Welcome and everybody.

It is Tuesday, September thirtieth.

Indiana is five and zero on season.

Heading into a bye week, Hoosiers go on the road to Kinnick Stadium win twenty to fifteen over Iowa, the first win in Iowa City since two thousand and seven.

Piece Dot cons Matt Weaver.

Jerry Kelly here to break it all down.

Matt, you were there in Iowa City.

Is what were your your overall takeaways from this game?

And you know, obviously the Elijah Serrat touchdown at the end completely turned that game on its head.

You know, we both thought that Indiana would would have a chance to win this game, you know, fairly handily.

Not not anything like the Illinois game, but we thought it would be, you know, a game where maybe they could win by a couple a couple of touchdowns.

Uh the one you know some of the things that I said that I thought Iowa had to do.

The number one thing was control of the time and possession.

And they did they did.

I mean it was I think it was like thirty two and changed to twenty seven and change.

They had to get you know, they had to get They didn't want to turnover battle they did get a big interception that took him down, they didn't get points off of missfield go on that one.

They got a decent punt return and McCarthy was actually a good punt.

It looked like the way he kind of out kicked the coverage and wet gin I think that's how you say his name, which and he he had a pretty good return to I think around midfield or maybe just passing midfield.

And then defensively they had to really cause Indiana problems, and that's where I thought they did the best job.

They're blitzeing, you know, cast.

Some issues for IU up front, and really I thought, and it was it was born out in the PFF grades.

I thought caleon Block really struggled to block to protect.

I mean he there was a couple of times, and I think the one I remember the most is on the interception when he was throwing when Mendoza was throwing to Cooper, I mean he literally got lifted off the ground and knocked backwards like three or four yards.

And I know it's tough, but I mean his blocking grade was like five point three, which is I didn't even know you could go that low in those grades.

So that to me was probably the biggest issue.

You know, I thought they could have been a little bit more aggressive with play calling coach Shanahan, Mike Shanahan, could have a little bit been a little bit more aggressive because going in, you know, Sean Block from the Iowa site said that one of their weaknesses was, you know, their their corners.

You can pick on them a little bit, you could, you know, they don't really let anything over their heads, but you could get some yards by throwing the ball in front of them.

And you know, I thought, I thought maybe they could try a little bit more of a the running game.

You know, obviously struggled a little bit, but you know, listen get by with credit.

That was homecoming.

That place was rocking.

It was super loud.

They had a great crowd.

And Phil Parker is really good.

I mean this the guy has been doing this for almost thirty years and he knows how to you know, find the chinks in the armor of offenses or or find things or maybe he can exploit.

And their blitzes were on time.

You know, it's hard to know it's the press box, but I guess Indiana was doing the patent on the leg with the Linemen, and so.

To me, you know that really that really screwed you up at Ohio State.

So I'm kind of I'm kind of wondering why they haven't really changed it, you know, with a silent count.

So I don't know, maybe that's something they'll look at more.

I didn't notice it in the press box, but people told me afterwards they saw it on TV and it looked like I was basically timing up the snaps and was able to basically, you know, almost you know, know exactly when the ball is gonna be snaps.

So you know, listen, it's a good win.

It's not a pretty win.

It was not an esthetically pleasing win.

But it's a good win because that's a tough place to play, and anytime you can win in Iowa, it's a good it's a good victory.

And it really it's a it's a win Indiana needed to have going into these you know, Oregon Penns Day type games.

If Indiana was gonna keep you know, at c.

Ifp hopes alive at least to a great as great of extensive as is now.

All right, we can look at this game from a multitude of different angles.

Matt you know, there were I felt like we watched like five different football games in one football game.

Here you had the let's let's let's first address the fourth quarter because that was wild.

Iowa gets the interception, they drive down the field, they miss a field goal.

Mark Arnowski goes out with an injury.

Quarter.

The backup Hank Brown comes in.

Uh, he's not really able to do much on offense, asking a lot of a backup to come in and try to lead you down the field.

In your mind, do you feel that Indiana was fortunate to walk out with this win?

Because I thought you played.

I thought you played as well as it could have given the circumstances, given that i Will played the game that it sort of wanted.

But to me, it kind of felt like Indiana is is is feeling a little fortunate just to just to walk out with a victory.

Well, for anybody who watched that, we did a postgame video me and Rabbi and Sammy Jacobs from Who's Your Huddle?

