sports football
Indiana football redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza stole the show in the Hoosiers’ 63-10 victory over then-No. 9 Illinois on Sept. 20, garnering a multitude of quarterback and player of the week honors. Amid Mendoza’s spotlight, the Indiana running back room strung together a dominant performance of their own, racking up 288 total yards on the ground.
However, the Hoosier backfield will face a challenging matchup Saturday against Iowa at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have held opposing offenses to just 60.8 rushing yards per contest — the seventh lowest mark in the nation.
In the duo’s first game since redshirt junior running back Lee Beebe Jr.’s season-ending knee injury, redshirt senior running backs Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black earned most of the backfield touches through the first three quarters against Illinois. The tandem secured 24 combined carries for 154 total rushing yards and a touchdown, while averaging 6.4 yards per rush.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz cited the duo as “two really good running backs” in his weekly press conference Tuesday.
But after Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti took out the starters, a third member of the back field shined for the Hoosiers. Redshirt freshman running back Khobie Martin followed up a 109-yard, two-touchdown performance against Indiana State University with a similar stat line against the Fighting Illini.
The Fishers, Indiana, native rushed for 107 yards and added two more touchdowns in the ranked victory, adding another dynamic level to the Indiana rushing attack.
While the Cream and Crimson’s playmakers in the backfield get most of the spotlight, Ferentz praised their offensive line Tuesday.
“But they're a big, physical offensive line, two tight ends that are very effective and the one guy made the big play the other night with the long touchdown,” Ferentz said.
The physicality up front, along with the explosive play of Hemby, Black and Martin, has propelled the Hoosiers to a nation-leading 1,235 yards on the ground. The backfield also ranks third in the nation with 308.8 rushing yards per game, posing a challenge for the Iowa defensive front.
But Iowa matches the Hoosiers’ rushing attack with dominance of its own at the line of scrimmage, boasting one of the premier defensive fronts in the nation this season. Ferentz displayed confidence in his defensive line prior to the season.
“Those guys are competing, they’re improving, and, you know, I think we’ll be okay there, but we’re, you know, we’re not there yet”, Ferentz said at Iowa football Media Day on Aug. 8.
Ferentz’s optimism has proved to be true so far this season. The Hawkeyes enter their contest against the Hoosiers after holding No.14 Iowa State University to 104 rushing yards across 30 carries on Sept. 6. Meanwhile, Iowa limited Rutgers to just 70 rushing yards on 30 carries in its Big Ten opener on Sept. 19.
Iowa returned graduate senior defensive linemen Aaron Graves and Ethan Hurkett, along with senior defensive lineman Max Llewellyn, who leads the Hawkeyes and ties for sixth in the Big Ten with five tackles-for-loss this season. The trio wreaked havoc on opposing offensive linemen and backfields last season, combining for 18 sacks and 27.5 tackles-for-loss.
With Indiana playing in a hostile road environment at Kinnick Stadium, added challenges are placed upon the Hoosiers’ offensive line and rushing attack.
“It's more of a mental expectation, you really have to get yourself ready for it,” Indiana redshirt senior offensive lineman Pat Coogan said Tuesday. “You have to know what to listen to and what not to listen to.”
The Hoosiers’ matchup against Iowa poses their first road test of the season. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed on Peacock.
Follow reporters Conor Banks ( and ) and Dalton James ( and ) and columnist Quinn Richards ( and ) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.