Indiana vs. Oregon: Hoosiers expose Ducks offense in 30-20 upset on the road

 Admit it: Indiana might just be best team in college football team in the country.

Behind a gritty quarterback performance led by Fernando Mendoza, a dominant performance on defense that flustered Will Stein and Dante Moore's offense all night No. 7 Indiana knocked off No. 3 Oregon 30-20 on Saturday afternoon at Autzen Stadium in a memorable showdown between two of the best programs in the Big Ten.

Indiana snapped the Ducks’ 18-game home winning streak Saturday night and held the Heisman favorite Dante Moore to under 200 total yards and two turnovers.

Fernando Mendoza went 20 of 31 passing with 215 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception which led to a pick six for Oregon late in the second half. Mendoza also ran the ball six times for 31 yards on the ground, inclduing a huge 9 yard run on third down which led to a touchdown drive in the third quarter.

On the ground the Hoosiers were led by Roman Hemby who ran for 70 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

Elijah Sarratt had the game of his life against the shaky Oregon secondary with 8 catches for 121 yards and 1 touchdowns, which helped IU go up 27-20 at the time (4th quarter).

Nico Radicic and Brendan Franke were 3 for 3 sharing the field goal duties. Franke made the game two possession with his late field goal with 1:21 left in the 4th quarter.

It was the defense that won this ball game though as they shut Oregon down on the ground and through the air. Oregon had onky 81 yards rushing the ball. Jordon Davidson, Noah Whittington, Jay Harris, Jayden Limar and Dierre Hill Jr were all shut down.

Dante Moore ran 9 times for -27 times and was sacked five times, Moore also threw tow interceptions in the fourth quarter giving the game away completely. Moore finished the game 21 of 34 passing woth 1 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and only 186 yards. Oregon was averaging over 35 per game and 500 yards of total offense for the season.

The No. 7 Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) outscored the Oregon Ducks (5-1, 2-1) 17-10 in the second half to pick up the pivotal Big Ten Conference win and move to 6-0 on the season.

What’s Next?

Indiana and Curt Cignetti return home to take on Michigan State at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 18, at Memorial Stadium. The game will be broadcast and streamed on Peacock.

The battle for the Old Brass Spittoon has no spread yet but Indiana will be heavy favorites at home coming off their biggest win in school history against Oregon. Michigan State (3-3) is coming off of a 38-13 blowout loss against UCLA.

Indiana blew out Michigan State last season in East Lansing, 47-10, as the Hoosiers scored 47 unanswered points.

Indiana and Michigan State have played each other every season since the 2011 season. The Spartans lead the all-time series with a 50-19-2 overall record. Indiana has not beat Michigan State in consecutive matchups since1967-69.