BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – At the highest levels, football games are won and lost at the line of scrimmage. The team with the better big guys up front typically wins the game, and that was showcased in No. 2 Indiana’s (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) 56-6 takedown Saturday of UCLA (3-5, 3-2 Big Ten).

The Hoosiers got after the Bruins on the first play from scrimmage. Indiana defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker and linebacker Rolijah Hardy combined to sack UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava to start things off.

Memorial Stadium was rocking, and the Hoosiers knew they could make it a long day for Iamaleava and the UCLA offensive line.

“We kind of feed off each other and off the fans,” Tucker said. “We’re home, and we love being home. So anytime we’re home, we feed off of that.”

The opening sack began an immediate snowball effect, as Indiana defensive lineman Stephen Daley hit Iamaleava as he threw on the next play, which led to an interception and 25-yard touchdown return for linebacker Aiden Fisher.

After the Hoosiers allowed Michigan State to score on its first two drives last week, they sent a message to the Bruins off the bat. Any hope that UCLA — which entered Saturday on a three-game winning streak — had was killed quickly by Indiana.

“To me it's all the same: It starts up front,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said. “You got to win the line of scrimmage, put heat on the quarterback on defense, got to protect the quarterback on offense. … If the quarterback doesn't have as much time to throw it, he's not as effective. You got to hit him.”

Iamaleava had been extremely effective as both a passer and runner during the Bruins’ win streak, but Indiana made his life hard all afternoon. Iamaleava finished 13-of-27 for 113 yards and two interceptions. Indiana sacked him three times and totaled seven tackles for losses.

In contrast, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza wasn’t sacked once. UCLA’s secondary did a solid job of containing Indiana’s dangerous receiving core, but the mobile Mendoza used his clean pockets to tuck the ball and run himself or deliver to receivers without being under pressure.

“The trenches win the game,” Mendoza said. “And those are the unsung heroes. We have a fantastic d-line, if not one of the best in the nation, and a fantastic o-line, if not the best in the nation. And I think that just helps everything around us. Without them, no way we’d be 8-0.”

The Hoosiers have allowed only six sacks this year, which was tied for the ninth-fewest in the country heading into Saturday. This offensive line rarely allows its quarterback to get touched, which plays a role in the team scoring 45.4 points per game.

Mendoza had a season-low 168 passing yards, but the Heisman candidate had a season-high 45 rushing yards, including a 20-yard touchdown run on a scramble in the third quarter. On the drive following his touchdown scamper, Mendoza escaped the pocket again, only this time he launched the ball downfield to an open E.J. Williams Jr., who altered his original route to get open and score a 62-yard touchdown.

Mendoza contributed to an Indiana rushing attack that ran for 262 yards on 47 carries to dominate the time of possession. Indiana is averaging 230.5 rushing yards per game thanks to effective running backs and a potent offensive line. UCLA stopped Indiana in the backfield on just one of those 47 runs.

“They just are guys that are gritty,” Indiana running back Roman Hemby said of his offensive line. “They go out there every day, and they find ways to get better. They find ways to push each other and you see our leaders like (center) Pat Coogan and (left tackle) Carter Smith … kind of make sure that we’re all ready to go, and they challenge each other, and they always come through.”

UCLA looked helpless up front against Indiana on both sides. The Bruins came into this game with reasonable confidence, but that deteriorated as the game went on.

“When you start to see a team wave the white flag, so to say, break their will, it takes a while,” Cignetti said. “It usually happens sometime in the third quarter. It may have been what happened here.”

Indiana has offensive and defensive lines that can line up with any team in the country. The Hoosiers have won at the line of scrimmage every week this season, regardless of the opponent’s size or talent.

It’s nearly impossible to lose a game when you’re getting defensive penetration and providing your quarterbacks and running backs with time and space to operate. If Indiana continues to command the line of scrimmage, it should keep embarrassing teams as it did on Saturday.