And I think Sammy described it as he felt like they may be kind of stole a win, which is probably a fairly, you know, a fair statement about that game.

I mean, you know, I thought there were I thought there were times.

I mean, Indiana came out, they get the turnover a lot on like the first or second play of the game.

Two plays later they're up seven to nothing.

I'm thinking, Okay, I didn't think it was going to be easy, but I was like wow, and then and then it was just an absolute It was a grind to be perfect.

Honest.

I thought the defense played really really well.

They had the one drive and you know, there were probably a couple of question of calls on that drive, the run right before the touchdown from the tour on the twenty that got them down to about the five, like there was a hold on that.

But you know, that's that's the way it goes.

But yeah, you could probably say that they were fortunate to come out with a win.

Iowa in a lot of areas probably outplayed them, you know.

And but again, while this is not a vantage Iowa team, this is a proud, proud program, and they're not going to roll over because Indiana comes in and they're ninth in the country or whatever and they just blew out Illinois and this is the first road game.

But this is these are not excuses, this is just facts.

Indiana's first road game an incredibly hostile environment.

Indiana teams, No Indiana team in the past ten years wins that game.

They just don't.

It doesn't happen until these last And they went in there and they found a way to win.

And you know, I think it'll really set them up in two weeks.

We'll talk about, you know, next week, but this this gives them something to lean back on when they go on the road in the future.

Storty next week, the organ and they go to Penn State later in the year, some other games.

But yeah, there's I think I think, you know, when you when you struggle as much as they did offensively, and you know, you have some mistakes that you have, you're probably fortunate to come out with a win.

But they also they made enough plays and they made a big play at the end there with Mendoz and.

Sat to get to get that out of victory.

So offensively, I guess that's the best play place to start, because that's really what bogged Indiana down.

Like you mentioned, like Indiana's defense played about as well as you could have hoped.

Held I what a two hundred and eighty four total yards, which on the road in a big ten environment is really really good.

H So, Brian Haynes had that group playing really well so offensively.

You mentioned the that was one of the big things you mentioned.

Kaylon Blacks run blocking in Roman Henvy too.

He had a couple of plays where he just completely whipped on blocks Indiana.

I felt like I felt like they had the right idea of what they wanted to do against the Blitz.

It was just that Iowa was so overwhelming and like you mentioned, they probably would war timing up some of the snaps.

It felt like Indie and knew what I wanted to do, but the execution.

In that area was pretty poor in this game.

Yeah, And you know it's interesting on the in the past blocking grades going back and looking at it, uh, the right side struggled.

Bray Lynch and Khalil Benson's grades were I think in the forties and like again take pff for what for what, but I think there are some things they can probably activate, and I mean there was I think I think it was on the sack of Mendoz that bray Lynch just got abused, Like the guy just kind of did a little move and swim, move and use and just and I think he ended up on the ground.

You know.

So now on the other side, Carter Smith I think had a pretty good past block grade if I remember right.

And Pat Coogan I don't remember.

Evans.

I think it was decent.

I don't want to say it was maybe maybe around seventy or so.

But there's you know, and I'm not saying they need to make changes or anything like that, but you know, it was kind of one side that was kind of giving them problems.

But I you know, if you watch Iowa, what they're at least from my point of view, their game plan is we are going to throw the house at you.

We're gonna bring We're gonna bring this monster blitz and we believe we can either get to your quarterback before he can get rid of the ball, or even if he does get rid of the ball, it's gonna be a poor throw that ends.

Up an incompletion or possibly a turnover.

And that's what they did.

And give him Mendoza credit.

Like on the pass of Sarat I think he got rocked on the pass to Cooper where and the reason why the biggest thing on that was Cooper was open.

He just couldn't finish his throw because the guy was right there in his face.

If he finishes that throw, that's a completed pass.

But he stood in there and took some hits.

I mean, that dude was tough as can be, so give him pred on that.

But I was game playing was good.

Like I said, I would have maybe liked to see in Indiana the other thing I maybe like to see, you know, I kind of maybe play a little bit quicker, maybe go two minutes maybe a Notre Dame.

They're having trouble, and I know some of it was the score and the time of the game, but maybe go a little bit quicker and do some two minute and try to get eyewa so they can't tee up so much and they're more on their heels.

Maybe they can't sub certain guys in situations, you know, Like I'm not a coach.

Those guys know better than me.

But I would have maybe tried something a little bit different.

But at the end of the day, they got the win, and that's what the win and that's what matters.

