UCLA Football Preview: Fernando Mendoza Makes Indiana Offense Look Better than Last Season
The former UC Berkeley quarterback has become a leading contender for the Heisman Trophy.
Last season, UCLA played Indiana in the third game of the season, and when I analyzed the Indiana offense, I noted this:
Through two games, the Indiana Hoosiers have averaged 43.5 rushing attempts per game and just 23 pass attempts per game.
This season, the Bruins are playing the Hoosiers in the eighth game of the season. So, we have a little more data this year compared to last year. Despite that, the data looks to be similar.
Indiana is averaging 40.85 rushing plays per game and 27.85 pass attempts. So, overall the number of rush attempts is down a little from last season while the number of pass attempts is up by about the same amount. That means the Hoosiers’ offense is running the ball nearly 60% of the time, even though Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is having a great year.
Despite running the ball that much, the Hoosiers are averaging 43.86 points per game this year. Clearly, the Bruin defense is going to have its hands full on Saturday.
Like last season, and like every team UCLA has played this year, Indiana hasn’t released a depth chart in advance of Saturday’s game, but they have listed the starters for both of their previous two games to help us know who to expect to see on the field for the Hoosiers.
Let’s look at Indiana’s offensive personnel.
Quarterback
When Curt Cignetti took over the Indiana program, the Hoosiers brought in super senior Kurtis Rourke to lead the team. Rourke was selected by the 49ers in the seventh round of the NFL Draft last April. So, Cignetti dipped into the Transfer Portal for another quarterback.
This time, he brought in former UC Berkeley quarterback Fernando Mendoza. When the Bruins lost to the Bears in 2023, Mendoza was ok, but he wasn’t great. In that game, he was 19-of-30 for 178 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Even though the Hoosiers run significantly more than they pass, Mendoza is still in the Heisman conversation. A Bruin win on Saturday could eliminate him from contention for the award.
This season, he is averaging 250.71 passing yards per game and he’s completed 73.48% of his passes. He’s thrown 23 touchdown passes but only two interceptions.
Mendoza’s backup has played in three games this year and it can be easy to confuse the two. The big reason they could be confused is because the backup quarterback’s last name is also Mendoza. As if that’s not bad enough, Fernando wears #15 while backup Alberto wears #16. So, their uniform numbers are similar.
The similarities don’t end there, though. Alberto Mendoza has completed nine of twelve pass attempts with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
When UC Berkeley visited UCLA in 2023, Fernando Mendoza only ran the ball once for minus three yards. This season, he’s run the ball 41 times and gained 151 net yards. That’s an average of just 3.7 yards per carry. He’s been sacked just six times all season.
Meanwhile, Alberto Mendoza has run the ball better. He’s carried three times for 31 yards. That’s an average of 10.3 yards per carry.
Rushing Game
Given the fact that the Hoosiers run the ball as much as they do, it should come as no surprise that Indiana has a stable of running backs who can run the ball. In fact, they have four guys who all have at least 27 carries. Granted, Lee Beebe, Jr. suffered a season-ending injury against Indiana State. So, that’s created more opportunities for the other backs.
The starting running back for the Hoosiers is Roman Hemby. The redshirt senior, who transferred from Maryland this year, has carried 90 times for 432 net yards and two touchdowns. That’s an average of 4.8 yards per carry.
Redshirt senior Kaelon Black will likely get the second most carries on Saturday. He’s probably the biggest beneficiary of the injury to Beebe. Black followed Cignetti to Indiana from James Madison last season. While he played in 13 games last year, he’s already carried the ball more than all of last season. He’s carried 72 times for 439 yards with three touchdowns. He’s averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
Redshirt freshman Khobie Martin has also received more carries due to Beebe’s injury. He’s carried 31 times for 262 yards with four touchdowns. So, his 8.5 yards per carry is the highest average of Indiana’s top four running backs.
Aside from Fernando Mendoza, no other Hoosier has more than five carries.
Passing Game
With Fernando Mendoza being considered a serious candidate for the Heisman Trophy midway through the season, let’s look at the receivers who are contributing to the Heisman hype.
Indiana will start a lineup featuring three wide receivers and a tight end. Unsurprisingly, those four guys have the most receptions on the team.
Senior Elijah Sarratt is one of the James Madison Hoosiers who followed Cignetti to Bloomington from JMU. He leads the team in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions, having caught 43 balls for 603 yards and nine touchdowns. His longest reception of the season went for 49 yards.
Omar Cooper, Jr. isn’t far behind Sarratt. The redshirt junior has made 37 receptions for 581 yards with seven touchdowns. His longest reception was a 58-yarder. Cooper and Sarratt are averaging 15.7 and 14.02 yards per reception, respectively.
E.J. Williams, Jr. transferred to Indiana in 2023 after spending three seasons at Clemson. Last season, he only saw action in four games. So, he redshirted and actually entered the Transfer Portal, but he chose to return to the Hoosiers this year and he’s started six of Indiana’s seven games. He’s made 19 catches for 212 yards and three touchdowns.
Redshirt super senior Riley Nowakowski is Indiana’s starting tight end. Nowakowski transferred to Indiana this year after spending five seasons at Wisconsin. He has caught 11 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown.
Hemby is the final Hoosier who has over 100 receiving yards and he is the only running back to catch a pass besides Beebe. That doesn’t mean he will continue to be. In fact, I would expect the Hoosiers to try throwing to either Black or Martin at some point on Saturday simply because neither one has caught a pass yet this season. Hemby has made nine receptions for 120 yards.
Offensive Line
Indiana has started the same five guys on the offensive line for six of their seven games. Redshirt senior Pat Coogan transferred to Indiana this year after spending four seasons at Notre Dame. Coogan will start at center. To Coogan’s left, redshirt senior Drew Evans will start at guard while redshirt junior Carter Smith will be the tackle. Meanwhile, redshirt junior Bray Lynch will be the right guard and redshirt super senior Khalil Benson, who transferred from Colorado this year, will start at right tackle. Benson is the only offensive lineman who hasn’t started all seven games for the Hoosiers. While he played against Indiana State, redshirt senior Zen Michalski, who transferred from Ohio State this year, started that game.
Analysis
The overall cohesiveness of the offensive line cannot be underestimated when looking at the Hoosier offense. Indiana is averaging 226 rushing yards per game and they’ve only given up six sacks this season. So, they are opening holes for the backs while protecting Mendoza on pass attempts.
That’s going to make stopping the Hoosier offense a huge challenge for the Bruins on Saturday and it’s one which could prove to be too much despite UCLA’s resurgence.
If the Bruins want to win, they will need to find a way to keep Mendoza and the Hoosiers out of the end zone. The reason that may not be that big of a deal, though, is the fact that the UCLA defense has been effective at stopping opposing offenses the past three weeks. The only question is: Can the Bruins stop the #7 offense in the country?
Go Bruins!!!
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again it all comes down to o-line. keeps the offense on the field and the defense off.