumph of the play for the Hoosiers was 1 Cignetti called a "gut check," and his players agreed.

"We've ne'er been tested similar that," said violative lineman Pat Coogan. "We person truthful overmuch country to get better. And that's the champion feeling."

Mendoza connected with Sarratt, who had six catches for 132 yards, connected a slant way down the near side, and Sarratt broke the tackle effort of Iowa's Deshaun Lee connected his mode to the touchdown.

The backmost said helium knew Iowa would blitz and that his extracurricular receivers would person room.

"It was benignant of 'dealer's choice,'" Mendoza said. "When the game's connected the enactment and I tin propulsion a walk similar that to my feline Elijah ... that's assemblage football. That's what it's each about."

Indiana, which came into the crippled ranked 2nd nationally successful full discourtesy and scoring offense, was held to 337 yards and its lowest scoring output of the season. But the Hoosiers got 2 touchdown passes from Mendoza, who threw for 233 yards, and 2 tract goals from Nico Radicic.

"It was the good, the atrocious and the ugly, and determination was a batch of the atrocious and the ugly," Cignetti said.

Iowa (3-2, 1-1) had a accidental to interruption a 13-13 necktie with 2:01 to play, but Drew Stevens missed a 42-yard tract goal. The Hawkeyes were besides without backmost Mark Gronowski, who near the crippled successful the 4th fourth with an evident little limb injury.

He wanted to travel backmost connected Iowa's adjacent bid but was replaced by Hank Brown, who finished 5-of-13 for 48 yards.

"He conscionable didn't consciousness similar helium could decelerate if helium ran," said Iowa manager Kirk Ferentz, who added that Gronowski would acquisition further tests Sunday.

Up adjacent for the Hoosiers, pursuing a bye, is simply a marquee matchup astatine No. 6 Oregon connected Oct. 11.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.