This post was updated Oct. 26 at 11:08 p.m.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A Trojan horse only works when the adversary is unsuspecting.

And when a team is facing a titan like the Hoosiers – the only team in the nation to rank in the top five in scoring defense and scoring offense – a David and Goliath story is nearly impossible to achieve.

Add in that Curt Cignetti – who is now 19-2 as head honcho – noted the Bruins’ recent success this week, saying his squad is facing a “3-0 team,” so the Bruins could not catch Cignetti and the Hoosiers off guard like the Greeks achieved with the Trojan horse.

In a game that was all but over in the first quarter, UCLA football (3-5, 3-2 Big Ten) saw its 3-0 Cinderella run flatline as No. 2 Indiana (8-0, 5-0) decimated UCLA’s dreams with a 56-6 beating at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. Although the Bruin defense conceded 56 points and nearly 500 yards – the most given up since forfeiting 43 points and 492 yards against Utah on Aug. 30 – the offense particularly sputtered. 

“We always preach starting fast,” said interim head coach Tim Skipper. “Well, we didn’t do that there, and playing against a team like that that’s very good in all three phases, you’re going to have to start fast, and when it creates a turnover that creates points, that’s hard to overcome. So we didn’t really bounce back from that moment. It kind of shell-shocked us, and it kind of took a while to get back going, so you tip the hat to them.”

The Bruins recorded just 98 total yards in the first half. They also failed to fake a punt and committed two turnovers – including a pick six on the first snap of the game to Hoosier linebacker Aiden Fisher. UCLA picked up seven first-half penalties for 78 yards, just 20 less than the team’s first-half yardage production.

Indiana exploited UCLA’s run defense from the start. The Hoosiers entered the contest ranked second in the Big Ten in rushing yards and No. 13 in the nation, and the backfield combined for 262 yards on 5.6 yards per carry.

Tailback Roman Hemby led the running back room with 81 yards and two scores. UCLA’s tackling problems reappeared as Hemby, along with his backfield counterparts, broke through multiple missed tackles in the open field.

And the air raid often opens up when the rushing game is humming.

Indiana signal-caller and former California quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw for 168 yards and three touchdowns, strengthening his case for the Heisman Trophy.

“They’re a really good offense – it’s not just him (Mendoza),” Skipper said. “He knows how to check in and out of plays, and then they have very good receivers, very good O-line, their running backs run very, very hard, so they are a full, complete offense. They want to win the time of possession, and they did those things today.”

[Related: Gallery: UCLA football falls off winning streak following brutal Indiana defeat]

The Hoosiers’ formidable offensive line opened up interior holes and gifted Mendoza a clean pocket to pick apart the Bruins’ secondary. 

Comparatively, the Bruins’ offensive front allowed three sacks and 3.5 yards per carry. With limited time to let plays develop down the field, Iamaleava was forced out of the pocket, often leading to errant throws and negative plays.

“That kind of set the tone for the game and how the offense played,” Iamaleava said. “They brought a lot of pressure trying to play games up front, and we got to do a better job of picking it up.”

On the same note, the Indiana front smothered UCLA’s offensive front, and the Bruin tailbacks were consistently hit at or behind the line of scrimmage. The Bruin ground attack mustered just 88 total yards – their lowest output since running for just 84 yards against Utah in the Bruins’ inaugural game of the 2025 campaign.

“We didn’t win in the trenches,” Skipper said. “We didn’t move them, anything like that, and we missed too many tackles on the other side. It’s just flat-out the trenches – we lost that battle – and that’s what we talk about all the time, winning in the trenches, and they did that. They stopped our run game, and the score gets out of hand, and you have to throw it a little bit more than you want to and we just never got back to our style of play. That’s the bottom line.”

Indiana’s secondary reflected its front seven’s dominance with potential All-American cornerback D’Angelo Ponds shadowing sophomore wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer, limiting the Bruins’ No. 1 target to one reception and 13 yards.

And after a career performance against Maryland last week – where he posted 102 yards, his career-first triple-digit output performance – redshirt senior wide receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala failed to catch a pass.

Adding insult to injury, Indiana’s starting signal-caller was not the only Mendoza to light up the scoreboard at Memorial Stadium. Fernando Mendoza’s younger brother, Alberto Mendoza, who came in at the end of the third quarter after Indiana had established a 49-6 lead, led a 10-play 75-yard drive that culminated in the backup quarterback’s four-yard rushing touchdown.

It seems that opposing teams understand the threat that UCLA can pose to conference juggernauts, with what the team showcased throughout its three-game winning streak. 

Thus, the Cinderella magic stemming from the Bruins’ Trojan horse tactic may have depleted itself. And with that, the hopes of a season turnaround may remain out of reach.

“It’s hard,” said redshirt defensive lineman Keanu Williams. “Every loss is hard, so it’s not very easy to just lose a game. But these are my brothers – we’re going to keep going. That’s not going to be the last. We got four more games left, so each week … each practice, and from this point forward, we’ll keep going.”