Yeah, this is a This is a vintage of Phil Parker defense.

Maybe not in terms of talent level, but just the way they're playing in the Perth.

I think I saw a stat that was like, I would pressure on seventy two percent of the snatch or something something outrageous like that and really forced Indiana to work.

And that kind of goes hand in hand Matt that the play calling, we should probably address that too, because there's there's one side of the fan base that that says, you know, IU has to change something up in these in these big road games, because you know what's what they've been doing hasn't been working offensively going back to last year.

And the other side is like, and this is maybe where I lean more, is you can only call what you can block right in Indiana for them to get these explosive plays and these long developing.

Routes, UH, you gotta build the block.

And I felt like Mike Shanahan's hands were tied a little bit now going back to the first half, especially in the first quarter, second quarter, when Indiana had a little bit of momentum, I would have liked to see them try some things, you know, before high started teeing off, but especially in the second half.

For me, it's hard.

It's hard to fault Shanahan because of how poorly UH Indiana was dealing with the blitzes and and it's a situation where you know, you can throw one hundred slants to Elijah Shirat, but at some point you got to try something different, and there wasn't a whole lot.

I felt like Indiana could call to make up for first block and struggles.

Yeah, And the one thing I would say to the fans you talked about these road games.

I mean, listen, Indiana was out class talent wise at Ohio State and Notre Dame.

I mean, that's just the fact of the matter.

I mean, you can say what you want, but they those teams both had superior personnel to Indiana on both sides of the ball.

So it's a little bit that to me, that's not really the to this game.

You know, it's not really apples to apples.

I I do think, I you know, I do would have like I said I said earlier, I would have liked to send them be a little bit more aggressive, maybe try and you know, like again maybe the two minute kind of offense would have would have done something different.

But you're right, you know, Kevin Wilson told this to me years ago.

I drop all the great plays in the world.

I want Matt, but if we can't block it, it doesn't matter.

And you know, the blocking overall wasn't awful.

They were struggling.

It was really kind of I thought the old line for the most part, did a solid job of giving Thedows a time.

It was just some of those blitzes and picking them up where they struggled.

And it goes back to running backs and Kaylon Black.

You know, his curse.

Seems like he's been a pretty solid, you know guy in pass protection, but he struggled.

He struggled Roman heavy.

We've never seen him until this year, so I don't really know have a great feel for his pass protection and how much he was asked to do it in Maryland.

But it was a struggle for him.

And these guys were coming from I mean, they were on a dead sprint from ten yards away, like safeties and stuff, and they were just kind of lighting up Indiana's running backs and giving them all kinds of problems.

So you know, I mean, listen, it's always easy hindsight.

It's always twenty twenty.

It's easy to sit here and nitpick.

Mike Shanahan's been pretty darn good.

And you know, I saw a post about Signetti can't win big.

I mean, there's just some nonsense, no offense.

I don't care who, I don't care if they get mad.

There's nonsense on the board.

He's sixteen and two and.

Indiana, I mean, you know what I mean, and you talk about a how State now State Norday played for the national championship.

There's only two teams that beat Indiana last year with the two teams that played for the title, you know.

So, I it's it's just it's mind boggling to me that people who followed the program that's been dog crap for years are complaining about a guy who's gone sixteen in.

Two, especially when it in a place they haven't won into two thousand and seven, like several coaches have tried in Indiana and have not been successful there.

Uh So, curtz Ignetti, I mean, yeah, uh now, I'm with you on that.

Uh.

It should be noted too with Fernanda Mendoza, especially, you know he finished thirteen to twenty three.

Especially I remember in the first quarter he had that one long, that deep shot to Omar Cooper, which which should have been a touchdown, looked like Mendoza might have underthrown the ball.

Some people wanted to pass their appearance.

Yeah, Elijah Surat, I remember there was a I think it was just a quick slamt that they threw to him and he dropped the pass, which is very uncharacteristic for him.

Yeah.

Was that the third down play?

I believe so.

Yeah, Yeah, it was a.

Third downplay and the Cooper won.

That was a p I that should have been called.

Yeah.

So there was a couple instances here where where it felt like Indiana had a chance to find its footing, and you know what, whether it's their own mistakes or you know, things like officiating that we can debate, it felt like Indian was kind of stuck in the mud for most of this game.

Offensively, I thought, you know, and you uh, going back to Roman Henby.

