The pièce de résistance of the Big Ten’s Week 4 slate was a top-25 showdown between Midwest border rivals.
No. 19 Indiana welcomed No. 9 Illinois to the house that Curt Cignetti rebuilt. The Hoosiers were a touchdown favorite over the Illini, but with neither team really being tested through the first 3 games of their respective seasons, most expected a tight game.
It was not a tight game.
It was a bloodbath.
Indiana won 63-10. IU quarterback Fernando Mendoza completed 21 of his 23 passes for 267 yards and 5 touchdowns without a turnover. IU ran for 326 yards, adjusted for sacks. The Hoosiers outgained the Illini 579-161 and held the Illini to 2 rushing yards thanks, in part, to 7 sacks.
Illinois becomes the 10th team since 2000 to be ranked in the AP Top 10 and give up 63 points in a game, and the first in a regular-season game since Tennessee gave up 63 to South Carolina in 2022.
Illinois is also just the second team since 2000 to be ranked inside the AP Top 10 and lose a regular-season game by at least 50 points. The 2016 Nebraska Cornhuskers were the other.
After knocking off South Carolina in last year’s Citrus Bowl, some thought the Illini were positioned to make a run at the College Football Playoff in 2025. Saturday’s loss will… uh… hurt that cause.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
