Quick hits: No. 19 Indiana embarrasses No. 9 Illinois 63-10 in worst loss of Bret Bielema's tenure

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Hours before the game, Indiana fans swarmed the tailgates around Memorial Stadium, looking jovial and primed for a party.

The No. 19-ranked Hoosiers obliged them with plenty of cause for celebration in a 63-10 blowout win over No. 9 Illinois that legitimized the Hoosiers (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) as a College Football Playoff contender for a second straight season and sent Illinois back to Champaign dazed after the worst loss of head coach Bret Bielema's five-year tenure.

The Illini (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) looked completely unworthy of a top-10 ranking in its biggest test yet of the season, suffering its worst loss since a 63-0 loss to Iowa in 2018.

Indiana dominated in all three phases. Indiana outgained Illinois 597 yards to 161. The Hoosiers scored touchdowns on seven straight drives, the Hoosiers sacked Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer seven times and Indiana blocked a punt for a touchdown early in the first quarter.

Fernando Mendoza completed 21 of 23 passes for 267 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Hoosiers (4-0, 0-1 Big Ten).

Elijah Sarratt had nine receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns, while Omar Cooper Jr. had six receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown. Khobie Martin ran for 102 yards and two touchdowns, and Kaelon Black ran for 89 yards and a touchdown.

Altmyer completed 14 of 22 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown but was under pressure all night. Collin Dixon had four receptions for a career-high 86 receiving yards, including a 59-yard touchdown in the first quarter

Indiana star defensive back D'Angelo Ponds blocked Keelan Crimmins punt and scooped it up for an 11-yard touchdown return to give Illinois a quick 7-0 lead six minutes into the game. But the Illini quickly responded with Altmyer hitting Dixon for a 59-yard deep-ball touchdown pass. But Indiana dominated the rest of the half as Mendoza completed touchdown passes on four of Indiana's next five drives to take a 35-7 lead. Illini kicker David Olano hit a 45-yard field goal on the final play of the half to trim Indiana's lead to 35-10 at the break.

But the stampede from Indiana continued into the second half as Mendoza led two more dominant scoring drives, capped by Kaleon Black's 40-yard touchdown and a five-yard pass to Sarratt, to give the Hoosiers a 49-10 lead after three quarters. Mendoza checked out to start the fourth quarter, but Khobie Martin ran for a 31-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to take a 56-10 lead. Martin added an eight-yard touchdown run with 6:39 left.

What it means: College Football Playoff? Let that talk die. In a battle of two teams that have risen due to smart, clean, complementary football, Indiana completely embarrassed Illinois, completely out-executing and out-scheming the Illini. Indiana also looked faster and more athletic. Special teams put the Illini in a big early hole, and the Hoosiers had the Illini on their heels the rest of the way. Every phase got dominated: offense, defense and special teams. The Illini don't have much time to lick their wounds as No. 25 USC comes to town looking to ignite its own College Football Playoff case with a potential ranked-on-ranked matchup in Champaign.

Star of the game: Hard to pick out one player for Indiana in that demolition, but Fernando Mendoza sure looked the part in his biggest test yet as a Hoosier as he picked apart a thin Illini secondary. Illinois had no answer for Indiana's RPO game as Mendoza got the ball out quickly and accurately and threw with great touch on some of his touchdown passes. We saw why he is rising on NFL Draft boards early this season.

Stats of the game

Indiana had seven sacks, and Illinois has allowed 16 sacks in four games this season.

Illinois was 1-for-10 on third downs, taking five sacks on third downs.

Indiana out-rushed Illinois 298 yards to two yards.

Indiana did not pass in the fourth quarter and ran 17 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns

Illinois ran four plays in Indiana territory.

Indiana won time of possession 39:47 to 20:17.

Don't overlook: An Illini secondary without star Xavier Scott (lower-body injury) got thinner as starting cornerback Kaleb Patterson left the game with an injury. Matthew Bailey left the game after suffering an injury in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss, Torrie Cox Jr. left late in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss, and free safety Miles Scott was ejected in the first half for a targeting penalty, though he will be able to play at the star of next week's game. That forced backups Mac Resetich, Tanner Heckel and Tyler Strain into significant playing time against a potent passing attack, and they expectedly struggled against a talented Indiana wide receiver corps.

What's next: Illinois hosts No. 25 USC for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff (FOX) for the Illini's homecoming game. FOX's Big Noon Kickoff will broadcast from Champaign before the game. This is the first time the two teams will play as Big Ten opponents and the first time the Trojans and Illini will square off since the 2008 2008 Rose Bowl game following the 2024 season. USC will be making its first trip to Champaign since 1996 and the Trojans lead the all-time series 11-2. The game is sold out at Gies Memorial Stadium.

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