Indiana QB apologizes to bettors for game-ending safety: ‘Cooked people’s spreads’
The Hoosiers remained undefeated on Saturday — and they didn’t accomplish it by concerning themselves with betting odds.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza joked about spoiling betting lines with his bizarre scramble that drained the clock in the team’s 20-15 road victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium.
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The Hoosiers stopped the Hawkeyes in their final drive of the game, holding a seven-point lead with three seconds to go. On fourth-and-19, Mendoza gathered the snap and b-lined for his own endzone — sprinting 40 yards backward and getting tackled for a safety as time expired.
The No. 11 ranked Indiana (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) was a 7.5-point favorite in the matchup on DraftKings, but the final two points awarded to Iowa could have affected wagers on other spreads.
Mendoza jestingly offered his condolences to the bets he “cooked” with the play.
“I know I really cooked people’s spreads,” he joked. “My apologies out to them.”
The offbeat play was no spontaneous improvisation from the junior field general — rather a clock-draining strategy implemented by head coach Curt Cignetti.
Still, Mendoza admitted that he could’ve stopped short of the end zone.
“Coach said, ‘Hey, take a safety, run out of the end zone,’” Mendoza said. “When I got to the 2, I saw all zeros on the clock, but I kept going.”
Mendoza played hero in the previous possession, launching a go-ahead, 49-yard touchdown pass to wideout Elijah Sarratt with 1:28 left on the clock to keep the Hoosiers’ undefeated streak alive.
He completed 13 of his 23 passes in the game for 233 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
A transfer from the University of California, Mendoza has converted 73 percent of his passes for 1,208 yards and 16 touchdowns with just the one interception through the Hoosiers’ first five games of the season.
Following a Week 6 bye, Indiana will put its perfect record on the line against another undefeated squad, No. 2-ranked Oregon, on Oct. 11 at Autzen Stadium.
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