By IlliniGuys Staff

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Francisco Mendoza threw five touchdown passes and the Indiana offense rolled up 579 yards as the 19th ranked Hoosiers steamrolled No. 9 Illinois 63-10 in the Big Ten opener for both teams Saturday night.

The defeat was the worst that a top ten ranked Illini team has ever suffered, surpassing the 38-7 defeat at Colorado in September, 1989.

Illinois (3-1, 0-1 in Big Ten) struggled on both sides of the ball. After Indiana scored the game's opening touchdown on a returned blocked punt with 9:33 left on the first quarter clock, the Illini answered with a Luke Altmyer to Collin Dixon 59-yard scoring strike.

They only managed a late first half field goal by David Olano the rest of the way as the Hoosiers scored touchdowns on eight of their next nine possessions. Up 35-10 at halftime, the Indiana defense was stifling in the second half. Illinois managed just 15 total yards in the final 30 minutes, getting most of those along with their only two first downs in the half, in garbage time late in the fourth quarter.

Mendoza was nearly perfect, hitting on 21 of 23 passes - including 17 straight completions - for 267 yards on the night for Indiana (4-0, 1-0).

Illinois managed just 161 yards of total offense, their lowest output since gaining only 93 yards in a 24-0 loss at Wisconsin in October, 2021. The Hoosiers' 579 yards is the highest allowed by a Bret Bielemea-coached Illini squad, just under the 580 yards surrendered in a rout at Penn State in December, 2020 in a game coached by interim head coach Rod Smith after Lovie Smith was fired.

It was Indiana's biggest victory ever over a ranked opponent, topping the 45-point margin over 20th ranked Minnesota in 1945.

Luke Altmyer finished 14 of 22 for 146 yards before Ethan Hampton entered the game. The Northern Illinois transfer threw an interception on a tipped pass for the first Illini turnover this season.

Illinois now must regroup to face 25th ranked USC next Saturday (11am, FOX). The Trojans hosted Michigan State later Saturday night.

Stay with IlliniGuys.com for complete postgame coverage.