Indiana Spring Game Showcases Stout Run Game, Opportunistic Defense

No official statistics were kept, but unofficially Fernando Mendoza completed 11 of 15 passes for 137 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Alberto Mendoza completed 11 of 14 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.

Indiana’s ground game was stout. Kaelon Black rushed for 62 yards on seven carries, including a 40-yard scamper. Beebe rushed for 53 yards against a mix of defensive units. Maryland transfer Roman Hemby rushed for 26 yards. All of the backs averaged at least 3.7 yards per carry.

Cignetti spoke highly of Black, the lone holdover from Indiana’s 2024 backfield.

“He's got good speed. He's got a lot of juice. He's been with us a long time,” Cignetti said.

The No. 1 offense demonstrated resilience on its first series. Mendoza converted one 3rd-and-14 pass and one fourth down pass. Both were long gainers. The first was a 26-yard catch by new tight end Holden Staes, and the second was a 23-yard reception by E.J. Williams. It allowed Mendoza to find Omar Cooper Jr. for a 13-yard touchdown pass.

After that, the defense held sway. They held the No. 2 defense to the equivalent of a punt, worth three points, and then when the No. 1s came back on the field, one of Indiana’s most opportunistic players did his thing.

Linebacker Rolijah Hardy jumped in front of a sideline pass and went 43 yards untouched for an interception return touchdown. The defense led 10-7 before the No. 2 offense tied the game with a field goal just before the first quarter ended.

“His last week of spring was really, really good, and that's how we need him to play when he comes back in the fall. He's got a lot of talent,” said Cignetti on Hardy.

After the defense stopped another drive by the No. 1 offense for three points to take a 13-10 lead, running back Khobie Martin coughed up the ball after a handoff near midfield. Freshman defensive back Seaonta Stewart scooped up the loose ball to give the defense another four points awarded for a turnover.

Working with a short field after the turnover, Beebe dominated a short 40-yard drive. He had a 24-yard catch and rushed for the rest of the 16 yards, including a 5-yard drive to tie the game at 17.

The defense made two more stops before the Indiana offense got into a better rhythm. With the No. 1s on the field, Mendoza engineered a 63-yard scoring drive capped by a 12-yard Cooper touchdown catch.

After that, the No. 2 offense got a touchdown after a 70-yard drive. Wide receiver Lebron Bond caught a 6-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Alberto Mendoza.

Cignetti did not comment much on Thursday’s performance, but he said both Fernando and Alberto Mendoza made strides in spring practice.

“I thought his last three practices, one of which was a scrimmage, he made major strides. It really started to click. I felt really good before the scrimmage where we were there with him. I think Alberto had a good spring, too,” Cignetti said.

The transfer portal, which opened Wednesday, should give Indiana the opportunity to add pieces and depth where needed. Cignetti mentioned that, but declined to say what he’s specifically looking for.

Apart from that, there was a sense of optimism coming out of spring practice. Fisher didn’t play, but he talked to the media about where the Hoosiers are as a team.

“When you have guys that are adapted to the system, everybody's comfortable and familiar and you're playing a lot faster. It's like a game every single day we go out there. So we've gotten a lot better this spring,” Fisher said.

Indiana won’t have any official action until fall camp opens sometime in late July or early August. The season opener is on Aug. 30 as the Hoosiers host Old Dominion.