While while Indian's running backs weren't great in the pass pectioname, I thought Roman Henby played a really really good game.

Fifteen carries eighty six yards.

Now, he didn't find the end zone, it didn't didn't break off any explosives in the run game.

He ran super, super tough in this game and turned a bunch of what would have been like you know, won two yard games into into you know, five six, seven eight yard gains.

I thought that was a real bright spot, especially against an eye with defense that's as pisical as it is.

Yeah, and this is a game where and like I said, I think Kaylon Black has solid speed and he showed it.

But this is a game where there are holes that any holes that.

Were there were not open for long and you kind of needed.

I mean, Hemby was able to get through some of those holes that Black I don't think was you know, was able to get through.

And I'm with you.

I mean, on the way home, I was talking with me and Rabbi were talking.

I thought Heimby looked great running the ball.

I mean he not only ran with speed, but he ran with power, physicality.

You know, he was he was, you know, breaking through some tackles or at least pushing you know.

I mean, I don't he might have had some some runs that that went for negative yards, but that was probably more on the fact that they were in the backfield.

I thought he was terrific.

I thought he looked out standing running the ball.

And you know, I've said it to you guys, at some point he's going to break like a fifty or sixty yard run for a touchdown.

He came close.

I think there was one where he just barely got tripped up in this game.

But he he is going to break one.

And you know he's been and he has been an outstanding addition to this team with what he can do running the ball and also catching it.

But I'm with you one hundred percent.

I thought he played really really well in his in his role as as a running back.

Let's stay with the run game here because one area where Indiana has had some trouble this year and it continued in this Iowa game.

Those short yards plays.

I believe they had four different instances of a third and short, fourth and short where they got completely stuffed at the line of scrimmage and and kurtzing Nadie mentioned after the game that, you know, Frando Mendoza couldn't check out of those because of the crowd noise and things like that.

So whatever they were running, they were running, and Indiana basically tried everything it could to get thee to gain these one two three yards on those plays.

You know they brought Zen Mahalski in a couple of times as a sixth blocker.

Obviously, Riley Nokowski was in there's a seventh blocker.

You basically you basically through the kitchen sake at Iowa and said stop us, and Iowa stopped them several times.

Uh, whatever Indiana is doing, I would like to see I would like to see them make some adjustments here because it feels like they're not letting Bana mon doesn't necessarily work in these short yard situations.

Uh, whether it's a play action something, Something's got to change in that regard, because this Iowa game especially showed that Indiana's still has a lot of.

Room for improvement in any short areas.

Yeah, and the thing I think I didn't ask it, but I think somebody asked about was Mendoza.

Did Mendoza have the freedom to pull the ball because on the last fourth and one where they ran black and he ran basically right, I think he ran into alignment and like ran into his back.

It really looked.

I can't remember the first one as well, but the second one if Mendoza keeps the balls first out because that DN had crashed in and I think it was a I want to say it was a fourth and one, maybe fourth and one and a half or something like that.

But and coach Signetti said something it sounded like that they those weren't read they kind of read options.

It was basically a handoff all the way, which I was a little bit surprised at, although somebody I took to said they they thought Mendoza was a little bit surprised that Black took the ball when they watched on TV.

That looked like Mendoza almost wanted to keep it.

So I don't know, I just wonder how much freedom he has to because I think if he keeps the ball in a couple of those, those are probably first downs.

You know.

That's and and you know, I don't know, I'm not sure how much crowd noise to playing a part in that.

I think that's to him, it's just all about reading.

The defensive line, so you know, I mean, and I know there's been a couple of issues earlier in the year where Mendoza where Signetti got on him.

I want to say it was was a Kamisau state or any estate.

He called the time out and yelled at him basically because I think he was maybe he thought he should hand it off, or he wasn't pulling the ball or whatever it may be So I'm not sure exactly what the freedom is there for those because I thought those were but the fact that you didn't have, you know, the option, and I think he has an option where he puts in the bell and he stands up and he throws the ball.

I didn't.

I don't remember seeing any of those plays and he throws it.

He did the outside It looked like they were predesigned, like he just immediately turned it through the ball.

There was no fake handoff or anything like that.

So it makes it tough.

It makes it tough when it's loud like that, and it's not again it's I'm making excuses, it's just the fact the matter.

When it's super loud, it's sometimes it's hard to communicate on the field.

But I would have liked to see him.

This to me was a game where maybe you could have used him a little bit, but I don't want you.

I don't want to get him hurt.

