Mendoza's 4 TD passes power No. 23 Indiana to a 56-9 rout of Kennesaw State

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Fernando Mendoza threw for four touchdowns to lead No. 23 Indiana to a 56-9 rout of Kennesaw State on Saturday.

Mendoza, a transfer from University of California, completed 18 of 25 passes for 245 yards. He threw scoring passes of 3, 9 and 20 yards to Elijah Sarratt and an 8-yard strike to E.J. Williams early in the fourth quarter.

The Hoosiers held the Owls to two field goals in the first half and led 21-6 at the break. Kennesaw State's Daniel Kinney finished with field goals of 28, 29 and 50 yards.

Indiana scored on a 1-yard run by Riley Nowakowski and an 11-yard run by Lee Beebe Jr. in the first half to go with the first of Sarratt's TD catches. Beebe finished with a team-best 90 rushing yards on 11 carries.

The takeaway

Kennesaw State: The Owls lost to their second consecutive Power 4 opponent after falling 10-9 at Wake Forest in the opener. This loss was more lopsided as the Owls managed just three field goals. Amari Odom completed 10 of 16 passes for 176 yards.

Indiana: The Hoosiers, who saw their ranking drop three spots to No. 23 following a closer-than-expected 27-14 victory over Old Dominion, should maintain their ranking with a convincing victory. Indiana didn’t commit a turnover and was penalized just three times. Indiana held a 593-271 edge in total yards.

Brotherly sub

Fernando Mendoza, a redshirt junior, was relieved by his younger brother, Alberto Mendoza, during a fourth quarter drive. Alberto, a redshirt freshman, tossed his first career TD pass, a 6-yarder to Charlie Becker. Alberto completed all three of his passes for 35 yards.

A little trickery

Following a fumble recovery, Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. scored on a 75-yard run on an end-around on the next play. Cooper had a key 40-yard catch on the Hoosiers’ first TD drive.

Up next

Kennesaw State: Hosts Merrimack next Saturday.

Indiana; Hosts Indiana State on Friday night.

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