3 Key Stats That Defined Indiana's Victory Against Michigan State

No. 3 Indiana (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) held onto its unblemished record with a 38-13 victory over Michigan State in Week 8. Here are three key stats that tell the story of the contest.

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3 key stats from Indiana’s win against Michigan State

Oct 18, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti walks along the sideline during the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Fernando Mendoza’s incompletions: 4

A lot of quarterbacks have ability. Randomly pick a starting QB in the FBS, and you’ll most likely land on a gunslinger that can make a tremendous throw. As for the quarterbacks that consistently make those throws night in and night out, while almost always ensuring the ball is protected, and being a top-notch game manager all at once, well, there’s only one man that fits that mold: Fernando Mendoza.

Mendoza 🎯 Cooper Jr. @IndianaFootball adds on with the 48-YD TD 🙌

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The current Heisman Trophy frontrunner, Mendoza has been nothing short of phenomenal through seven games at Indiana. And Saturday afternoon was no different. Mendoza went 24-for-28 en route to 332 yards and four touchdowns.

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Yet again, Mendoza was the paragon of excellence, wheeling and dealing and dropping absolute dimes to his uber-talented receivers – who certainly make his life even easier.

Michigan State’s total yards: 367

On the other side of the football, Indiana wasn’t perfect. Michigan State – led by quarterback Aidan Chiles both through the air and on the ground – was able to work itself down the field fairly consistently.

The Spartans put up 367 yards of offense, which included an all-around fantastic and quite efficient performance from Chiles. The junior QB went 27-for-33 and threw for 243 yards and a touchdown, while adding eight carries for 48 yards as a rusher. (He ran for 64 yards on one run, but was sacked a handful of times, which counts as negative rushing yards.)

The only reason Michigan State scored just 13 points on the evening was due to its drives stalling – which was almost entirely caused by Indiana’s ability to bring Chiles and Michigan State running backs down behind the line of scrimmage.

Indiana’s TFLs: 9.0

On that note, we have the Hoosiers’ nine tackles for loss. Defensive lineman Stephen Daley and linebacker Rolijah Hardy each registered two sacks (Indiana had four as a team), while a team effort resulted in five more TFLs.

Those drive-killers allowed the home squad to hold the visitors to just 13 points, despite giving up those aforementioned 367 total yards.

Through seven games, Indiana continues to be one of the best teams in the country in terms of tackles for loss. Curt Cignetti’s club entered the game averaging 9.5 per outing – which ranked second in the country. If the Hoosiers are able to maintain that number, or at least stay in the ballpark, they’ll continue to hold opponents below 15 points on any given night.