But maybe use him a little bit more in the run game, especially in those short yarded situations.

Before we flip over to uh the defensive special teams.

That last play, Matt where when when Mendoza hooked up with sarat what were you guys down on the field yet, just what was like the atmosphere like around the stadium when when that when that play happened.

No, we actually didn't.

We we stayed in the press box this time all the way to the end of the game.

Mainly I wasn't sure what the policy was.

I mean, we were down the field before the game, but I didn't go down at the end of the game.

But it was like you could.

I mean, when you hear the price box, you're obviously insulated, so but you can still tell it's loud, like you know, you can hear the noise and the air just went out of the balloon as soon as they as soon as he broke that tackle and people realized it, and then people started like I was looking down and people were starting to stream out of the stream towards the exits and and and leave the game.

So yeah, I think, I mean, that was obviously that was obviously uh, I.

Mean, no, I'm being captain.

Obviously here was a huge play.

But it really sucked.

The life out of the Iowa fans.

I mean, I think they thought they had a real shot there and and and they did, but it was a monster play, great throw by Mendoza, and it was great that they they you know, they talked backwords, they read it because they were blitz and they were playing a little bit softer at corner and so that play, that one that you talked about earlier, they were kind of pressing Sarat.

That was a tough I mean, he's probably he should have caught it.

That's a tough throw because the guy was pressing.

These were a little bit softer, and I think they were okay with him completing the past because I think they figured we'll come up and we'll make a tackle.

Well, Sarat obviously beat the guy one on one and the rest is history.

So but yeah, you it definitely was a deflating moment for that fan base for and obviously probably for Iowa too.

Yeah.

Yeah, I remember too though.

On that play, I believe it was TJ Hall at cornerback.

He took a pretty bad angle to he's trying to make an ankle tackle on Serat, which he's gotten out out a lot of those this year.

And yeah, once he was gone, he was it was walking to the end zone.

So and let's let's you know, let's not forget too.

I alway still had like, what a minute twenty eight with three time out left to drive down the field.

So it wasn't completely over at that point, but after they had already missed that field goal and after Gronowski had exited the game with an injury, it kind of felt like, you know, the winds are blowing in India's favor at that point, so let's go to you know, we've made it this far.

We got to talk about Nico Ratiiciic because he was stones in this game, two kicks of forty plus yards a career long, both of them actually were career a loongs forty six and then the forty four yarder to tie the game in the fourth quarter.

I was, you know, I don't know if I if I was necessarily surprised, but I didn't think Signetti was going to send Raditiciic out there for some of those field goals that that he ultimately did, because you know, we've seen in the past where Signetti has sort of favored the offense and kept the kicking unit on the sidelines in those situations.

And then you factor in the road environment, you factor in that Ratichicic has never really attempted anything outside of forty yards in his career for him to step up and make those kind of kick in those moments, his confidence has to be sky high right now.

And for his sake, you hope that Indiana is a you know, the staff is more confident in setting him out there for those kinds of situations now that he's done it and has that experience.

Yeah, and I think this.

We might have talked about this in our vedeo after the game, but me and you have talked about it.

What you know, at some point you're gonna need your field goal kicker.

You're not gonna blow everybody out.

And he was fantastic, And listen, I always kicker was awesome too.

That first kick he made for forty seven yards, that ball was hammered like that would have been good from that had at least another thirteen to fifteen yards of distance on.

I mean, it hit so high up on the net if you can see it on TV, but at the game you could see it.

Now, he missed a big one, the twenty two yarder that really would have put Indiana where obviously would put a ton of pressure on him there at the end.

But Radi Chickens, I mean, we know the talent's there.

I mean we've seen it, it's just we haven't we haven't seen it in these kinds of situations where there's a ton right now.

I mean those kicks were in that last drive before for half for uh was that right before halfing h they got three points.

I think that was it.

They that that was uh, that was key.

I mean they Radishchik was fantastic.

I mean, and uh, the special teams were good.

Brendan Frankie continues to be unbelievable kicking the ball off.

I mean, they had no chance, no chance to do anything, you know, And and this is this is this is a really kind of under the radar.

This is a kind of under the radar.

Yeah, that draft started at twenty two seconds for Indiana and they got and really give it to him.

He sixteen yards on first down.

Then he gets it to shrot for a big game.

I mean that was a that was a big because really Iowa had all the momentum.

