"That’s a good offense, no question," head coach Jonathan Smith said. "The margin for error against good football teams is pretty small… we just did not have it today."

The Spartans defense had no answer. For three quarters, every time Indiana’s offense possessed the ball, it scored; 5-for-5. The only time MSU’s defense supplied a stop was early in the fourth quarter, when after moving the football 44 yards and into the Spartan redzone, Indiana failed on a fourth down attempt.  

MSU and its defense had an abundance of issues. There was a shortage of quarterback pressure, a lack of push from the defensive line, too many soft spots in coverage, missed tackles and wide-open receivers and all that a defense isn’t supposed to exhibit. It’s been the problems seen all year. Indiana just took advantage of it. 

It began like clockwork. On their opening drive, the Hoosiers methodically drove down the field in 11 plays, handling a Spartans defense that displayed no push. It was a junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza 13-yard pass to senior wide receiver EJ Williams that capped off this drive, giving Indiana a 7-3 lead.

On the following Indiana offensive drive, it took only five plays to drive 75 yards. Mendoza and his accurate arm lit up the Spartan defenders, finding one open man after another. In swift execution, Indiana scored on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Mendoza to senior wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, taking a 14-10 lead. 

The lack of green and white defense continued, as in the closing minutes of the first half, Indiana and its offense drove with surgical precision. Mendoza had time to read his progressions, his receivers found the soft spots in the secondary and senior running back Kaelon Black found a hole absent of any green and white defenders, running the ball 29 yards for a Hoosier score, extending their lead to 21-10. 

As dark rain clouds formed over Bloomington, MSU and its defense jogged into the locker room having allowed three scores on three possessions. It conceded three more scores on four possessions in the second half. 

To finish the game, the Hoosiers had 464 total yards on seven possessions. Mendoza finished the game going 24 for 28 with 332 yards and four touchdowns. He spread the ball out to six receivers, his favorite being junior wide receiver Omar Cooper, who had eight receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown. Sarratt also played a key role, hauling in four receptions for 70 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Black finished the game with 10 rushes for 64 years and one touchdown. 

Rivaling Indiana’s potent offense was a MSU offense that played well, but not well enough. To finish the game, MSU totaled 367 yards on 62 plays. Junior quarterback Aidan Chiles went 27-33 with 243 passing yards and one touchdown. He had 20 straight completions, stretching from the first quarter to early in the third quarter. 

When one side of the football plays well for the Spartans, the other doesn’t. Against the Hoosiers, it was the defense that couldn’t create a complimentary team.

"I’m not satisfied," Chiles said. "But I’m appreciative of how we played."

As MSU prepares to host Michigan next Saturday, satisfaction won’t come from the scoreboard alone — it must come from how the Spartans perform overall.