Joel Klatt admits he was 'dead wrong' about Top 15 team

Joel Klatt concedes Indiana is no fluke after historic rout of Illinois in Bloomington.

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt admits he was wrong about this Big Ten team after its big Week 4 win. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Indiana’s performance against Illinois not only redefined the Hoosiers’ season but also shifted national perception. During his Monday episode of The Joel Klatt Show, Joel Klatt acknowledged that he had underestimated Indiana, saying their 63-10 blowout forced him to reevaluate where they stand among the nation’s elite.

“What we saw Saturday night in Bloomington was ridiculous,” Klatt said. He later added, “I thought Illinois would win this game and man, was I wrong. And I will be the first to raise my hand and tell you when I get something wrong. I was dead wrong about Indiana. I did not think that they could be better than they were a year ago. They are. They are.”

Klatt placed Indiana at No. 9 in his top 10 rankings after Week 4, behind Ohio State, Miami, Georgia, Penn State, Oregon, Florida State, LSU and Oklahoma. Texas football rounded out the list.

The victory represented Indiana’s first triumph over a top 10 opponent in five years and the most lopsided win in program history against a ranked team. Curt Cignetti’s squad jumped to an early lead with D'Angelo Ponds blocking a punt and scoring on the return, and from there the Hoosiers delivered a relentless, balanced attack. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza completed 21 of 23 passes for 267 yards and five touchdowns, extending the team’s home winning streak to 12 games.

Fernando Mendoza Establishes Himself As A Star

Klatt singled out Mendoza as a difference-maker, praising both his efficiency and his fit in Cignetti’s offensive scheme. “Mendoza is better than Rourke. And Rourke was really good,” Klatt said, comparing him to last year’s standout transfer Kurtis Rourke. “Mendoza is made for this system. Do you see the quick release that he has in that RPO system?”

The Hoosiers’ coach was decisive in bringing in Mendoza, and Klatt credited that judgment. “We probably should have known that Cignetti knew what he was doing, and he does now,” Klatt said.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) is excelling in his first season with the Hoosiers after transferring from Cal. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The quarterback’s numbers back it up. He finished the night with 17 consecutive completions and now leads the country with 16 total touchdowns. “He is so accurate, 21 of 23 for 267 yards and five touchdowns,” Klatt said. “Mendoza should absolutely be considered for the Heisman Trophy.”

Mendoza’s supporting cast thrived as well. Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. combined for three touchdown catches, while running backs Khobe Martin and Kaelon Black piled up nearly 200 rushing yards and three scores between them. Illinois had no answer defensively, giving up over 300 rushing yards while struggling to contain Indiana’s passing game.

Indiana Shows Dominance In Every Phase

For Klatt, Indiana’s showing against Illinois underscored that this team may be even stronger than the one that reached the College Football Playoff last year. “I think we have to start wrapping our head around this idea that they might be better than they were a year ago when they went 11-1 and went to the College Football Playoff,” Klatt said.

Much of his praise focused on the Hoosiers’ control of the trenches. “They were dominant on the line of scrimmage, both sides,” Klatt said. “They ran it for over 300 yards on Illinois. They sacked Luke Altmyer seven times. So, they were dominant on both lines of scrimmage.”

Illinois struggled all night, managing only three rushing yards in the first half and surrendering seven sacks of Altmyer. The 53-point defeat was the program’s largest margin of defeat since 2018 and the lowest point so far in Bret Bielema’s tenure. Meanwhile, Indiana has gone 15-2 since the beginning of last season, with its only defeats coming against Ohio State and Notre Dame.

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers are meeting the standard set by his College Football Playoff team from 2024. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

“Curt Cignetti wins. Google him. He’s building something really special, really special in Bloomington,” Klatt said. “That team is really good. You cannot watch that team and not think to yourself, that’s a top 10 team in college football.”

Indiana now turns its focus to its first road challenge of the season, a matchup at Iowa on Saturday.