They're up ten to seven, and they had kind of seized control of the game in my opinion, and Indiana got some back and that was kind of a floating for them.

But the special teams have been awesome.

I mean, mis McCarthy came back, I thought he put on the ball.

I know he had the return, but all of a sudden, I just thought the pump was so good.

He kind of out and kicked his coverage.

But overall it was it was a special teams was it was a big factor in Indiana winning this game, no doubt about it.

Yeah we knew it.

It probably would be against an Iowa team that prides itself on special teams, and that was one of the keys going to this game was was stopping Wigen And speaking of him, Matt, I mean every time he touched the ball, because I would did a couple of things with him obviously in the return game, but offensively, they try to throw him a couple of screen passes, you know, quick passes in space.

That guy is scary because every time he touches the ball like he he looks like he's a shot out of the cannon.

So for Indiana, you know, both defensively and and coverage unit wise on special teams, for for them to be able to tackle in space like that against a guy like that who was who was so dangerous, that was really impressive to me and I think it's something that goes underlooked.

But Indiana's tackling in this game, especially against you know, guys like Leigen, was really phenomenal.

Yeah, I think if I remember right my PFF store I mentioned, I think they had a pretty good tackling grade for this game.

I'm actually was surprised that I doesn't get him the vault more.

Yeah, I I you know, I'm I don't know the whole story there.

I don't follow him, I don't cover him, but I was kind of surprised that.

They didn't try to get him the ball more than they do, you know, because he is he is a dynamic guy.

But yeah, Indiana is tackling.

I thought, you know, I can't remember the exact great, but I want to say it was just below eighty eight, eighty eighty on the PFF scale.

They they tackled well, Maury Ferrell had a good game, Lewis Moore played well again.

Isaiah Jones, which seems like we're talking about him every week, Aidan Fisher.

So all these guys, the guys that you needed to play well, Tyreek Tucker, they all did a good job.

So but yeah, tackling was definitely huge in this.

Game in Indiana, and Indiana, you know, came to play in that regard.

All right, defensively the best place to start here.

I cannot believe how well well I can believe it because Indiana has one of the best defense coordinators in the nation, one of the best run des But for them to go into Iowa and completely shut down Iowa's own game on offense, which is is the ground game just so impressive.

Hold Iowa's under one hundred yards rushing in this game, and I don't think I would be shocked if any other I know, they still play Ohio State this season in Penn State, but I would be I would be fairly surprised if any team is able to hold them under one hundred yards rushing at home this season.

For what Indiana's defensive line in front seven was able to do, because it almost felt like Iowa didn't want to even play that battle once it once it kind of felt that Indiana had had a control of the run game.

What Indiana was able to do and dictate the terms there at the line of scrimmage was super impressive to me.

Yeah, and just looking at I'm looking at the box score.

I mean, even if you take out the negative yardage, they only had one hundred and five yards and thirty one carries.

Now, I ended up being ninety two with the negative yardage.

But I mean, so that's that's what not even that's three point something yards with even when you do the one hundred and five.

Indiana, on the other hand, I know we're talking about the defense, but they ran one hundred and seventy frean fo one hundred and seventy three yards on.

Thirty nine carries.

Now, they lost a bunch of yards, especially with the Neil downs and the run in the end zone.

That's not bad carries.

That's a little over four yards to carry against Iowa defense.

That's not bad.

But you're right, Indiana really made them, they.

Really and they did a good job.

They did a pretty good job against I thought against Gronowski hit his long run was three yards.

He only had said he had some losses, but seven yards and eight carries.

I thought I thought he might be a little bit more successful, you know, uh mooton.

I mean he had a twenty two yard and run, but you know, other than that, he had one of that be fifty eight yards on seventeen carries.

That's pretty good and he's he's a solid back.

So yeah, they they they shut down what you had to shut down, you know, passing wise, you know, he completed a high percentage passes, but they weren't really throwing.

They're not throwing the ball down the field.

It was a lot of get the ball out quick three stat drops, quick throws.

So Indians defense did a good job.

You know.

It's interesting.

At the end of the game, one of the guys.

In the media in the press box, coup covers IM gonna say who it is, and I understand where he's coming from.

He he mentioned will should Throat had gone down instead of scoring there at the end, I if they would have had Byowa has one or no timeouts, I can maybe live with that logic on this premise only because you can run the clock out.

But with three timeouts, you can't run the clock out.

And if you take if you kneel down, run it three times, kick a field goal, something crazy can happen.

