Mendoza, Sarratt connect for three touchdowns in IU football’s rout of Kennesaw State

Photos of IU football vs. Kennesaw State at Memorial Stadium.

A quiet game is an anomaly for him. Elijah Sarratt is rarely left off the stat sheet.

Last weekend’s season opener wasn’t kind to the Indiana standout wide receiver. The 2024 All-Big Ten selection wasn’t targeted in the first half of the opener against Old Dominion.

He finished with three catches for 44 yards but was unable to get going.

This week, it was a completely different story for the No. 1 receiver from the first quarter. The preseason second-team All-American hauled in his first catch on Indiana’s second drive of the game.

The 13-yard pitch-and-catch from Fernando Mendoza was the first of nine connections in Indiana’s 56-9 blowout victory on Saturday.

“I was glad to see him get going a little bit,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. “I was glad to see him bust out and those two kind of hook up a little bit.”

Later in the drive, Mendoza threw a perfect back-shoulder pass to Sarratt in the end zone.

Sarratt delivered his signature “I-U” motion toward the students in the west stands for the first time this season. That connection became the duo’s first touchdown of the 2025 season.

Defensive game plans will center around stopping Sarratt. It happened in Big Ten play last year and has occurred in the first two games of this season.

Last season, guys such as Myles Price, Keshawn Williams, and Omar Cooper Jr. played a monumental role in Sarratt’s success. With other weapons around him, defenses played Sarratt in single coverage — a look that always lights up his eyes.

Similar to last season, the pass-catchers around Sarratt played a key role in getting him open by posing threats themselves. Nine of his teammates caught a pass, something the Stafford, Virginia, native said he was thrilled about.

“It’s great,” Sarratt said. “I always tell the guys, ‘if ‘y’all catch a pass, it’s just going to make it easier for me.’ I realize now that defenses are going to try to stop me, so as long as my other guys are eating, then it’s going to help me.”

Mendoza and Sarratt were not satisfied with one first-half touchdown. The tandem teamed up two more times during Indiana’s dominant 21-point third quarter to push the lead to four scores.

An evident lack of chemistry plagued the pair during the Old Dominion game. However, unlike the previous week, a strong connection was apparent between the quarterback and his top receiver.

Mendoza anticipated the receiver’s route and Sarratt trusted his new quarterback to place the ball in the perfect spot.

The veteran receiver finished Saturday’s contest with nine catches, collecting 97 yards and three touchdowns.

Finishing with 13 targets, Sarratt was the intended receiver of more than half of Mendoza’s 25 pass attempts. E.J. Williams Jr. tallied the second most, finishing with three catches on four targets.

Even as Sarratt struggled to come down with sure catches, his quarterback continued to trust him. He was still willing to lean on him to make the big plays.

“I didn’t target him enough in the first game,” Mendoza said. “Evidently, I think I targeted him enough today.”

There were always going to be growing pains between the two, especially in their first couple of games together. Yet, Mendoza and Sarratt have ironed things out in the first weekend of September.

An appreciation between the two was noticeable. In each of their postgame interviews, both explained plans to take the other out for a meal.

“I think I should take him out to dinner,” Sarratt said with a smile. “I told him that I owe him one and one day I will take him out.”

Last year’s connection between Sarratt and Kurtis Rourke quickly became a special one. And although it’s too early to compare, the bond he’s building with his new quarterback is on a trajectory to surpass it.

A coming-out game was imminent for both players. After seeing a 50/50 ball hauled in for a touchdown, the quarterback understood how his top target earned his nickname.

“He’s Waffle House,” Mendoza said with a wry smile.

After months of building chemistry, the duo finally clicked on the field. It was a breakthrough that could ensure quiet games are a thing of the past for Sarratt.

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