BLOOMINGTON – No. 17 Indiana football grabbed its first chance at a statement win with both hands Saturday night, putting No. 8 Illinois through the floor to the tune of a 63-10 demolition on national television.

Here's what I liked, what I didn't, and what it means.

What I liked in Indiana football's win vs Illinois

Fernando Mendoza 's Big Ten debut was outstanding. He passed for 267 yards and five touchdowns, at times making Illinois look as straightforward as Indiana State. These two quarterbacks entered Saturday's game mirror images of one another statistically, but while Luke Altmyer spent most of the evening running from IU's pass rush, Mendoza projected calm and poise, and ran his offense with the precision that has NFL scouts high on his upside . This was a player-of-

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