You can lose that game.

You put it in the situation where the worst case scenario is you tie at the end of regulation.

And my other thing is even if they didn't, if they didn't have the timeouts.

Listen, your defense should be good enough to stop buying one one more drive and you're.

Two plus million dollars a year.

Coordinator should be able to come up with a scheme for one drive to shut them down.

That's my feeling on it.

And then and they did it, and you know, I'm you know, to me taking the knees kind of playing, I don't know, it's that's really conservative.

And like I said, if it's.

If it's they have no timeouts, it makes sense because you can take three knees to run the clock down to like two seconds, kick a field goal and you're done.

But I'm also the thing, go take the points.

You should always take those seven points.

But the defense was great.

They they came through at the end.

Obviously it was against the backup, but you know they were they came through at the end, they shut him down, They got the ball back and obviously Indiana, you know, well you talk about the last series for Indiana, which was I neither one of us, I think understand what the heck was going on.

Yeah, yeah, you're read in my mind because that's where I was going next, that final drive.

So kurtis Gneddi of course was asked about I think you might have asked about it in the press conference.

He has no clue what was going on after the game.

We don't have any clue what's going on after the game.

I guess.

Rhet Lewis, who does a different IEU podcast, mentioned that he had got clarification from the Big Ten.

They said that Mendoza was simulating taking a knee, which you know, blows and play dead whatever.

The victory delay thing is that Indiana likes to call it where where Mendoza takes a few steps back before actually taking the knee.

Apparently the reps didn't agree with it.

And this is this is part of a large picture map because especially you know, the end of the third quarter and then the entire fourth quarter, I thought the referees completely lost control of the game.

It started when Mendoza got decked out of bounds, which granted that was a legal play, but I thought Indiana was was in the you know, if I'm Indiana, I have no problem with them sticking up for Mendoz after taking that hit, But for the reps to have like a whatever, five minute chat about it and then call a holding penalty just a completely errant holding penalty.

I didn't even see it, like, and it just felt like the referees had no control of what was going on in this game, especially towards the end.

Yeah, And the other thing that was.

Weird about that play we talked about in the press box because we could see it.

I don't know how much you can see on TV.

They all hubbled on the field.

Nobody spotted the ball, like usually you have one guy over he's put his foot.

He puts his foot right there on the sideline where they say that where the balls spotted.

There was no referee on the sideline.

Now some of it was.

Indiana's players were all right there, but still they never spotted the ball.

So we for a while we had no idea if Mendoza it was close.

It was hard to see, and and the TV's I didn't see.

I never called a replay.

Maybe they showed it and I dismissed it, but we didn't.

I didn't know if he had if he was made, if he made it, or he was a little bit short, because he was right at the line when he went out of bounce, and it turned out he was a little bit short.

Yeah, And then I think the penalty.

Was it a was it a defensive off sides or something?

Because they said at first they said, Indiana accepted it.

Why would you take a five yard penalty on third and like I think it was like third and ten or eleven, and then they said no and it's fourth down.

Yeah, it was, it was, it was.

I thought the refereeing was this was not one of their better games, let's put it that way.

And there were missed calls on both sides.

There was a time where Indiana their dB came through the back of an eye receiver and even probably a little bit early.

I thought the more egregious one was on Cooper because that's probably that was under thrown.

But that was a big call.

And and correct me if I'm wrong, but if.

There's a penalty passer Ferris and the ends on the ball, I think it spotted down at what the three yard line or something in college football, So that was that was kind of a big note call.

But yeah, I'm with you.

I thought the referees it got a little bit got a little bit sideways late in that game, and they could have done a better job of, uh, you know, maybe doing that.

And like we'll get into the thing.

But the last three or four plays, I'm still completely in the dark.

Why you couldn't run out sixteen seconds?

You know, especially when you know, to me, simulating means you you start to put your knee down and then you stand back up.

I don't remember Mendoza ever doing that.

He took three or four steps back, and he was basically waiting for I to rush, and they never rushed, So why would you blow that dead?

That's what I don't understand.

And for the people too that are saying that Indiana was participating in some kind of point shaving with that safety, like you need to get a grip on reality here, Like I understand that it probably killed a bunch of people's betting whatever spreads and rushing totals and this, and that Indiana did what it had to do to uh to win that game.

And part of me would have liked to see Mendoza just throw that ball out of bounds because that that that that last defender who tackled Mendoza in the end zone was barreling down and I was worried that he was gonna try to punch the ball out or something.

