BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It might be hard to believe, but Iowa actually trailed Indiana at one point in its 42-16 thrashing of the Hoosiers.

That is, until Nate Stanley found T.J. Hockenson in the back of the red Indiana end zone with 7:15 left in the first quarter to go up, 7-3 — a lead the Hawkeyes never relinquished.

Stanley had one of the best games of his career, tossing 6 touchdowns along with 320 yards on 21-of-33 passing. He also had the receivers to complement him, and the offense tore apart Indiana’s defense using chunk plays.

The deadly tight end duo of Noah Fant and Hockenson wreaked havoc on the vulnerable Indiana defense. The tandem had its way, catching nearly every pass — and touchdown — that came its way.

Hockenson finished with 4 catches for 107 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 54-yard catch-and-run to give Iowa a 35-10 lead in the third quarter and put the game away.

Fant, not to be outdone, gained 101 yards on 4 receptions with 1 touchdown.

He entered Oct. 13 after battling an injury throughout the week, but he was cleared Oct. 12, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. Prior to the game, Fant had 5 touchdowns, while Hockenson had 1.

Hockenson now leads the team with 394 yards, and Fant ranks first with 23 catches and 6 touchdowns.

With the way the two have performed, they have heard their names up there with some of the best who have played for a school competing for the title of “Tight End U.”

“I love it — there are guys in history who played here, some tight ends who have gone through the University of Iowa; just to even have your name announced with theirs is an honor,” Hockenson said. “Those guys, the history that we have here is really special, especially in the tight-end room. There are no words for it.”

The difficulties the two pose for defenders in coverage was clear against the Hoosiers, and Iowa seized the advantage.

“They’re tough guys to match up with,” Ferentz said. “Both of them have good height, they both can run, so they’re tough to match up with. Today, we were able to catch them in some matchups that favored us, and Nate did a good job getting the ball there.”

Exploiting mismatches by using tight ends wasn’t the only way Iowa controlled the game.

Running backs Toren Young and Mekhi Sargent got their fair share of action with starter Ivory Kelly-Martin sitting out with an injury, and they took advantage.

Thanks to an offensive line that created colossal running lanes — especially early in the game — the young backs kept the offense balanced.

Young averaged 5.1 yards per carry in a 96-yard effort and scored on an 11-yard reception in the third quarter. Sargent gained 59 yards on 10 rushes.

Iowa’s ability to stay two-dimensional throughout the game and keep the defense guessing played a big role in its success.

“I think [it was] real important because when you do both, you can put a strain on the defense,” Young said. “We don’t want to be one-sided where we’re either just running the ball all the time or passing the ball … It doesn’t allow the defense to focus on one area.”

Having both aspects of the offense performing at such a high level also helps when it comes to calling plays.

There were times that offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz called running plays on third-and-long or passing plays in typical running situations, and for most of the game, it worked.

“I think there are situations that you might have more confidence in one than the other, but I think being able to execute well in the running and the passing game gives you the confidence to call run or pass plays in every situation,” Stanley said.