Un Fortunately he did not, But I.

Don't blame Indiana for taking that safety there, because you can't at that point, with with how incompetent the rest were at that point, Uh, you got to just do You gotta just find any way to believe the rest of the clock off.

Yeah, and I mean the point shave and then that's ridiculous because Indiana tried to run.

They tried to run the clock out and have to score twenty to thirteen.

What was weird about that play?

And I asked the coachy about it was and maybe it didn't look like this on my team.

It looked like Mendoza ran and then slowed down a little bit and like like looking.

Back to see if somebody was coming, and then started running.

And he was from what Sinasa, he was supposed to run out of the back of the end zone, but he like turned like the way he was running, he turned to his right towards the IU sideline and then kind of went down and then the guy came.

So that's what I was like, Well, that's why I was like, what is he doing?

I mean, if you know, I remember years ago, Xander Diamo in the game ran out of the end zone and took a safety when Indiana was gonna have to take what they were gonna have to punt and the smart play, and that was a smart play at that point because the referees completely mishandled those last three the first three downs of that possession.

That clock should have run out.

They should have run that clock out.

They should not have blown it dead early.

But it is what it is.

They got to win.

For the people who lost money, you know, that's it sucks.

I mean, Mendoza apologize to him.

I mean, he wasn't trying to do it, but it was funny when he said he cooked their spreads.

It was I mean, that got a pretty good chuckle everybody in the in the press room.

Yeah, that was hilarious.

At least he's self aware.

Also, all right, Indiana winners twenty to fifteen over Iowa.

Matt, just quick thoughts.

We're gonna we're gonna leave the Oregon preview for next week since the Indiana's gonna buy this week, but obviously.

A huge win for Indiana.

Just any quick thoughts going into this bye week and and and game planning ahead for Oregon.

Yeah, and we didn't get to it today and it's probably better for but you know, I'm curious to see if there's any kind and they're productly much.

An update on D'Angelo Ponds.

It was interesting.

I was standing right by where the team comes out real quick for the pregame warm up, and he had nothing.

I'm not sure what the injury is.

I would assume it's something like with an ankle or knee.

He had nothing on any and and Ponds wears those pants that come up about they're almost like shorts.

His football pants look like short.

There was nothing on his leg or knees, so part of me wonders if there is something.

Was Indiana, you know, trying to maybe fool Eyewall because I'm sure they knew what the injury report was when it came out.

But I did not see him going through warm ups on the field, like even like individual stuff.

Now maybe he did, because I was on one side and I was by.

I think they might have, but I didn't see him when they went through team stuff.

I did not see him out there.

It was Rylan Gandy all the way, So you know, it'll be interesting to see where where that is.

My guess is he'll be ready to play.

When he jogged out, he looked okay, but he was just jogging, so I don't know.

You know, again, I don't know what the injury is, but yeah, it's gonna be a tough game.

We me and Rabby on the way back kind of watched the Penn State Oregon game as we were driving back in the car, and it looked like Penn State was gonna I'm sorry, Oregon was gonna win handling, and then Penn State made a run there at the end and really probably should have had a chance to win that game.

It's gonna be a tough matchup.

As loud as I was, Oregon's gonna be louder.

And we'll get into it more next week.

But you know, this is they're five and oh they're what are they know, eighth in the country?

Uh, number two versus number eight.

I would have I would assume one of the pregame shows will in Eugene.

I don't know that for a fact, but I mean that's got to be the biggest game on the schedule for that weekend, I would think.

So it's you know, this team has put themselves in a position to achieve everything that they want to achieve for this season.

Certainly everything on the table is still a head for Indiana to play for this season.

Hoosiers are five and zero.

They just announced yesterday it is a three thirty pm kickoff Eastern Time, which will be twelve thirty in Eugene.

That game will be on CBS, so it'll be CBS's big game of the week.

We'll ultimately if any of the national pregame shows go there, but it'll be number eight Indiana versus number two Oregon.

Well I was posed the ap AP rankings might change, but regardless, it should be a top ten matchup going into next week.

Hoosiers, you know this is gonna be a huge litmus test for them.

We'll see ultimately if they can get that really really signature win in the Signetti era at Oregon in a few weeks.

All right, but Indianda's on a buy this week.

We'll be back next week to preview the Oregon game, but for now, Peace dot coms Matt Weaver Jerry Kelly will see folks over on the site.